IT Contract Specialist

IT Contract SpecialistPerform as a Contracting Officer and Strategic Sourcing Specialist by providing contract management, vendor management, negotiations, monitoring, oversight and administration for all IT hardware, software and service contracts. Lead, manage and administer the contract throughout its lifecycle. Coordinate with state business leads/owners and project managers as required to ensure contract related decisions are made in an informed and fiscally responsible manner. Review and modify entity solicitations, contracts, amendments, or renewal options that do not adhere to state policies and guidelines involving project management, technical architecture, security, procurement and other standards as required. Serve as the contracting liaison (single point of contact) to support the creation and development of RFPs, bids and agreements. Provide process and technical expertise to the offer evaluation and award process. Provide IT procurement expertise on major IT projects involving complex IT projects to ensure a successful bid process, contract finalization and appropriate utilization. Ensure compliance with requirements of procurement laws and regulations for information technology, including compliance with and negotiation of contract terms and conditions.Contract ManagementDevelop and manage IT contracts including, but not limited to, amendments, renewals and change orders.Leverage high order communication and negotiation skills to effectively engage with business owners, end users and vendors on contract procedures, terms and conditions, disputes, periodic contract reviews, and other management areas as required.Maintain a centralized contract information repository.Obtain, reconcile and analyze IT contract metric data from agency and other points of contact.Coordinate contract and vendor issues through collaboration with appropriate department or other agency organizations, as well as the Attorney General's office.Meet with Directors and Managers to discuss IT contracts to ascertain intentions for existing contracts and any new contracts to be created.Provide information and suggest courses of action on IT contracts to entity management.Ensure all contract activities are tracked in order to continually monitor efficiency and cost effectiveness of each IT contract.Manage, maintain, and update IT contracts through a database system.CommunicationAbility to comfortably develop and offer recommendations on complex issues to senior and executive management.Excellent oral, written, and interpersonal skills and the ability to develop strong working relationships with representatives from agencies, vendors and other key stakeholdersProvide and maintain excellent customer service to internal and external customersDemonstrated ability to understand and resolve complex problems and the ability to read, interpret and make recommendations based on complex State, Federal and Departmental rules, laws and regulations.Purchasing and ContractingEnsure compliance with State procurement rules, statutes and procedures.Create, review, and modify entity solicitations, contracts, amendments, or renewal options that do not adhere to state policies and guidelines involving project management, technical architecture, security, procurement and other standards as required.Work with IT legal attorneys, entity Purchasing Departments and the IT Strategic Sourcing Office for the review, revision, approval and award of IT contracts as requiredConduct negotiations of appropriate terms and conditions based on business and legal requirements.Strong analytic skills; experience in data analysis with attention to detailKnowledge, Skills, and Abilities:Ability to perform in a complex, cross-functional business environment. Ability to develop, edit, review, and revise IFBs, RFQs, and RFPs of varying complexity. Ability to negotiate contracts and RFP documents. Possess a global perspective of business environment and technology. Have a basic understanding of IT product and service needs, as well as general knowledge of changing technologies.Minimum Education and Experience Requirements:Bachelor's degree in Business or related area from an appropriately accredited institution and 4 years of progressively responsible experience in the area of procurement and contract administration related to the solicitation, negotiation and award of contracts, preferably in information technology and/or public sector environments or an equivalent combination of education and experience. Degrees must be from appropriately accredited institutions.Skill Matrix:Ability to develop, edit, review, and revise IFBs, RFQs, and RFPs of varying complexity.Ability to negotiate contracts and RFP documents.Basic understanding of IT product and service needs, as well as general knowledge of changing technologies.Experience ensuring compliance with requirements of procurement laws and regulations for information technology.Demonstrate knowledge or experience with Federal and State statutes, regulations, policies, and rules in relation to procurement.