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The differences between procurement administrators and procurement agents can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a procurement administrator, becoming a procurement agent takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a procurement agent has an average salary of $72,384, which is higher than the $46,745 average annual salary of a procurement administrator.
The top three skills for a procurement administrator include purchase orders, data entry and logistics. The most important skills for a procurement agent are supply chain, strategic sourcing, and supplier performance.
| Procurement Administrator | Procurement Agent | |
| Yearly salary | $46,745 | $72,384 |
| Hourly rate | $22.47 | $34.80 |
| Growth rate | -3% | 11% |
| Number of jobs | 56,668 | 45,198 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 2 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Average age | 46 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 6 |
Procurement administrators support their procurement teams by performing general administrative duties and ordering equipment and materials for their projects. Working in this position involves organizing and making purchase orders, keeping records updated, storing documents, and solving order issues. A procurement administrator needs excellent organization skills, people skills, math skills, and should know his/her way around word documents and spreadsheets. Procurement Administrators based in the United States make an estimated annual salary of around $45,775 or $22 per hour, but this amount changes depending on the state, country, or the company they are working for.
A procurement agent develops profitable measures to save the client money and ensure the quality of goods supplied. Procurement agents obtain the purchased items through suppliers, monitor them, and expedite the orders. They oversee the activities and performance of the suppliers for compliance. Their duties include the verification of item receipts, resolving shipment-related problems, and authorizing purchase payments through documentation. The necessary skills for this job include being accomplished, decisive, and strong communication skills.
Procurement administrators and procurement agents have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Procurement Administrator | Procurement Agent | |
| Average salary | $46,745 | $72,384 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $61,000 | Between $49,000 And $106,000 |
| Highest paying City | Sacramento, CA | Richmond, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Helix Energy Solutions Group | McKinsey & Company Inc |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Technology |
There are a few differences between a procurement administrator and a procurement agent in terms of educational background:
| Procurement Administrator | Procurement Agent | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between procurement administrators' and procurement agents' demographics:
| Procurement Administrator | Procurement Agent | |
| Average age | 46 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 34.5% Female, 65.5% | Male, 51.4% Female, 48.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 13.3% Asian, 8.7% White, 61.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 7.6% White, 66.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |