Procurement Specialist
For many clients, the scope of their home improvements is beyond their ability to handle alone, but not enough to merit hiring a professional contractor. Examples of this could include replacing light fixtures, installing new flooring/countertops/plumbing fixtures, repainting the interior of their home, or purchasing all new furniture and decor. This is where the Procurement Specialist can bridge the gap.
Our Procurement Specialist can take your design concept and produce the necessary budget, quotes, trade-facing work orders, as well as assist you in sourcing and purchasing all materials, including arranging for delivery and install. They can do as much or as little as the client wants and bill for their time at a reduced rate compared to a contractor or a designer.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the role of a Procurement Specialist?
The procurement specialist acts as hourly administrative support for executing a design plan on small- to medium-sized projects. This can include a one-off task or project management for an entire project, such as a kitchen renovation, interior updates to flooring and lights or managing the purchasing for an interior decorating package.
What is the role of an Interior Designer?
An interior designer creates the concepts, plans and technical drawings required for a new design. This includes documented specifications for all materials, fixtures and finishes.
What are the potential deliverables?
If Project Management is desired, the Procurement Specialist will create an outline of the scope and provide an estimate of hours typically required to complete the task or tasks. Tasks may include:
Ordering all Materials, Furnishings and Fixtures
Soliciting Quotes
Construction Schedules
Producing and Managing a Budget
Scheduling Trades
Site Visits
Correspondence and Follow-Ups
Facilitating Payments and Deliveries
Installation
How is a Procurement Specialist Priced?
This administrative support is available at $100/hour (plus GST). Hourly service means you can dial support up or down as needed throughout a project. The procurement specialist could project manage an entire kitchen renovation, or simply help with one task as requested, such as scheduling a painter or sourcing cabinetry quotes.
How does the Procurement Specialist differ from a Contractor?
The Procurement Specialist acts as an expert guide to assist you with executing a project, managing the organization and administrative work involved in project management. The client will pay for all installers and materials directly, but the Procurement Specialist can secure quotes from multiple trades, solicit invoices, create a work schedule and even quality check work on-site, but ultimately the Procurement Specialist is an hourly consultant and not directly liable for any damages or issues with the trades’ work.
What is the role of a Contractor?
A contractor is a project manager that executes an interior design package and plan. This typically includes creating and managing a budget for the project, ordering all materials required for the project, soliciting quotes and securing trades to execute the work, site management, as well as quality control for the work completed. Contractors typically will charge on a cost-plus basis, in addition to an hourly rate for project management and site supervision. As such, contractors most often work on larger projects, such as new homes and major home renovations.
What are the benefits of a Procurement Specialist?
A lot of our clients aren’t sure what to do when it comes to getting their design project into reality—you have a design, but now what? The Procurement Specialist is fantastic support for anyone who needs guidance and/or administrative support executing a project, which can include the ordering and installation. It’s as little or as much support as you need at competitive hourly rates. And a Procurement Specialist is accessible for any small to medium project, whereas small scopes can often be too small to interest a contractor.