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AccountancyISCO 3323

ICT buyer

An ICT buyer is a person who develops and places the orders for information and communication technology products and services, handles the receipt and the invoicing, assesses the current procurement practice, and applies strategic sourcing methods effectively. The buyer builds relationships with the strategic vendors and negotiates price, quality, service level and delivery terms.

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Check yourself in a minute: ICT buyer

Rate 5 of the 19 essential skills of this occupation (European ESCO data). No account needed.

identify suppliers

maintain relationship with customers

carry out tendering

track price trends

maintain relationship with suppliers

About ICT buyer

Buying technology has its own requirements. What is being purchased has to work with what the organisation already has, is licensed rather than simply owned, and carries a service commitment that matters as much as the product. The buyer works from product knowledge.

The commercial work is systematic. The buyer runs the tenders, compares the contractors' offers, negotiates the purchase conditions, and works from a knowledge of the manufacturer's recommended price, which is the reference point a negotiated price is judged against.

Two parts of the role are about keeping the arrangement working. The buyer sees that the orders are properly managed from placement through receipt to invoicing, and maintains the relationships, with the vendors and with the internal clients. Electronic communication is part of this work.

European Skills Framework

Skills and knowledge areas required for this occupation based on European classification.

Essential (19)

contract lawcontract lawThe field of legal principles that govern written agreements between parties concerning the exchange of goods or services, including contractual obligations and termination.manufacturer's recommended pricemanufacturer's recommended priceThe estimated price the manufacturer suggests the retailer to apply to a product or service and the pricing method through which it is calculated.product comprehensionproduct comprehensionThe offered products, their functionalities, properties and legal and regulatory requirements.electronic communicationelectronic communicationData communication performed through digital means such as computers, telephone or e-mail.identify suppliersidentify suppliersDetermine potential suppliers for further negotiation. Take into consideration aspects such as product quality, sustainability, local sourcing, seasonality and coverage of the area. Evaluate the likel...maintain relationship with customersmaintain relationship with customersBuild a lasting and meaningful relationship with customers in order to ensure satisfaction and fidelity by providing accurate and friendly advice and support, by delivering quality products and servic...carry out tenderingcarry out tenderingPlace the request for a quotation to the organisation requesting a tender, then perform the work or supply the goods agreed with them during the tendering process.track price trendstrack price trendsMonitor the direction and momentum of the product prices on a long-term basis, identify and predict the movement of prices as well as identify the recurring trends.maintain relationship with suppliersmaintain relationship with suppliersBuild a lasting and meaningful relationship with suppliers and service providers in order to establish a positive, profitable and enduring collaboration, co-operation and contract negotiation.coordinate purchasing activitiescoordinate purchasing activitiesCoordinate and manage procurement and renting processes including purchasing, renting, planning, tracking and reporting in a cost efficient way on an organisational level.issue purchase ordersissue purchase ordersProduce and review the documents needed to authorise shipment of a product from the supplier at a specified price and within specific terms.manage contractsmanage contractsNegotiate the terms, conditions, costs and other specifications of a contract while making sure they comply with legal requirements and are legally enforceable. Oversee the execution of the contract, ...analyse supply chain strategiesanalyse supply chain strategiesExamine an organisation's planning details of production, their expected output units, quality, quantity, cost, time available and labour requirements. Provide suggestions in order to improve products...perform procurement processesperform procurement processesUndertake ordering of services, equipment, goods or ingredients, compare costs and check the quality to ensure optimal payoff for the organisation.maintain contract administrationmaintain contract administrationKeep contracts up to date and organise them according to a classification system for future consultation.adhere to organisational guidelinesadhere to organisational guidelinesAdhere to organisational or department specific standards and guidelines. Understand the motives of the organisation and the common agreements and act accordingly.compare contractors' bidscompare contractors' bidsCompare proposals to award a contract in order to execute specified jobs within a prescribed frame of time.prepare purchasing reportingsprepare purchasing reportingsPrepare documentation and files related to product purchases.negotiate buying conditionsnegotiate buying conditionsNegotiate terms such as price, quantity, quality, and delivery terms with vendors and suppliers in order to ensure the most beneficial buying conditions.
Optional (16) — show
business requirements techniquesbusiness requirements techniquesThe procedures required to identify and analyse business and organisational needs.hardware platformshardware platformsThe characteristics of the hardware configuration required to process the applications software product.emergent technologiesemergent technologiesThe recent trends, developments and innovations in modern technologies such as biotechnology, artificial intelligence and robotics.software components librariessoftware components librariesThe software packages, modules, web services and resources that cover a set of related functions and the databases where these reusable components can be found.hardware componentshardware componentsThe essential components that make up a hardware system, such as liquid-crystal displays (LCD), camera sensors, microprocessors, memories, modems, batteries and their interconnections.procurement legislationprocurement legislationThe procurement legislation at national and European level, as well as adjacent areas of law and their implications for public procurement.business ICT systemsbusiness ICT systemsThe software packages, hardware devices and new technologies used in supporting business processes such as enterprise resource planning (ERP), customer relationship management (CRM), mobile devices an...ICT marketICT marketThe processes, stakeholders and the dynamics of the chain of goods and services in the ICT market sector.software components supplierssoftware components suppliersThe suppliers who can deliver the required software components.hardware components suppliershardware components suppliersThe suppliers who can deliver the required hardware components.supply chain managementsupply chain managementThe flow of goods in the supply chain, movement and storage of raw materials, work-in-process inventory, and finished goods from point of origin to point of consumption.manage logisticsmanage logisticsCreate logistic framework for transporting goods to customers and for receiving returns, execute and follow up the logistics processes and guidelines. Adapt the production processes to the contingenci...use e-procurementuse e-procurementUse digital procurement technologies and e-procurement applications and tools in order to reduce administrative burden, improve efficiency, and strengthen transparency and accountability of procuremen...carry out statistical forecastscarry out statistical forecastsUndertake a systematic statistical examination of data representing past observed behaviour of the system to be forecast, including observations of useful predictors outside the system.perform project managementperform project managementManage and plan various resources, such as human resources, budget, deadline, results, and quality necessary for a specific project, and monitor the project's progress in order to achieve a specific g...identify ICT user needsidentify ICT user needsDetermine the needs and requirements of ICT users of a specific system by applying analytical methods, such as target group analysis.

Related Occupations

Occupations that need many of the same essential skills, so the move between them is shortest.

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Frequently asked questions

What does an ICT buyer do?

ICT buyers create and place purchase orders for ICT products and services, handle receiving and invoice issues, assess current procurement practices and effectively apply strategic sourcing methodologies. They build relationships with strategic vendors and negotiate price, quality, service levels and delivery terms.

What skills does an ICT buyer need?

An ICT buyer needs 19 essential skills, including contract law, manufacturer's recommended price, product comprehension, electronic communication, identify suppliers.

Will AI replace ICT buyer jobs?

The AI disruption score for ICT buyer is 75/100 (very high risk). Skills most exposed to automation: electronic communication, manufacturer's recommended price, prepare purchasing reportings. Most resilient: emergent technologies, maintain relationship with suppliers, negotiate buying conditions.

AI Replacement Risk

75/ 100
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Quick Facts

SectorAccountancy
ISCO GroupBusiness and administration associate professionals
Essential Skills19

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