What does a contractor buyer do?
A contractor buyer is responsible for acquiring materials and resources for construction and manufacturing processes that meet the quality standards and budget limitations. Contractor buyers negotiate offers with trusted suppliers and vendors for cost-effective materials based on design specifications and requirements. They also monitor the accurate distribution and delivery schedules to maintain the consistency of project plans and finish the task within the required deadlines. A contractor buyer must have excellent knowledge of the construction industry to identify the reliability of resources and handle the costings efficiently.
Contractor buyer responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real contractor buyer resumes:
- Manage OEM IBM customer account from quote to cash.
- Manage returned inventory (RMA's), and provide internal reporting as needed.
- Facilitate and manage the logistics of large, multifamily cooperative purchases.
- Manage escalations and expedites process in support of shorten interval requests.
- Work with BAAN, an ERP system, to check MRP and place purchase orders and production orders.
- Preside over inventory cycle counts and ISO audits.
- Increase the efficiency of order processing and assist with ISO department procedures.
- Interface frequently with suppliers and subcontractors to negotiate cost-effective contractual agreements, as well as maintain POs and subcontracts.
- Possess excellent relationships with suppliers in order to meet the needs of the business and of the MRP system.
- Work with receiving department on overseas container issues; work with accounting to reconcile POs, packing slips and invoices.
- Complete production/consumption orders of manufacturing intermediates in ERP system.
- Work closely with logistics and shipping department to ensure timely delivery.
- Operate automated MRP system to generate at-a-glance reporting criteria for various processing routines.
- Prepare RFQ package and assure that all pertinent information are communicated to prospective bidders.
- Provide oversight of proposal evaluation committees, complete weight RFP evaluation calculations, and conduct vendor interviews/presentations.
Contractor buyer skills and personality traits
We calculated that 18% of Contractor Buyers are proficient in Customer Service, Purchase Orders, and Data Entry. They’re also known for soft skills such as Integrity, Interpersonal skills, and Organizational skills.
We break down the percentage of Contractor Buyers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Customer Service, 18%
Presented excellent follow-up skills coupled with active listing skills to achieve unparalleled customer service to internal and external customers.
- Purchase Orders, 16%
Coordinated with Legal to ensure all purchase orders were properly reviewed and the required information necessary for processing was available.
- Data Entry, 7%
Perform word processing/data entry/tracking of Contract documents as required.
- Logistics, 4%
Managed all imports including Letter of Credit documentation and logistics management.
- Customer Orders, 4%
Maintained accurate and complete records of all required documentation used in support of customer orders and ensuring governmental compliance.
- ERP, 4%
Enter orders and quotation into SAP (ERP), Microsoft Office, Cisco Phone system to accomplish business goals.
Most contractor buyers use their skills in "customer service," "purchase orders," and "data entry" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential contractor buyer responsibilities here:
Integrity. One of the key soft skills for a contractor buyer to have is integrity. You can see how this relates to what contractor buyers do because "information clerks, particularly human resources assistants, have access to confidential information." Additionally, a contractor buyer resume shows how contractor buyers use integrity: "inventory control supervisor managed raw and finished goods inventories to ensure both the accuracy of financial transactions and inventory balance integrity. "
Interpersonal skills. Many contractor buyer duties rely on interpersonal skills. "information clerks who work with the public and customers must understand and communicate information effectively to establish positive relationships.," so a contractor buyer will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways contractor buyer responsibilities rely on interpersonal skills: "excelled in customer service by marketing products based on customer profiles and through outstanding interpersonal communication skills. "
Organizational skills. contractor buyers are also known for organizational skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to contractor buyer responsibilities, because "information clerks must be able to retrieve files and other important information quickly and efficiently." A contractor buyer resume example shows how organizational skills is used in the workplace: "build and foster mutually beneficial supplier relationships at all organizational levels"
Communication skills. contractor buyer responsibilities often require "communication skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "information clerks must be able to explain policies and procedures clearly to customers and the public." This resume example shows what contractor buyers do with communication skills on a typical day: "close communication with customers, sales teams, customer support, marketing, finance and manufacturing. "
The three companies that hire the most contractor buyers are:
- Danbury Hospital5 contractor buyers jobs
- Raytheon Technologies4 contractor buyers jobs
- Crestron Electronics
4 contractor buyers jobs
Choose from 10+ customizable contractor buyer resume templates
Build a professional contractor buyer resume in minutes. Our AI resume writing assistant will guide you through every step of the process, and you can choose from 10+ resume templates to create your contractor buyer resume.
