Purchasing Agent

Salary: $75,579.37 - $120,624.62 Annually
Location : Government Center East - 115 South Andrews Ave, Fort Lauderdale, FL
Job Type: Full-Time
Job Number: 1414635
Department: FASD Purchasing Prof Construct
Opening Date: 08/13/2026
Closing Date: 8/28/2026 5:00 PM Eastern
Veterans' Preference Notice: Under Section 295.07, Florida Statutes, certain servicemembers and veterans, and the spouses and family members of such servicemembers and veterans, receive preference and priority, and certain servicemembers may be eligible to receive waivers for postsecondary educational requirements, in employment with Broward County and are encouraged to apply for the positions being filled.
International Degree Verification: International degrees must be evaluated by an approved member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) or the Association of International Credential Evaluators (AICE) Candidates are responsible for all evaluation expenses. Completed evaluations do not guarantee employment and are subject to approval by Broward County Human Resources.


REQUIREMENTS AND PREFERENCES
*****This is an in-person position, not remote*****
The Broward County Board of County Commissioners is seeking qualified candidates for Purchasing Agents to work in its Professional and Construction Sections (includes A/E procurements) and General Services Section (ex. banking, insurance, management service procurements, etc.)

The Broward County Purchasing Division is responsible for procurement of goods, services, construction, and professional services for over 60 different agencies of the Board of County Commissioners. As a centralized purchasing agency, the Division is responsible for:

• Creating and issuing solicitations
• Vendor selection
• Negotiations
• Award
• Contract Management
• Reporting
• Disposal of surplus property, and
• Logistic / resource management support for emergencies

The Broward County Purchasing Division has been nationally recognized, receiving the National Institute of Government Procurement's Outstanding Agency Accreditation Award (OA4), and the National Procurement Institute's Achievement of Excellence in Procurement Award. Additionally, it has received the Florida Association of Public Procurement Officials, Inc. (FAPPO) Award of Excellence in Public Procurement.

The Purchasing Agent (PA) provides a key role in the division, procuring the goods and services required to operate, maintain, and grow the County's operations, for all who live, learn, work and play in Broward County.

Benefits of Broward County Employment

Broward County offers a comprehensive benefits package to eligible employees, including:

• Two (2) medical plans, including HDHP plan with employer funded HSA
• Spending Accounts
• Life Insurance
• Supplemental Insurance
• Florida Retirement System (FRS) retirement plan
• 457 (b) Deferred Compensation with employer match

Broward County provides 11 paid holidays each year, as well as vacation (Annual Leave) of two weeks per year for Full - Time employees. Additionally, this position includes up to 40 hours of Job Basis Leave.
General Description:
Performs specialized work in a large central purchasing operation with responsibility to bind the County for the purchase of commodities and/or services up to an authorized threshold.

Works independently, under supervision, reporting major activities through periodic meetings.
Minimum Education and Experience Requirements:
Requires a Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with major coursework in business, public administration, or closely related field.
(One year of relevant experience may be substituted for each year of required education.)

Requires two (2) years in a centralized public or private sector purchasing operation with some lead work experience or closely related experience.

Preferences:

• Master's degree in relevant field
• Certified Professional Public Buyer or (CPPB)
• Certified Public Purchasing Officer (CPPO)
• Certified Procurement Professional (CPP)
• Certified Project Management Professional (PMP)
• 1+ years of Government Procurement Experience
• Bonfire (electronic bidding system) experience
• 1+ years of PeopleSoft/ERP Experience

SCOPE OF WORK
Duties and Responsibilities

The functions listed below are those that represent the majority of the time spent working in this class. Management may assign additional functions related to the type of work of the job as necessary.

Reviews, corrects, and researches using agency's specifications to ensure competitive and non-restrictive requirements; ensures basic requirements and industry standards/certifications are included; determines if licensing, insurance and bonding are required.


Prepares solicitations for advertising. Evaluates vendor responses for responsiveness, responsibility, and compliance with solicitation requirements. Performs solicitation award processes and prepares central purchase orders.

Prepares memoranda requesting special conditions for solicitations, makes recommendations for award/rejection of solicitations, or responses to vendor issues or protests.

Responsible for conducting presentations, outreach events, or pre-bid/proposal conferences.

Reviews, analyzes and resolves purchasing issues. Determines the appropriate terms, conditions, pricing structure, specifications, and forms for assigned procurements.


Responds to requests for information and public records requests.

Reviews and analyzes existing contracts to determine whether the contract should be renewed or re-solicited and prepares recommendations for renewal. Processes recommended contract renewals.

