Buyer

Job Title: Buyer

Department: Techno-Commercial
Reporting to: BU - TC Head
Location: Ahmedabad (HO)

Job Objective

Lead procurement and sourcing strategies of the assigned spend category/categories, including negotiation, contracting, and ongoing supplier management. Negotiate best price points, thereby meeting specifications of quality and timelines within the stipulated budgetary requirements.

Position in the Organization Structure

Procurement HO
Buyer/SME

Roles and Responsibilities

Strategy, Planning, SOP, and Guidelines

• Understand the Techno-Commercial strategy and plan for CPO/BU/Site.
• Contribute to the design of the Techno-Commercial organization structure at CPO/BU/Site level.
• Take necessary actions in own area of work to implement strategic initiatives (Group-wide/CPO specific/BU specific/Site specific) as per plan.

Core Procurement

• Purchase Requisition (PR) Review: Review approved PR from user department; check for correctness & completeness and seek additional information from user if required. Decide the type and method of procurement (depending on type of material/services to be procured, nature of PR (normal vs. emergency PR), stocks available, availability of rate contract, value, delivery timeline, etc.).
• Category Analysis: Partner with Team Leader to prepare long-term demand projections (three years) for key categories at CPO/BU/Site level based on business plan, and define category-wise sourcing strategy. Create procurement plan for all categories based on the long-term procurement strategy. Select the best channel and method for sourcing respective categories, prepare ARCs where required, and create implementation plan for the same.
• Strategic Sourcing for CapEx, OpEx, Bulk Material & Services: Select bidding process (ICB, limited tender, open tender, conventional, any specific strategy, etc.), prepare vendor selection approach and vendor evaluation criteria depending on the nature of the category. Oversee preparation of the request for information (RFI) document for bidder evaluation using the RFI template. Identify potential bidders who meet the requirements (using Company vendor database, supply market analysis, advertisement, or recommendations from other teams). Evaluate vendors and shortlist them for sending Request for Proposal (RFP). Review and finalize the Request for Proposal (RFP) document to be sent to the shortlisted bidders [covering commercial, Occupational Health and Environmental Services (OHES)]. Organize and plan a pre-bid meeting based on the queries and communication requirements from vendors. Prepare commercial estimate by identifying elements for direct & indirect costs, overhead, profit margins, and contingency, if any, using standardized estimation templates. Evaluate technical and commercial proposals from bidders:
• Technical bid evaluation: Arrange clarification meetings with bidders.
• Commercial evaluation: Evaluate prices, taxes, along with all terms and conditions and examine deviations. Conduct fact-based negotiations with shortlisted bidders and conduct e-auction, if needed for price discovery. Review Note for Approval (NFA) for selected bidder (vendor) and obtain required approvals as per DoA.
• Contract Preparation and Order Placement: Oversee the preparation of contract document as per stated protocols & standard templates. Ensure the set-up of approved contract record within the ERP system and share it with the vendor as well as with all relevant stakeholders. Lead the process of obtaining Advance Bank Guarantees/Contract Performance Bank Guarantee (ABG/CPBG)/Customs related documents from vendor as per requirements.
• Procurement through Rate Contracts: Oversee the preparation, review, and issue of rate contracts based on approved NFA. Ensure that the master outline agreement (OA) gets prepared in the ERP system based on rate contract. Oversee the preparation of Purchase Order (PO)/Service Order (SO) for procurement under valid rate contract.

Associated Procurement Activities

• Post Order Management: Oversee the preparation of BBU and get it uploaded in SAP, if applicable. Facilitate the resolution and re-allocation of queries raised by vendors or from other internal stakeholders, during the course of expediting the delivery. Supervise the preparation of change order or making amendments in the order including quantity/rate variation, extra items, time extensions, etc. as required. Ensure closure of contracts and take necessary actions. Drive management of inbound logistics services for other Ex-Works Domestic Supplies. Contribute to making contingency plans for exigency business requirements.
• Commercial Due Diligence for M&A or any new business opportunity: Interact with target entities for mergers & acquisitions due diligence regarding take-over of third-party assets. Identify requirements and support the process of obtaining clearances and documentation for taking over assets from target entities. Provide commercial inputs for any new business opportunities or business case. It includes providing contracting structure having an optimal tax impact, project/package estimates (project, budgets, etc.).
• Quality Assurance: Evaluate and report on the quality of materials procured vis-à-vis defined standards; take corrective action as deemed necessary.

