Purchasing and Contracts Specialist

The Purchasing and Contracts Specialist is responsible for the development, coordination and maintenance of contracts and procurement of goods and services for County Departments. Coordinates the procurement of professional services, construction contracting, and administration of contracts in compliance with federal, state, local laws, and policies and procedures.

The schedule for this full-time position is Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM and is located in Lecanto, Florida.

• Formulates and prepares Requests for Proposal for Professional Services and Invitations for Bid for construction and capital improvement contracts.
• Schedules and participates in pre-bid/proposal conferences, Professional Services Review Committee meetings and oral presentations.
• Formulates and prepares Board agenda items, construction contracts, contract amendments, work authorizations, and change orders.
• Assists in the development and compilation of contract packages in preparation for bidding and Board approval.
• Assists and coordinates with internal customers regarding the development of Scopes of Work/Services.
• Evaluates construction bids and proposals to determine the most responsive and responsible submittal. Evaluates Professional Services proposal responses, pricing data, scope of services and contract terms.
• Assists in updating the Solicitation database, ensures all reports are in agreement and current.
• Consults with the Risk Manager, County Attorney and the Purchasing and Contracts Manager to ensure contracts are in compliance with the County’s contract/lease language requirements.
• Assembles the bid documents from the technical specifications sent by the requesting departments.
• Prepares bid tabulations to be sent to the user departments along with the compliant bids.
• Formulates the bid award/bid agenda items after consulting with the department regarding compliance with the technical specifications and department concerns.
• Reviews and approves purchasing requisitions $35,000 and over for compliance with County policies.
• Conducts research on possible single or sole source items and coordinates bids with other agencies.
• Assists divisions in developing award criteria and negotiation of prices for professional service contracts.
• Performs other duties as required.

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in Business or Public Administration or a closely related field.
• Two (2) years of experience in the preparation and/or monitoring of contracts including one (1) year experience in the public sector.
• Work experience in a related field may be substituted for the required degree.

• Ability to interpret and apply procurement regulations, policies, and legal requirements to ensure compliance with County rules and guidelines.
• Strong analytical, problem‑solving, and decision‑making skills.
• Detail‑oriented with strong organizational and project management abilities.
• Requires ability to maintain courteous and effective relations with County staff, elected officials, community interest groups and the public.
• Must have strong working knowledge of computers and be proficient in the use of Microsoft Office Suite of Products (i.e., Outlook, Word, Excel, etc.).

• Valid Florida Driver License (or must obtain within 30 days of establishing residency in Florida), or valid Florida Identification Card is acceptable only for positions not required to drive a county vehicle.
• Must have or be able to obtain within 90 days certification in FEMA National Incident Management System (NIMS) courses:
  • IS-100.c:
    Introduction to the Incident Command System (ICS); and
  • IS-700.b:
    An Introduction to the National Incident Management System

• Requires sitting most of the time.
• The job involves frequent lifting and carrying up to 20 pounds, and occasionally up to 50 pounds.
• The job requires frequent bending, balancing, twisting, and reaching above shoulders.
• The job requires the completion of tasks that involves simple grasping, pushing, pulling, fine manual manipulation, and typing.
• The job requires normal visual acuity and field of vision, depth…