Job Specification

Purpose of Position :

To provide purchasing and contract development services, strategic advice and expertise in developing and implementing all procurement initiatives for a diverse range of goods and services for the Ontario Science Centre (OSC), and to monitor procurement/service arrangements to ensure that they are completed according to terms and conditions of agreement.

Duties / Responsibilities :

1. Corporate procurement and supply services.
- Build and enhance client relationships to provide effective procurement and supply services and advice.
- Works with OSC management to define ongoing and anticipated procurement needs and priorities.
- Provides timely information and analysis to facilitate implementation of the client's operational and business plans for procurement, including: analysis of major supply needs, sourcing strategies, price forecasts, cost-benefit analyses, service delivery alternatives and pros and cons of specific services or products.
- Provides expert advice to clients on the interpretation and application of OSC and provincial procurement policies, directives, procedures, and guidelines.
- Provides expert advice in the competitive tender process to clients to ensure RFPs comply with procurement rules and legal requirements to ensure that vendors have access to a fair and transparent procurement opportunity, within timelines, budget and deliverables; leads the development of RFPs, contracts, invitational tenders and sourcing plans/methods.
- Initiates and negotiates alliances and contracts with the main suppliers to OSC.
-Initiates OSC vendor of record arrangements for OSC specific products and services not covered by Provincial VOR's.

2. Vendor contract performance management.
- Develops and maintains good working relationships with vendor community to help prevent and/or resolve vendor and contract performance issues.
-Provides information about the vendor and the agreement to clients to enable them to monitor the deliverables, vendor performance, and resolve issues.
-Develops benchmarks for approval by management for application in vendor performance monitoring.
-Performs formal evaluations of vendors' performance to assess contract compliance and ensure service and value for money.
- Coordinates the resolution of disputes with vendors, and undertakes appropriate remedial action to address supplier non-compliance with contractual obligations and fair business practices.

3. Analysis of market, products and services
- Reviews existing and potential goods, services and suppliers by conducting analyses of market, products and services, and consulting with clients to ensure that procurement arrangements are aligned with clients' needs.
- Conducts monitoring of the supplier base, evaluates supplier strengths and weaknesses to identify potential partnership opportunities.
- Coordinates the conducting of technical assessments of products with operational and technical specialists to facilitate the development of specific recommendations to ensure compliance with OSC quality standards and cost savings objectives.

4. Logistics coordination and procurement administration.
-As the sole procurement advisor checks the accuracy and completeness of procurement arrangements according to established and agreed schedules and ensure that purchases of goods, services and assets are recorded and mechanisms are in place to monitor procurement activity.
-Coordinates aggregation, classification, recording and reporting of current and historical procurement information.

5. Procedures/guidelines/systems development and implementation.
-Revise and/or develop procurement administrative policies, best practices, procedures, guidelines and systems to support procurement/supply operations and improve administration and reporting of procurement of goods and services and management, monitoring and control of contracts, assets and expenditures.
- Coordinates and participates with OSC staff to ensure the development of detailed specifications and services standards for goods and services.
- Develops and implements operational policies, procedures and controls for goods and services and their transportation and logistics to ensure consistency with environmental regulations.

Staffing and Licensing :

n/a

Knowledge :

Knowledge of and skills in:
- Public/private sector procurement practices, supply and asset management principles and practices, procurement policies, directives and standing agreements, environmental standards to provide expert advice and guidance to clients in choice of vendors/contractors and in developing the appropriate RFP, RFT, RFS specifications.
- Applicable legislation to ensure adherence to provincial standards when coordinating procurement activities and transportation and shipping logistics.
- Administration to sustain continuous improvements in effectiveness of procurement policy and procedures for management and monitoring of contracts, assets and expenditures, OSC business/programs objectives and related markets to identify products/services that meet with requirements.
- Financial, economic, and relevant scientific analytical/evaluative techniques to assess market products and advise clients in choice of products.
- Practices related to contract agreements such as contract law and competitive bidding case law to advise clients on risks in business decisions for procurement through the tendering process and the implications of the terms and conditions of contracts.
- Communication to provide advisory services to management and liaise with external vendors.
- Operation of common office software (including word processing, spreadsheet, database, project management and presentation capabilities) to create analytical reporting on vendor usage, distribution of expenditure, buying trends, and tracking of work in progress. Above average spreadsheet and word processing skills is required.
- Provides technical guidance, training and expertise to client management in the form of explanations and briefings on procurement matters to assure compliance with procurement processes and through providing recommendations on approving business cases, RFP development, vendor selection, contract negotiations, business case review and corporate policy

Skills :

- Communication and persuasion skills to advise, train and inform management on procurement services, processes, policies and best practices, and to work with clients, industry and management/staff to develop alternate solutions to technical processes.
- Advisory skills to provide information to clients on procurement options and to maintain good working relationships with vendors to encourage delivery of services as agreed in contract arrangement; and to promote fair and transparent process for procurement of contracts/services.
- Negotiation skills to negotiate contracts and resolve procurement problems with vendors/suppliers.
- Examine, , evaluate and assess the OSC's procurement needs and priorities, evaluate multiple sources of required goods/services, and develop/recommend sourcing strategies;
- Perform and report on formal evaluations of vendors' performance to assess contract compliance;
- Examine information from different sources to develop and recommend improvements in OSC's business practices in the area of procurement;
- Review administrative procedures, guidelines and systems related to management, monitoring and control of contracts, assets and expenditures to recommend new initiatives and/or revisions.

Freedom of Action :

- Assessing and identifying client needs to advise on RFP/T/S development, vendor selection, and contract negotiations;
- Evaluating vendor's performance and advising Senior Management and client of performance issues;
- Researching, identifying and establishing procurement opportunities to achieve cost savings for procurement requirements.
Has latitude to:
- Complete comprehensive reviews of existing practices to develop and recommend new policies/guidelines for implementation.
- Approve purchase orders and negotiate/approve contracts consistent with the OSC Delegation of Authority;
- Resolve vendor and client disputes;
- Establish standing agreements and VOR's specific to OSC and other related agencies for goods, commodities and services.