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Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm Products: Career Overview

Purchase machinery, equipment, tools, parts, supplies, or services necessary for the operation of an establishment. Purchase raw or semifinished materials for manufacturing. May negotiate contracts.

The Daily Work of Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm Products Perform?

The day-to-day responsibilities of purchasing agents, except wholesale, retail, and farm products span:

• Monitor and follow applicable laws and regulations.
• Purchase the highest quality merchandise at the lowest possible price and in correct amounts.
• Formulate policies and procedures for bid proposals and procurement of goods and services.
• Prepare purchase orders, solicit bid proposals, and review requisitions for goods and services.
• Write and review product specifications, maintaining a working technical knowledge of the goods or services to be purchased.
• Analyze price proposals, financial reports, and other data and information to determine reasonable prices.
• Hire, train, or supervise purchasing clerks, buyers, and expediters.
• Research and evaluate suppliers, based on price, quality, selection, service, support, availability, reliability, production and distribution capabilities, and the supplier's reputation and history.

Key Skills and Knowledge

Successful purchasing agents, except wholesale, retail, and farm products rely on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.

Key Skills

These are the skills that matter most in this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Knowledge Areas

Other Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm Products Job Titles

Common job titles for this role include:

• Buyer
• Contract Administrator (Contract Admin)
• Contract Analyst
• Contract Specialist
• Contractor Buyer
• Contracts Manager
• Equipment, Supplies, and Tools Purchasing Agent
• Fuel Agent

Job Outlook

The U.S. employs around 540,785 purchasing agents, except wholesale, retail, and farm products working in the United States today. Demand is forecast to grow by +5.6% over the projection horizon.

How Much Do Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm Products Make?

Statistic	Value
Annual median	$45,048
Hourly median	$21.66
10th percentile	$30,256
25th percentile	$37,652
75th percentile	$52,444
90th percentile	$59,840

Pay can vary substantially based on experience, location, and industry.

Tools and Technology

• Document management software: Adobe Acrobat (hot technology)
• Word processing software: Google Docs (hot technology)
• Accounting software: Intuit QuickBooks (hot technology)
• Data base user interface and query software: Microsoft Access (hot technology)
• Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
• Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
• Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook (hot technology)
• Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint (hot technology)
• Project management software: Microsoft Project (hot technology)
• Document management software: Microsoft SharePoint (hot technology)
• Process mapping and design software: Microsoft Visio (hot technology)
• Word processing software: Microsoft Word (hot technology)

The Day-to-Day Environment

The on-the-job environment of purchasing agents, except wholesale, retail, and farm products tends to involve the following characteristics:

• E-Mail
• Telephone Conversations
• Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
• Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
• Contact With Others

Getting Started in This Career

Typical purchasing agents, except wholesale, retail, and farm products positions require a bachelor’s degree as the typical entry-level education. This occupation sits in Considerable Preparation Needed (Job Zone 4), indicating the level of preparation typically expected.

Other Careers to Consider

Similar Occupations

• Purchasing Managers (Primary-Short)
• Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers (Supplemental)
• Supply Chain Managers (Primary-Long)
• Property, Real Estate, and Community Association Managers (Supplemental)
• Buyers and Purchasing Agents, Farm Products (Primary-Short)
• Wholesale and Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products (Primary-Short)
• Customs Brokers (Supplemental)
• Cost Estimators (Primary-Long)

Where to Study

Aspiring purchasing agents, except wholesale, retail, and farm products typically earn programs in:

Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services

3 programs across 2 majors

• General Sales & Marketing
• Business Administration & Management

Sources

Data on this page comes from the following authoritative sources:

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
• BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
• O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.

SOC code: 13-1023.00 (Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm Products).