OPS Purchasing Specialist - 31902303

Requisition No: 827507 

Agency: Division of Emergency Management

Working Title: OPS Purchasing Specialist - 31902303

 Pay Plan: Temp

Position Number: 31902303 

Salary:  $30.00 - $37.00 hourly 

Posting Closing Date: 04/30/2024 

Total Compensation Estimator Tool

Purchasing Specialist - OPS

 Directors Office / Procurement Unit

State of Florida Division of Emergency Management

This position is located in Tallahassee, FL

The Florida Division of Emergency Management plans for and responds to both natural and man-made disasters. These range from floods and hurricanes to incidents involving hazardous materials or nuclear power. The Division of Emergency Management (FDEM or Division) is the liaison between federal, state, and local agencies. FDEM prepares and implements a statewide Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan, routinely conducts extensive exercises to test state and county emergency response capabilities, provides technical assistance to local governments as they prepare emergency plans and procedures, as well as conducts emergency operations trainings for state and local government agencies.

The Division serves as the lead agency for the State Emergency Response Team (SERT), whose primary goal is the coordination of the state’s efforts during disaster response and recovery. This coordination is conducted within the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) in Tallahassee. Additionally, the Division manages the State Watch Office; the 24-hours a day operation tasked with providing situational awareness to stakeholders statewide. After a disaster, FDEM conducts damage assessment surveys and advises the Governor of the state of Florida on whether to declare an emergency and seek federal relief funds. It is against this backdrop that FDEM strives to demonstrate its mission of, “Coordinate, collaborate and communicate with our community stakeholders for a resilient Florida” along with our vision of, “Leading the Profession in building prepared and resilient communities”.

Position Overview and Responsibilities:

This is a professional position in the Procurement Unit of the Division. The incumbent will work purchasing a wide variety of specialized and/ or unusual commodities and services including implementing technical or contractual policies and procedures. This position requires independent work administering state and federal purchasing policies and procedures for the Division. This position will coordinate with internal and external customers regarding all Division procurement and contracting activities. This position will also serve as an Administrator for the Florida Accountability and Contract Tracking System (FACTS) and the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA) Subaward Reporting System.

Responsibilities of this position include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Prepares and posts formal competitive solicitations (RFP, ITB, ITN), Informal solicitations (RFQ’s), single source requests, and non-competitive procurements.
• Prepares complex specifications, legal advertisements, formal bid invitations, contracts, and correspondence regarding purchasing matters of a highly technical or scientific nature.
• Posts public meeting notices to the Division’s website and the Florida Administrative Register.
• Conducts public meetings, pre-bid conferences, and public openings.  
• Creates bid tabulations, reviews procurements for responsiveness and responsibility requirements, and makes award recommendations.
• Ensures that the appropriate methods of procurement and commodity codes are used for all purchases.
• Screens requisitions, purchase orders, solicitations, contracts, and reports for accuracy and conformance with agency policies and regulations.
• Assists in solving routine problems and brings unusual problems and administrative matters to the supervisor’s attention.
• Ensures that the Division is meeting applicable purchasing policies and procedures.
• Assists in the development of internal policies and procedures.
• Provides training to division staff (within and outside the procurement unit) on procurement processes and procedures including creating PowerPoint presentations and training documents.
• Confers with department heads to determine unusual commodity needs in terms of quality, quantity, and type of equipment.
• Coordinates with bureaus to review Scopes of Work and ensures that they meet mandatory requirements.
• Assists Contract Managers in developing contracts resulting from awards.
• Ensures special requirements and attachments are included in the contract or purchase order.
• Develops and maintains procurement tracking logs and files for staff and leadership use.
• Reviews and approves purchase orders in MyFloridaMarketPlace (MFMP) to ensure proper coding and that all required documentation is attached.
• Solicits requests for quotes from vendors via MFMP e-Quote for goods and services.
• Researches and provides data for Division activities.
• Purchases a variety of highly technical and scientific equipment and materials. 
• Administers all aspects of the FACTS and FFATA reporting systems including batching or manual record entry.
• Coordinates with the Florida Department of Financial Services (FLDFS) for the maintenance of FACTS. 
• Coordinates with the Federal helpdesk on all issues pertaining to FFATA.
• Coordinates audit responses for FACTS/FFATA.
• Performs assigned duties and works non-traditional hours during activations of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in support of emergency response and recovery efforts
• Performs other related duties as required.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Knowledge of the principles and practices of public purchasing, State of Florida purchasing laws, rules, regulations, and Florida purchasing processes.
• Knowledge of the principles and practices of Federal purchasing laws, rules, and regulations.
• Knowledge of Contracting processes.
• Ability to communicate effectively verbally and in writing.
• Ability to facilitate partnerships(s) between government and private sector vendors.
• Ability to work independently, and to establish work priorities to meet deadlines.
• Skill in the use of computer programs and/or information technology equipment, such as Microsoft Word, and MyFloridaMarketPlace (MFMP).
• Ability to perform assigned duties and work non-traditional hours during activations.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Three years or more of professional procurement experience to include facilitating formal solicitations (RFP, ITB, ITN).

Special Notes:

The State of Florida is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Affirmative Action Employer and does not tolerate discrimination or violence in the workplace.

The Division of Emergency Management is committed to successfully recruiting and onboarding talented and skilled individuals into its workforce. The Division appreciates the service and sacrifices made by veterans and their family members. Further, FDEM recognizes the immeasurable value veterans bring to the workplace and is committed to increasing the number of veterans that serve in its workforce.

The Division of Emergency Management is committed to increasing recruitment and hiring of individuals with disabilities and improving employment outcomes. An individual with a disability is qualified if he or she satisfies the skills, experience, and other job-related requirements for a position and can perform the essential functions of the position with or without reasonable accommodation. Candidates requiring a reasonable accommodation, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act, must contact the FDEM Human Resources Office at (850) 815-4177. FDEM requests applicants notify HR in advance to allow sufficient time to provide the accommodation.

Successful completion of background screening will be required for this position.

The State of Florida and the Division of Emergency Management participate in E-Verify. This federal law requires all employers to verify the identity and employment eligibility of all persons hired to work in the United States.

In response to emergency events, Division of Emergency Management employees may be required to work irregular hours, to work more than 8 hours per day, to work extended periods (including weekends and holidays), to work at locations other than their official headquarters, and to perform duties in addition to those outlined in the employee’s position description. Employees must be able to deploy to emergency sites with limited advance notice.

The State of Florida is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Affirmative Action Employer, and does not tolerate discrimination or violence in the workplace.

Candidates requiring a reasonable accommodation, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act, must notify the agency hiring authority and/or People First Service Center (1-866-663-4735). Notification to the hiring authority must be made in advance to allow sufficient time to provide the accommodation.

The State of Florida supports a Drug-Free workplace. All employees are subject to reasonable suspicion drug testing in accordance with Section 112.0455, F.S., Drug-Free Workplace Act.