Performs related work as assigned.
Competencies

• Manages Complexity :
  Makes sense of complex, high quantity, and sometimes contradictory information to effectively solve problems. Looks at complex issues from multiple angles; explores issues to uncover underlying issues and root causes; sees the main consequences and implications of different options.
• Resourcefulness :
  Secures and deploys resources effectively and efficiently. Identifies and obtains resources needed to accomplish objectives; identifies different ways to accomplish work when resources are limited. Makes progress across multiple priorities or responsibilities.
• Optimizes Work Processes :
  Knows the most effective and efficient processes to get things done, with a focus on continuous improvement. Generally follows defined and communicated standards, methods, and procedures. Seeks advice and finds ways to work better within processes. Makes some reasonable suggestions to improve work methods.
• Ensures Accountability :
  Holds self and others accountable to meet commitments. Accepts responsibility for own work, both successes and failures. Handles fair share and does not make excuses for problems. Usually meets commitments to others.
• Drives Results :
  Consistently achieves results, even under tough circumstances. Regularly pushes self to achieve outstanding outcomes; consistently establishes bold goals for own performance; is passionate about excellent results and significant contributions. Shows great tenacity to complete goals/initiatives in a timely way.
• Communicates Effectively :
  Develops and delivers multi-mode communications that convey a clear understanding of the unique needs of different audiences. Listens attentively and takes an interest. Keeps others well informed; conveys information clearly, concisely, and professionally when speaking or writing.
• Demonstrates Self-Awareness :
  Uses a combination of feedback and reflection to gain productive insight into personal strengths and weaknesses. Actively seeks feedback from a variety of sources; asks clarifying questions to understand and improve own impact on others or on team performance. Reflects on and learns from own mistakes.

WORK ENVIRONMENT
Physical Demands
Physical demands refer to the requirements for physical exertion and coordination of limb and body movement.


Performs sedentary work that involves walking or standing some of the time and involves exerting up to 10 pounds of force on a regular and recurring basis or sustained keyboard operations.

Unavoidable Hazards (Work Environment)
Unavoidable hazards refer to the job conditions that may lead to injury or health hazards even though precautions have been taken.


None.
SPECIAL INFORMATION
County Core Values
All Broward County employees strive to demonstrate the County's four core behavioral competencies©.

• Collaborates: Building partnerships and working collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives.
• Customer focus: Building strong customer relationships and delivering customer-centric solutions.
• Instills trust: Gaining the confidence and trust of others through honesty, integrity, and authenticity.
• Values differences: Recognizing the value that different perspectives and cultures bring to an organization.

Copyright © 2025 Korn Ferry. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Compliance
Broward County is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to inclusion. Broward County is committed to providing equal opportunity and reasonable accommodations to qualified persons with disabilities. We support the hiring of people with disabilities; therefore, if you require assistance due to a disability, please contact the Professional Standards Section in advance at View phone number on click.appcast.io or email to make an accommodation request.
County-wide Emergency Responsibilities
Note: During emergency conditions, all County employees are automatically considered emergency service workers. County employees are subject to being called to work in the event of a disaster, such as a hurricane, or other emergency situation and are expected to perform emergency service duties, as assigned.
County-wide Employee Responsibilities
All Broward County employees must serve the public and fellow employees with honesty and integrity in full accord with the letter and spirit of Broward County's Employee Code of Ethics, gift, and conflict of interest policies.

All Broward County employees must establish and maintain effective working relationships with the general public, co-workers, elected and appointed officials and members of diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, marital status, political affiliation, familial status, sexual orientation, pregnancy, or gender identity and expression.
Broward is a dynamic county that offers an exciting, stable career with incredible employee benefits such as 11 annual holidays, accrued annual/vacation and sick leave, FRS retirement, $50,000 of County-paid life insurance, training and development, and participation eligibility in a deferred compensation (457) plan with a match up to $2,000. In addition, Broward County offers 2 health plans, a High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) with a County-funded Health Savings Account (HSA), and a Consumer Driven Health plan (CDH), Dental insurance, Vision insurance and Section 125 Flexible spending accounts for Medical Expenses and Dependent Care. Employees who are hired into a full-time, or part-time position working 20 hours per week, are considered benefits-eligible. Benefits become effective on the first of the month following 30 days of employment.
01


What is the highest level of education you have achieved from an accredited college or university with major coursework in business, public administration, or closely related field?

• Associates degree
• Bachelors degree
• Masters degree
• Doctorate
• No degree

02


How many years of experience do you have working in a large centralized public or private sector purchasing operation with some lead work?

• Less than 2 years
• 2 - 3 years
• 4 - 5 years
• 6 or more years

03


This position requires the handling of all types of procurements for the County. Please explain in detail your experience and give examples of the various procurement methods of which you are familiar. Include what items or services you purchased, (i.e. technology purchases, professional services, construction, etc.), how the specifications were developed and what type of solicitation was utilized to purchase the items or services.
04


Explain your experience, including number of years, with any electronic bidding system and/or Enterprise Resource Planning System (ERP). Identify the system/program.
05


Describe a recommendation you have made that resulted in a performance, process, or job-related improvement. If you were responsible for implementing the recommendation, include the actions you took.
06


Describe the most difficult procurement you have done. What were the obstacles and how did you overcome them?
07


Describe in as much detail as necessary a project you worked on and your role in the project that you believe is a significant accomplishment.
08


What have you done to improve your purchasing knowledge in the last year?
09


What do you consider is the most important reason for Government procurement policies and procedures which must be followed. What is the purpose of these policies and procedures?
10


How have you justified pricing is fair and reasonable when you purchased from a single source? What was the single source and value.
11


Which of the following preferences do you possess (select all that apply)?

• Master's degree in relevant field
• Professional Public Buyer (CPPB)
• Certified Public Purchasing Officer (CPPO)
• Certified Procurement Professional (CPP)
• Certified Project Management Professional (PMP)
• 1+ years of Government Procurement Experience
• 1+ years of Electronic Bidding Experience
• 1+ years of PeopleSoft/ERP Experience
• None of the above

Required Question