STATE PROCUREMENT SPECIALIST 1
Career Family: STATE PROCUREMENT SPECIALIST
State Procurement Specialist 1 sits in the competitive class of New Jersey's state civil service, so reaching it runs through testing and an eligible list instead of a straight hire.
This is where the State Procurement Specialist ladder starts, one grade under State Procurement Specialist 2, whose band tops out about $13,845 higher. It lists a bachelor's degree as the baseline, with an experience-based path open to those who do not hold the degree. Pay on the FY 2027 schedule runs $63,663 to $92,953, and state payroll currently lists about 18 people in the title, most of them at Treasury.
How to apply
This title is filled by competitive examination.
See every real route in, and where to apply. One agency employs it. We don't track live vacancies.
See where to apply for this title →Who employs this title
State Procurement Specialist 1 appears on the State payroll at one department, Department of Treasury.
State departments
| Employer | Employees |
|---|---|
| Department of Treasury | 18 |
State payroll and independent authority payroll are separate systems and are never merged. See data sources.
Pay ladder: State Procurement Specialist series
- State Procurement Specialist 1 — $63,663 – $92,953 (this title)
- State Procurement Specialist 2 — $72,896 – $106,798
- State Procurement Specialist 3 — $83,582 – $122,832
- State Procurement Specialist 4 — $91,628 – $134,900
Promoting to State Procurement Specialist 2 raises the top of the band by about $13,845. Its top salary lands around the 35th percentile of all NJ civil service titles that publish a range.
Rungs are ordered by FY 2027 pay. NJ level numbers are not always sequential, so ordering follows salary rather than the title number.
Who employs this title
State payroll records show 18 people working under this title. The median actual salary is $62,925. The agencies employing the most are:
- Treasury (18)
Counts from NJ YourMoney agency payroll. See statewide workforce analytics.
Official job specification
The text below is the official specification published by the New Jersey Civil Service Commission. The plain-language summary and analysis above are derived from it by NJ Civil Service Navigator. Source: the official specification page at NJ CSC.
Definition
Under the close supervision of a Supervising State Procurement Specialist or other supervisory official in the Department of the Treasury, Division of Purchase and Property, the state's central procurement authority, performs moderately complex, specialized work in the procurement of goods and services; prepares bid solicitations for public advertising and awards contracts for essential products and services in a centralized and computerized environment for executive branch departments and agencies, state authorities, independent institutions of higher education, school districts, and local governments in accordance with federal and state statutes, regulations, and executive orders; does other related duties as required.
Examples of work
With guidance as needed, performs moderately complex functions in the procurement of goods and services in an assigned field; prepares moderately complex procurement documents; analyzes vendor proposals and recommends and awards contracts in accordance with New Jersey statutes, rules, and regulations. With guidance as needed, manages a moderately complex and active contract portfolio; ensures contracts are extended in a timely manner to avoid lapse of essential state services; reviews and confirms contract amendment requests are part of original scope of work; handles all contract-related matters and ensures vendor is compliant with required approvals and/or certifications. Responds to federal and state emergency declaration requirements for public health, weather events, or other disasters such as COVID-19 and Super Storm Sandy. Writes bid specifications for a broad range of goods and services; evaluates bidder proposals and recommends of award(s) of contracts, maintaining quality assurance throughout the process; evaluates and scores bids to prepare detailed bid tabulations develops formal Recommendation Reports and Evaluation Committee Reports among other reports and documents required throughout the bid process. State Procurement Specialist 1 awards must be upheld by a high percentage rate in light of public protests. Demonstrates effective negotiation skills. Maintains assigned portfolio ensuring proper extension or re-procurement of contracts in a timely fashion to avoid lapse of essential state services. Identifies sourcing strategies and contract structure by utilizing national cooperative purchasing or federally-based contracts, market analysis, and historical spend. Prepares and advertises public bid solicitations and related documents to award contracts. Manages bid solicitation tasks and resolves challenging issues, to ensure the public bidding process adheres to set timelines. Works with state agencies to collect, review, and revise existing specifications and prepares new ones for goods and services used by state departments, agencies, and other entities; works with internal and external stakeholders during the bid solicitation development process including, but not limited to, the Office of the Attorney General, Office of State Comptroller, staff attorneys, state agencies, Risk Management staff and vendors. Collaborates with Office of Information Technology (OIT) and Office of Homeland Security professionals on technology and cloud service needs. Performs routine analysis of various procurement operations and prepares statistical, progress, and other reports containing findings, conclusions, and recommendations. May function as Chairperson of Evaluation Committees for less complex procurements, or co-chairperson for more complex procurements; performs all committee duties and functions including formation of the committee, evaluation and scoring of technical proposals, and production of highly-detailed Evaluation Committee Reports; provides procurement guidance to committee members throughout the procurement process. May provide procurement guidance to state contract managers, agency fiscal and procurement officers and representatives, and New Jersey Boards of Education, local government entities, state and county colleges, and other public entities with statutory authority to utilize applicable state contracts. May evaluate efficiency and effectiveness of practices, methods, and activities applied to current procurement conditions, costs and objectives. May analyze historical product and procurement data for recommending effective procurement of goods, services, and cost savings. May perform moderately complex market research analysis of vendor brochures, trade journals, and other technical material, and visits vendors and distributors as required. May investigate complaints against vendors regarding goods and services and make recommendations. May develop projections of agency goods and services needs to determine procurement scheduling, contract development, and staffing requirements for effective procurement. May develop evaluation criteria for quantitative and qualitative analysis. May assist in a group setting to evaluate administration, efficiency, and effectiveness, of department programs and activities using established standards and procedures. May investigate and identify procurement process issues and eliminate unnecessary and wasteful procurement practices/positions. May analyze and interpret data on procurement process feedback collected from reviews, agencies, requests, and hearings. May analyze implications of procurement legislation. May prepare, review, revise, and maintain policies, procedures and instructional materials. Ensures bid solicitation process follows methodologies and standards set forth in Operating Procedures. May analyze and forecast state, regional, and national market trends to establish long and short-range planning to meet procurement requirements. May analyze technical information accompanying proposals to determine specification compliance. May assist in developing methodologies and standards for goods and services specifications. May conduct research incidental to Procurement Bureau functions and processes. May participate in hearing preparation and vendor/bidder meetings for award and performance of contracts and conducts other related procurement meetings as needed. May support buying units through cost benefit analysis of procurement proposals. May participate in meetings to discuss procurement and contract processes with state agencies and vendors. Prepares clear, sound, accurate, and informative statistical and other reports containing findings, analyses, conclusions and recommendations. May assist with flow of information to ensure accuracy of reporting and that the appropriate level of information is legally obtainable by requestors dependent upon their role in the process. May assign procurement documents and instructions to technical and clerical staff and may provide supervisor with recommended changes. Utilizes electronic systems to manage the procurement process and associated data. Maintains essential records and files. Will be required to learn how to utilize various types of electronic and/or manual recording and information systems used by the agency, office, or related units.
Requirements
NOTE: Applicants must meet one of the following or a combination of both experience and education. Thirty (30) semester hour credits are equal to one (1) year of relevant experience. Five (5) years of professional experience in the procurement of goods and/or services including contract development and administration. OR Possession of a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university; and one (1) year of the above-mentioned professional experience.
License
Appointees will be required to possess a driver's license valid in New Jersey only if the operation of a vehicle, rather than employee mobility, is necessary to perform the essential duties of the position.
Knowledge, skills and abilities
Knowledge of centralized goods and services procurement, contract development, and administration. Knowledge of laws, regulations, policies, and procedures for Department of Treasury's centralized procurement agency operations (N.J.A.C. 17:12). Knowledge of methods, techniques and procedures for competitive solicitation of procurement. Knowledge of investigative techniques, research methodology, and operations analysis. Knowledge of management information systems and electronic procurement systems applications. Knowledge of methods used to compile and analyze data. Knowledge of centralized procurement methods, practices, and routines. Knowledge of state and federal governmental processes that impact economic activity and affect procurement conditions. Knowledge of data processing applications. Knowledge of statistical and analytical theory, practice, and techniques used for evaluation of administrative procedures. Ability to apply statistical reasoning to analysis and evaluation of administrative procedures. Ability to process user-agency procurement requests and prepare technical specifications compliant with New Jersey Administrative Code. Ability to analyze problems systematically, organize information, identify key factors and underlying causes, generate solutions, and escalate to supervisor as needed. Ability to read, interpret, and apply laws, regulations, policies, and procedures of centralized procurement agency operations. Ability to analyze moderately complex procurement data including accounting information and operations. Ability to research and analyze moderately complex specifications and proposals for procurement of goods and services. Ability to organize assigned field, office, and other procurement work for large goods and services organizations and develop effective work methods in accordance with closely prescribed procedures. Ability to implement department or agency procurement policies and procedures. Ability to apply sound business practices to the procurement process. Ability to create and maintain effective working relationships with colleagues, agency associates, supervisors, vendors, and other representatives and officials. Ability to prepare extensive correspondence and technically sound, accurate, and informative reports of findings, conclusions, and recommendations. Ability to identify, gather, and interpret economic trends related to centralized procurement. Ability to analyze procurement requirements for state user-agencies and develop applicable technical specifications. Ability to evaluate bid proposals for a wide variety of materials, supplies, and professional and other services. Ability to present findings from bid proposal assessments in a clear, concise, and logical manner. Ability to identify, gather, and evaluate relevant statistics used for procurement forecasting or program evaluation. Ability to design statistical indicators that measure timeliness and effectiveness of procurement transactions. Ability to gather and maintain extensive research data and material. Ability to organize and plan significant technical projects. Ability to prioritize, schedule, and undertake concurrent work assignments. Ability to monitor progress of multiple ongoing projects. Ability to communicate effectively with technical staff and state agency management. Ability to organize assigned technical analysis and related evaluation work and develop effective work methods. Ability to analyze, interpret, and apply basic laws and regulations. Ability to assist in continuing studies and analyses of Procurement Bureau administrative procedures and programs to determine if revisions are required to prevent inefficiency and waste. Ability to prepare statistical and financial data. Ability to provide assistance to department officials on operating procedures and requirements. Ability to carry out and report on assigned investigations, surveys, studies, and research activities. Ability to establish and maintain essential records, reports and files. Ability to learn how to utilize various types of electronic and/or manual recording and information systems used by the agency, office, or related units. Ability to read, write, speak, understand, and communicate in English sufficiently to perform the duties of this position. American Sign Language or Braille may also be considered as acceptable forms of communication. Persons with mental or physical disabilities are eligible if they can perform the essential functions of the job with or without reasonable accommodation. If the accommodation cannot be made because it would cause the employer undue hardship, such persons may not be eligible.
Note
The examples of work for this title are for illustrative purposes only. A particular position using this title may not perform all duties listed in this job specification. Conversely, all duties performed on the job may not be listed. "Professional experience" refers to work that is analytical, evaluative, and interpretive; requires a range of basic knowledge of the profession's concepts and practices; and is performed with the authority to act and make accurate and informed decisions.