12102 Procurement and purchasing agents and officers

What this occupation covers

Procurement and purchasing agents and officers source and purchase general and specialized equipment, materials, business services and land or access rights for use or for further processing by their establishment. They are employed throughout the public and private sectors.

Official main duties

The NOC profile lists 13 main duties for this code.

• Evaluate risk, assess, prepare forecasts, scenarios and other factors concerning the supply market, and write reports and recommendations
• Provides research and input into the financial sourcing aspects of contracts and calls for tender when information is not readily available
• Identify high impact cost reduction opportunities
• Leverage the organization's buying power to optimize costs, access new suppliers, reduce lead times, and guarantee supply
• Develop and maintain relationships with existing and potential buyers and suppliers to the organization
• Respond to customer service inquiries and clarify requirements and provide information as needed.
• Purchase general and specialized equipment and materials, business services and land or access rights for use or for further processing by their establishment
• Assess requirements of an establishment and develop specifications for equipment, materials and supplies to be purchased
• Invite tenders, consult with suppliers and review quotations
• Determine or negotiate contract terms and conditions, award supplier contracts or recommend contract awards
• Establish logistics of delivery schedules, monitor progress and contact clients and suppliers to resolve problems
• Negotiate land acquisition or access rights for public or private use, and may conduct field investigations of properties
• May hire, train or supervise purchasing clerks.

Do not copy these lines into your reference letter. The letter has to describe what you actually did, in your employer’s words. DUTYPROOF flags wording lifted from the NOC as something to review, and an officer reading a letter that mirrors the NOC reads it the same way.

What DUTYPROOF screens for

This is DUTYPROOF’s screening threshold, not IRCC’s decision. For this NOC, screening requires at least 2 of its 13 official duties to be evidenced in your own words, plus the required letter elements. IRCC asks that you performed the actions in the occupation’s lead statement and a substantial number of its main duties — so treat the duty coverage as the number that matters, not the badge.

Codes this one is confused with

The NOC profile names these itself. Choosing the wrong code of a look-alike pair is the most common way genuine work experience fails to establish eligibility.

• 14403 Purchasing and inventory control workers
• 10012 Purchasing managers
• 62101 Retail and wholesale buyers

Excluded from this code

• Purchasing and inventory control workers (See 14403 Purchasing and inventory control workers)
• Purchasing managers (See 10012 Purchasing managers)
• Retail and wholesale buyers (See 62101 Retail and wholesale buyers)

Job titles filed under this code

A title on this list does not by itself put your experience in this code — the duties in your letter decide that.

advertising buyer · business services purchasing officer · buyer - manufacturing and processing · buyer - purchasing · construction contract administrator · contract administrator · contract claims examiner · contract management officer · contract negotiator · contract specialist · contracts officer · energy asset joint venture representative · energy asset surface land analyst · furniture and furnishings purchaser · government supply officer · grain buyer · hotel purchasing agent · hotel purchasing officer · land agent · land negotiator · landman/woman - oil and gas · material management officer · material purchasing officer · materials coordinator

Employment requirements

• Procurement and purchasing agents and officers usually require a bachelor's degree or college diploma in business administration, commerce or economics.
• Procurement and purchasing agents and officers purchasing specialized materials or business services may require a related university degree or college diploma. For example, a bachelor's degree or college diploma in engineering may be required for purchasers of industrial products.
• A certificate in purchasing from the Purchasing Management Association of Canada (PMAC) may be required.
• Previous experience as a purchasing clerk or as an administrative clerk may be required.
• Certification from the International Right of Way Association (IRWA) may be required.
• Sourcing specialists and analysts usually require a bachelor's degree or college diploma in economics, logistics, operations management, finance, engineering, mathematics, or statistical analysis.
• Previous work experience in supply chain for sourcing specialists and analysts is usually required.