Compare different contractor buyers
Contractor buyer vs. Verifier
An order management specialist is responsible for monitoring sales orders and confirming accurate delivery details to the customers. Order management specialists verify the availability of placed orders, ensuring its quality before shipment to avoid complaints and issues. They also update and track the customer's account information in the database, including payments posting and order verification. An order management specialist must have excellent organizational and communication skills, especially in handling customers' inquiries and concerns about the products and resolving delivery discrepancies.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, contractor buyer responsibilities require skills like "purchase orders," "data entry," "logistics," and "erp." Meanwhile a typical verifier has skills in areas such as "pallet jack," "msc," "cactus," and "cpc." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Verifiers tend to make the most money working in the transportation industry, where they earn an average salary of $38,344. In contrast, contractor buyers make the biggest average salary, $48,255, in the technology industry.verifiers tend to reach similar levels of education than contractor buyers. In fact, verifiers are 3.8% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.3% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Contractor buyer vs. Order management specialist
An order processing specialist is a business administrator in charge of processing customer orders by recording and processes daily purchases and activating new customer accounts. Order processing specialists work in collaboration with other teams such as sales and marketing for accurate capture and validation of orders. You may also be required to communicate with customers to confirm orders and ensure that customer requests are met accurately and in time for delivery or pick up.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, contractor buyer responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "dod," "management system," "order management," and "pos." Meanwhile, an order management specialist has duties that require skills in areas such as "excellent interpersonal," "crm," "booking," and "order management system." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Order management specialists earn a lower average salary than contractor buyers. But order management specialists earn the highest pay in the health care industry, with an average salary of $50,129. Additionally, contractor buyers earn the highest salaries in the technology with average pay of $48,255 annually.In general, order management specialists achieve similar levels of education than contractor buyers. They're 1.6% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Contractor buyer vs. Order processing specialist
The role of expeditors is to ensure the timely and efficient preparation and delivery of food. To accomplish this task, they also perform other duties, including managing inventory levels, managing supply requisition, and coordinating with subcontractors. They are also responsible for streamlining interdepartmental communication, monitoring job progress, and collaborating with project managers to collect relevant information about job status. This role requires specific skills and qualifications, including a high school diploma or an associate degree in food service, business management, and hospitality management, relevant work experience, and certifications in CCP, CPSM, or CPPB.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from contractor buyer resumes include skills like "logistics," "dod," "management system," and "customer support," whereas an order processing specialist is more likely to list skills in "inbound calls," "quality standards," "customer satisfaction," and "payment processing. "
Order processing specialists earn the best pay in the health care industry, where they command an average salary of $45,966. Contractor buyers earn the highest pay from the technology industry, with an average salary of $48,255.order processing specialists typically earn similar educational levels compared to contractor buyers. Specifically, they're 3.5% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Contractor buyer vs. Expeditor
Even though a few skill sets overlap between contractor buyers and expeditors, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a contractor buyer might have more use for skills like "data entry," "erp," "order entry," and "sales orders." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of expeditors require skills like "cleanliness," "house training," "team work," and "good communication. "
Expeditors enjoy the best pay in the construction industry, with an average salary of $46,040. For comparison, contractor buyers earn the highest salary in the technology industry.The average resume of expeditors showed that they earn similar levels of education compared to contractor buyers. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 3.6% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.1%.Types of contractor buyer
Updated January 8, 2025
