About the Purchasing Department
The Purchasing Department's goal is to get the best value for County expenditures made for goods and services. It purchases at the lowest overall cost consistent with the required quality, price, service, and delivery. In attaining this objective, purchasing personnel are responsible for the following:
- Contacting suppliers and potential suppliers.
- Handling supplier inquiries.
- Conducting negotiations.
- Selecting suppliers.
- Committing approved funds.
- In conjunction with the user, engineering, and/or other appropriate technical group, determining quantity, quality, kind of material, and delivery schedule that would be in the best interest of Stearns County to provide uninterrupted production and, at the same time, keep consistent with economic order quantities and market conditions.
- Communicating to other interested departments the wealth of information received from potential suppliers regarding new materials, new processes, new techniques, economic conditions, and forecasts on supply and prices.
- Analyzing material specifications to assure suppliers' understanding of the requirement.
- Conducting business relations in a manner that properly represents Stearns County.