Procurement Officer I

The State of Maryland is seeking Procurement professionals to fill early career roles as a Procurement Officer I.

This recruitment is for current and future vacancies statewide and those who qualify may be contacted by multiple agencies. When completing the application, please select all the locations you are willing to work.

Grade 16: Procurement Officer I, $60,987 - $98,313/year

This recruitment will be used to fill current and future vacancies across the state of Maryland. When completing the application, select all the locations you are willing to work.

A Procurement Officer I is the full performance level position as a procurement professional.  Procurement professionals are responsible for the purchase of equipment, services, construction, supplies, information technology and other needs which must be obtained through the competitive procurement process, a negotiated procurement process, or other procurement methods. Procurement Officer Is provide agency procurement technical interpretation, instruction, guidance, and assistance in accordance with State laws and regulations. They do not supervise. 

Examples of potential specific duties a Procurement Officer I may be required to perform include:  

· Developing contract specifications, including performance and acceptance standards, payment terms, contract management elements, contract modifications, contract renewals, and advertisement requirements in accordance with State procurement procedures, laws, and regulations for the procurement of all necessary services, supplies, equipment, real estate, construction, indefinite quantity contracts, facilities maintenance, and commodities; 

· Conducting pre-bid/pre-proposal conferences and site inspections, explaining procurement requirements, establishing procurement procedures, and scheduling, participating in, and conducting offerors’ discussions and contract negotiations; 

· Examining bid proposals to determine issues of responsiveness and responsibility and need for additional information; 

· Conducting bid openings for competitive procurements to determine whether offerors are qualified to be selected for award and potentially recommending proposals for awards; 

· Managing the advertisement of procurement opportunities, distributing specifications to vendors, conducting vendor conferences, receiving and securing bid or proposals, overseeing the evaluation process and contract award; 

· Assisting with or conducting bidder debriefings; 

· Negotiating the most favorable prices, terms and conditions for noncompetitive sole source and emergency procurements; 

· Researching materials and providing testimony regarding Board of Public Works items and preparing documents for BPW contract approval; 

· Preparing minutes of pre-bid/pre-proposal conferences, drafting addenda to Requests for Proposals (RFP)/Invitation for Bids (IFB) and answering written questions from potential bidders and offerors;

· Assembling statistical and narrative data and preparing reports for use in evaluating State procurement activity and performance measurement;

· Providing testimony in bid protest disputes;

· Evaluating contractor’s performance against terms and conditions of contracts and recommending corrective actions, such as the application of damages, withholding of payment, or termination of contract;

· Conferring with Assistant Attorney General’s Office regarding bid irregularities, contract disputes, protests, vendor compliance or appeals and Public Information Act requests;

· Verifying Certificates of Insurance, Bonds, and references for compliance with contract requirements;

· Verifying Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) participation;

· Implementing new and revised fiscal policies, procedures, and standards to capture complex procurement costs;

· Providing advice and guidance to paraprofessional support staff;

· Performs other related duties.

Six years of experience: two years of experience in contract management or procurement involving duties such as: soliciting, evaluating, negotiating and awarding contracts and ensuring compliance with governmental procurement laws, regulations and conditions and an additional four years of professional contract management experience or professional procurement experience. 

Notes: 

1. Candidates may substitute certification as a Certified Public Manager from the National Association of Purchasing Management; Certified Professional Contracts Manager from the National Contract Management Association; Certified Public Purchasing Officer or Certified Professional Public Buyer from the Universal Public Purchasing Certification Council (National Institute of Governmental Purchasing, Inc. or National Association of State Purchasing Officers) for the additional four years of the required experience.

2. Candidates for positions may substitute the possession of a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university and two years of experience of experience in contract management or procurement involving duties such as: soliciting, evaluating, negotiating and awarding contracts and ensuring compliance with governmental procurement laws, regulations and conditions for the required experience.

3. Candidates may substitute additional graduate education at an accredited college or university, at the rate of thirty credit hours for the required experience.

4. Candidates may substitute U.S. Armed Forces military service experience as a commissioned officer in Contracting, Industrial Management or logistics specialist classifications or administrative support specialty codes in the procurement or financial management fields of work on a year-for-year basis for the required experience. 

Preference will be given to applicants who possess the following preferred qualification(s). Include clear and specific information on your application regarding your qualifications.

Relevant job experience with the US Federal Government and were separated from federal service on or after January 15th, 2025, or relevant job experience with the State of Maryland.

Your application will be reviewed by an HR analyst to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications for the position listed above. Please make sure that you provide complete and accurate information on your application showing all relevant experience and education.

After your application is reviewed, you will receive a notice to your online account of whether you meet the minimum qualifications. If you meet that threshold, your application will be forwarded to one or more State agencies with vacancies, and you may hear from them to begin an interview process.

STATE OF MARYLAND BENEFITS

Online applications are highly recommended. However, if you are unable to apply online, the paper application and supplemental questionnaire may be submitted to: Department of Budget and Management, Recruitment and Examination Division, 301 W. Preston St., Baltimore, MD 21201.

Paper application materials must be received in our office by the closing date for the recruitment. No postmarks will be accepted.

For questions regarding this recruitment, please contact the DBM Recruitment and Examination Division at Application.Help@maryland.gov or 410-767-4850, MD TTY Relay Service 1-800-735- 2258.

The State of Maryland is committed to diversity among its staff and recognizes that its continued success requires the highest commitment to obtaining and retaining a diverse staff that provides the best quality services to supporters and constituents. The State of Maryland is an equal opportunity employer and it is our policy to recruit, hire, train, promote and administer any and all personnel actions without regard to sex, race, age, color, creed, national origin, religion, economic status, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity or expression, ethnic identity or disability, or any other legally protected basis. The State of Maryland is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities in the hiring process and on the job, as required by applicable law. The State of Maryland will not tolerate any unlawful discrimination, and any such conduct is strictly prohibited.