Purchasing agent vs procurement agent

The differences between purchasing agents and procurement agents 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 agent and a procurement agent. Additionally, a procurement agent has an average salary of $72,384, which is higher than the $51,950 average annual salary of a purchasing agent.

The top three skills for a purchasing agent include purchase orders, customer service and logistics. The most important skills for a procurement agent are supply chain, strategic sourcing, and supplier performance.

Purchasing agent vs procurement agent overview

	Purchasing Agent	Procurement Agent
Yearly salary	$51,950	$72,384
Hourly rate	$24.98	$34.80
Growth rate	-	11%
Number of jobs	45,856	45,198
Job satisfaction	5	2
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	6	6

What does a purchasing agent do?

A purchasing agent's general task is keeping purchase records and making sure that there won't be any discrepancies with the handling of orders. The purchasing agent should be responsible for the order processing and payment collection. Purchasing agents should also be proficient in interpreting and evaluating data, researching on best marketing sources and alternatives, issuing required documentation for suppliers, as well as managing customer queries as needed. Being a purchasing agent requires critical-thinking skills in assessing concerns and providing solutions should there be any possible negotiation conflicts.

What does a procurement agent do?

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.

Purchasing agent vs procurement agent salary

Purchasing agents and procurement agents have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Purchasing Agent	Procurement Agent
Average salary	$51,950	$72,384
Salary range	Between $37,000 And $72,000	Between $49,000 And $106,000
Highest paying City	San Jose, CA	Richmond, CA
Highest paying state	Maryland	New Jersey
Best paying company	Abiomed	McKinsey & Company Inc
Best paying industry	Technology	Technology

Differences between purchasing agent and procurement agent education

There are a few differences between a purchasing agent and a procurement agent in terms of educational background:

	Purchasing Agent	Procurement Agent
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Purchasing agent vs procurement agent demographics

Here are the differences between purchasing agents' and procurement agents' demographics:

	Purchasing Agent	Procurement Agent
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 49.5% Female, 50.5%	Male, 51.4% Female, 48.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.7% Asian, 7.0% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	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%

Differences between purchasing agent and procurement agent duties and responsibilities

Purchasing agent example responsibilities.

Reorganize MRO to manage inventory more efficiently.
Utilize MaCola ERP system to process and manage purchase requisitions and purchase orders in coordination with manufacturing forecast.
Process purchase orders from electronically generate RFQ'S.
Develop programs with suppliers to ensure that commodities meet engineering and quality specifications while maintaining on-time delivery.
Prepare purchase orders, RFP's and RFB's, advertise solicitations, review responses and approve contract acceptance.
Send out RFQ's and award orders to the best fit and price vendor to ensure manufacturing meets critical due dates.

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Procurement agent example responsibilities.

Achieve $200k cost savings buy locating excess material from OEM.
Manage project size OEM bills of material from supplier negotiation through final invoice.
Monitor and manage cost of components for bill of material (BOM), schedule lead times and performance with budgets.
Prepare strategic commodity business plans for globally manage commodities, performing spend analysis, and identifying part cost drivers.
Process purchase requisitions to POs for different commodities for MCI s end-user community.
Perform category spend analysis of indirect spend for hotel expenses to determine hotel candidates for 2010 RFP corporate rate negotiations.

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Purchasing agent vs procurement agent skills

Common purchasing agent skills

Purchase Orders, 30%
Customer Service, 12%
Logistics, 5%
Inventory Control, 4%
MRP, 3%
Cost Savings, 3%

Common procurement agent skills

Supply Chain, 15%
Strategic Sourcing, 6%
Supplier Performance, 6%
Customer Service, 5%
Inventory Control, 4%
Purchase Orders, 4%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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