What Do Procurement Clerks Do (including Their Typical Day At Work)

Job Description

Procurement Clerks compile information and records to draw up purchase orders for procurement of materials and services. They also perform buying duties when necessary.

Other tasks include:

• Prepare purchase orders and send copies to suppliers and to departments originating requests.
• Compare suppliers’ bills with bids and purchase orders to verify accuracy.
• Prepare, maintain, and review purchasing files, reports and price lists.
• Check shipments when they arrive to ensure that orders have been filled correctly and that goods meet specifications.
• Compare prices, specifications, and delivery dates to determine the best bid among potential suppliers.
• Approve and pay bills.

We asked Procurement Clerks how satisfied they are with their job. Here is what they said.

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63% of them said they were satisfied with their job and 43% said they find that their job makes the world a better place or helps to make someone else’s life better.

Typical Day At Work

On a daily basis, Procurement Clerks determine if inventory quantities are sufficient for needs, ordering more materials when necessary. They approve and pay bills.

A typical day for a Procurement Clerk will also include:

• Track the status of requisitions, contracts, and orders.
• Perform buying duties when necessary.
• Prepare, maintain, and review purchasing files, reports and price lists.
• Review requisition orders to verify accuracy, terminology, and specifications.
• Respond to customer and supplier inquiries about order status, changes, or cancellations.

We asked some Procurement Clerks a few questions to find out what else does their work day look like. Here is what we found.

	Do you have telephone conversations everyday in this job?	97% said yes
	How important is it to work in a team in this job?	64% said very important
	Do you have group discussions everyday in this job?	77% said yes
	Do you talk or work with customers everyday in this job?	58% said yes
	Do you have to deal with angry customers everyday in this job?	18% said yes
	Do you have to make decisions everyday in this job?	72% said yes

Other responsibilities

Besides their typical day, Procurement Clerks also contact suppliers to schedule or expedite deliveries and to resolve shortages, missed or late deliveries, and other problems. They may also prepare invitation-of-bid forms, and mail forms to supplier firms or distribute forms for public posting.

On a weekly to monthly basis, Procurement Clerks Monitor contractor performance, recommending contract modifications when necessary. They might also Check shipments when they arrive to ensure that orders have been filled correctly and that goods meet specifications.

In addition, they Monitor in-house inventory movement and complete inventory transfer forms for bookkeeping purposes.

Although specific duties may vary, many of them Locate suppliers, using sources such as catalogs and the internet, and interview them to gather information about products to be ordered.

To some Procurement Clerks, it is also their responsibility to Respond to customer and supplier inquiries about order status, changes, or cancellations.

Working life

Standard 40 hour work week

Regular schedule like a 9 to 5

In a typical work week as a Procurement Clerk, you can expect to work 40 hour work week.

Is this right for me

People who are suitable for this job tends to like following set procedures and routines. They like working with data and details more than with ideas..

They also like starting up and carrying out projects. They like leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.

You can read more about these career personality types here.

Explore other careers

http://www.bls.gov/OOH/office-and-administrative-support/financial-clerks.htm

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