Contract Specialist II/ III - City of Alexandria VA

Contract Specialist II, III

The City of Alexandria is located in northern Virginia and is bordered by the District of Columbia (Potomac River), Arlington and Fairfax counties. With a population of approximately 150,000 and a land area of 15.75 square miles, Alexandria is the seventh largest city in the Commonwealth of Virginia.  Alexandria has a vibrant waterfront and is a unique and historic place to live and work.  About one-quarter of the City's square miles have been designated as a national or local historic district. We proudly embrace our racially and culturally diverse community.  If you are interested in working for the progressive City of Alexandria, we invite qualified candidates to apply for 2 of our Contract Specialist positions.

An Overview

The City of Alexandria’s Finance Department is looking for two sharp, collaborative and responsible Contract Specialists to join our team. As a member of the Purchasing Division, the Contract Specialists perform professional public procurement activities in a highly responsible environment, such as creating and maintaining solicitation, bid, and contract records as part of managing procurements through the City’s request for proposal (RFP) and invitation to bid (ITB) processes, as well as administering purchase requisitions, change orders, and sole source justifications. A significant aspect of this work involves use of the City’s enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, Munis.

What You Should Bring

The ideal candidate is a knowledgeable, detail-oriented, self-starting public procurement professional who is able to manage formal solicitations with both a high level of customer service and high level of attention to process & detail. Additional knowledge, skills, and abilities include:

• Knowledge of public purchasing principles, methods, and procedures, including buying, inspection, storage, and shipping methods, and accounting practices as applied to procurement procedures; 
• Knowledge of the laws, ordinances and other requirements governing the purchase of commodities and services, or the ability to readily acquire such knowledge; 
• Knowledge of the various grades and qualities of a variety of materials, supplies, equipment, and services; 
• Knowledge of different procurement methods (e.g. public / private partnerships, design-build processes, etc.) and the work of professional architecture and engineering firms;
• Skill with complex financial software systems (e.g. Munis, Oracle/PeopleSoft, etc.) as an end user;
• Ability to multi-task and work independently;
• Ability to make impartial, objective, and well-supported decisions;
• Ability to communicate clearly and effectively, both orally and in writing.

The Opportunity – Examples of Work

• Designs and formats formal solicitations (e.g. RFPs, ITBs, RFQs, etc.) and develops purchasing strategies to maximize responses;
• Creates and maintains bid records in the City’s bids database, part of the City’s ERP, Munis;
• Tabulates and analyzes bids and proposals, determines lowest responsible bidder, refers to clients for review and award of contract;
• Creates and maintains contract records in the City’s contract database, part of the City’s ERP, Munis;
• Collaborates with Budget Office staff on procurement matters related to the administration of the City’s capital improvement program (CIP);
• Collaborates with Accounting staff on procurement matters related to invoices, receiving reports, and fixed asset creation;
• Provides department fiscal and subject matter staff with advice and guidance on acquisition planning and associated procurement issues;
• Troubleshoots issues with purchase order and purchase order change order records in the City’s ERP, Munis;
• Manages the City’s surplus inventory, auctioning, and record-keeping
• Performs other duties, as assigned.

About the Department

The City of Alexandria's Finance Department is a fast-paced, diverse, and customer service focused operation that is responsible for: the assessment, collection, and enforcement of all City taxes, the management of cash flow and investments, accounting for and reporting the City’s financial position, processing payroll, executing a fair and competitive procurement environment, assessing all real and personal property in the City, managing the City’s risk and safety programs, and managing the City’s pension plans. The Finance Department has seven divisions and in fiscal year 2024 is operating with a total budget of $15.4 million and 110 FTE positions.

The goal of the Finance Department is to treat all employees, citizens, and business owners professionally, with fairness and compassion.