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Supply planner vs procurement agent

The differences between supply planners 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 supply planner and a procurement agent. Additionally, a procurement agent has an average salary of $72,384, which is higher than the $70,602 average annual salary of a supply planner.

The top three skills for a supply planner include supply chain, logistics and demand planning. The most important skills for a procurement agent are supply chain, strategic sourcing, and supplier performance.

Supply planner vs procurement agent overview

Supply PlannerProcurement Agent
Yearly salary$70,602$72,384
Hourly rate$33.94$34.80
Growth rate28%11%
Number of jobs39,79845,198
Job satisfaction42
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 76%Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Average age4148
Years of experience66

What does a supply planner do?

A supply planner is primarily in charge of maintaining a company's inventory of supplies, ensuring all are sufficient and efficient. Their responsibilities revolve around monitoring and counting the inventory, maintaining accurate records, reviewing receipts and other documentation, anticipating product demands, and liaising with vendors and suppliers. Should there be any supply emergencies or issues, one must visit manufacturers or suppliers. There may also be instances where one has to lift products and propose changes in the inventory processes.

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.

Supply planner vs procurement agent salary

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

Supply PlannerProcurement Agent
Average salary$70,602$72,384
Salary rangeBetween $48,000 And $101,000Between $49,000 And $106,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CARichmond, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaNew Jersey
Best paying companyMetaMcKinsey & Company Inc
Best paying industryTechnologyTechnology

Differences between supply planner and procurement agent education

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

Supply PlannerProcurement Agent
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 76%Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeStanford UniversityUniversity of Pennsylvania

Supply planner vs procurement agent demographics

Here are the differences between supply planners' and procurement agents' demographics:

Supply PlannerProcurement Agent
Average age4148
Gender ratioMale, 52.2% Female, 47.8%Male, 51.4% Female, 48.6%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 5.8% Hispanic or Latino, 18.4% Asian, 11.9% White, 52.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%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 Percentage9%7%

Differences between supply planner and procurement agent duties and responsibilities

Supply planner example responsibilities.

  • Manage the sales demand in JDA on behalf of both PPD and GPO commercial.
  • Manage communication among freight forwarders, trucking companies, and warehouse representatives.
  • Check ERP system; review BOM and follow up with supplier to make sure material is available.
  • Interpret and execute the MRP supply recommendations for raw materials and packaging components used in assign parent products.
  • Analyze MRP output, current forecasts, and sales history to determine appropriate replenishment strategies and safety stock levels.
  • Perform in-season OTB and effectively negotiate business actions with a cross-functional team.
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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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Supply planner vs procurement agent skills

Common supply planner skills
  • Supply Chain, 15%
  • Logistics, 8%
  • Demand Planning, 7%
  • Continuous Improvement, 6%
  • Supply Plan, 4%
  • Strong Analytical, 4%
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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