Supplier Management

• Supplier/Vendor Identification and Onboarding: Oversee the identification of vendor evaluation criteria for the category in consultation with quality, engineering, and project management & control departments. Ensure that all forms submitted by vendors are complete, approved vendor list is updated, and required data and documents are populated into PiLog system.
• Supplier/Vendor Performance Management: Prepare vendor segmentation matrix based on annual spend with the vendor and risk associated with the vendor. Prepare vendor performance evaluation criteria and frequency for each vendor segment. Assign required level of performance evaluation for each vendor and frequency of vendor performance review based on vendor segmentation. Review vendor scorecard, assess the performance of vendor on various parameters and check if the performance is meeting desired level. In case of satisfactory performance, communicate performance feedback to vendors highlighting improvement opportunities on individual parameters. In case of unacceptable performance, communicate performance to vendor & plan discussion to identify actions required for performance improvement.
• Supplier/Vendor Engagement: Establish strategic partnerships with suppliers which will benefit Adani from a long-term perspective and effectively leverage them for value additions to business.

Data Management

• Data Analytics: Collate and analyze data related to various procurement activities (e.g., commodity analysis, supplier debugging, etc.) for respective categories. Seek opportunities to improve efficiency and value. Take action based on data analytics performed and identify interventions to be implemented for respective categories.

Governance

• Governance and Audit Management: Monitor and ensure adherence to defined governance protocols at team level; report on KPIs to measure success of Techno-commercial governance in team. Provide guidance in preparing responses to category-specific audit queries. Analyze audit findings for respective categories and ensure that corrective measures are taken to address identified gaps at team level.
• Risk Management: Identify all procurement risks for different categories (using master list of procurement risk, supply market analysis, long-term procurement plan, annual procurement plan, and project risk register). Evaluate & prioritize the identified risks on their likelihood, impact, and controllability. Prepare risk mitigation plan and update the category risk register.

People Management

• Set goals, review performance, and provide feedback to team members to ensure a motivated and committed team. Identify development needs of team members and develop Individual Development Plans (IDP). Develop team members on current and future functional focus areas aligned to the capability matrix and IDP guidelines. Foster an environment of learning, excellence, and innovation within the team.

Key Interactions

• Internal: Work closely with CPO/BU TC Head/Site TC Head, Category Buyers, Head Projects, Site HODs, Head – Engineering to complete the ordering within the estimated cost, approved budget, and time schedule. Interaction with Engineering, PMCG, MAAS, and other departments for dealing with day-to-day commercial issues and contract closures. Partner with the Finance & Accounts team for driving payments and signoffs.
• External: Interact with existing partners and vendors to reinforce working relationships, strengthen collaboration, track project deliveries, and mitigate risks if any. Interact with a variety of potential suppliers/vendors/partners and build strategic relationships with them with the objective of leveraging them for business advancement in the future. Partner with external agencies to ensure control and compliance; mitigate risks if any.

Key Result Areas (KRAs) & Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Strategic Roles and Responsibilities: [%] of strategic initiatives implemented vs. plan for category. [%] Procurement Cost Reduction attributable to strategic initiatives in the Category.
• Core Procurement: For assigned category/categories: [%] cost savings achieved through bulk purchases and strategic sourcing, rate negotiations with vendors. [%] deviation from category budget. Percentage cost savings achieved through effective negotiations. Percentage cost savings achieved through effective procurement planning (bulk purchases, etc.). Percentage cost savings achieved through identification of vendors/service providers providing services at lower costs.
• Associated Procurement Activities: Timely preparation and submission of MIS reports. Maintain strategic purchase-related documentation. Adherence to financial and legal control parameters during sourcing and contracts.
• Governance: [Number] of audit observations for relevant work areas. [%] Action plans implemented based on audit observations.
• Supplier Management: For assigned category/categories: [Number] Implemented processes to continuously evaluate supplier performance. Strategic tie-ups and preferred partner status with vendors. Internal customer satisfaction index.
• People Management: [Score] Employee engagement score. [%] Attrition of high-performing employees. [%] Critical jobs with successors identified. [Hours] Training hours completed per FTE.