Purchasing administrator vs subcontract administrator

The differences between purchasing administrators and subcontract administrators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a purchasing administrator and a subcontract administrator. Additionally, a subcontract administrator has an average salary of $65,686, which is higher than the $40,133 average annual salary of a purchasing administrator.

The top three skills for a purchasing administrator include purchase orders, invoice and data entry. The most important skills for a subcontract administrator are price analysis, purchase orders, and program management.

Purchasing administrator vs subcontract administrator overview

	Purchasing Administrator	Subcontract Administrator
Yearly salary	$40,133	$65,686
Hourly rate	$19.29	$31.58
Growth rate	-8%	-6%
Number of jobs	63,681	51,285
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 57%	Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	6	6

What does a purchasing administrator do?

A purchasing administrator is primarily in charge of overseeing a company's purchasing procedures. As a purchasing administrator, it is their duty to monitor the company's inventory of supplies, gather and analyze purchase requests, and process purchase orders, resolving issues should there be any. They must also negotiate with vendors and suppliers, building positive relationships with them. Furthermore, as a purchasing administrator, it is essential to maintain records of all transactions, producing progress reports regularly for a smooth and efficient workflow.

What does a subcontract administrator do?

As a subcontract administrator, you will be responsible for identifying the needs of a company and implement measures and initiatives to fulfill those needs. This role will require you to perform a few tasks, including responding to purchase requisitions, soliciting bids and proposals from new and existing sources, and evaluating terms and awarding the subcontract. You are then expected to monitor the subcontract terms, including plans, progress, and payments. You will also be responsible for negotiating additions, modifications, and deletions of subcontracts.

Purchasing administrator vs subcontract administrator salary

Purchasing administrators and subcontract administrators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Purchasing Administrator	Subcontract Administrator
Average salary	$40,133	$65,686
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $53,000	Between $42,000 And $102,000
Highest paying City	Sacramento, CA	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	Washington	California
Best paying company	Rivian	Urban Institute
Best paying industry	Health Care	Technology

Differences between purchasing administrator and subcontract administrator education

There are a few differences between a purchasing administrator and a subcontract administrator in terms of educational background:

	Purchasing Administrator	Subcontract Administrator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 57%	Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Purchasing administrator vs subcontract administrator demographics

Here are the differences between purchasing administrators' and subcontract administrators' demographics:

	Purchasing Administrator	Subcontract Administrator
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 24.0% Female, 76.0%	Male, 51.7% Female, 48.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 7.8% White, 65.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 9.0% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 7.8% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between purchasing administrator and subcontract administrator duties and responsibilities

Purchasing administrator example responsibilities.

Manage the RFP preparation and analysis, cost negotiations, and vendor performance management.
Manage logistics and materials receive for appropriate quantities, timeliness and accuracy to complete project project.
Resolve RMA s on all engineering material.
Schedule product delivery against customer needs and MRP.
Administer the ISO 9001 and vendor performance evaluation process.
Maintain and update supplier master information in the ERP system.

Subcontract administrator example responsibilities.

Coordinate requirements and interface with other division personnel to accomplish timely and cost effective procurement of assign commodities.
Create moderate to complex RFP solicitations and provide additional proposal support including pricing reviews and source selection support.
Administer IDIQ contracts with multiple task orders.
Assist with FFP hardware subcontract in support of NSA contracts.
Negotiate and coordinate additions, deletions, or modifications of DOD subcontracts.
Review and advice on matters of ITAR, FCPA, other Import/Export matters.

Purchasing administrator vs subcontract administrator skills

Common purchasing administrator skills

Purchase Orders, 33%
Invoice, 10%
Data Entry, 10%
ERP, 4%
Office Equipment, 2%
Credit Card, 2%

Common subcontract administrator skills

Price Analysis, 11%
Purchase Orders, 8%
Program Management, 5%
Bid Packages, 5%
Non-Disclosure Agreements, 5%
DOD, 4%

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Purchasing Administrator
Purchasing Administrator vs Subcontract Administrator

Updated January 8, 2025

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