- The core task: monitor and follow applicable laws and regulations. It heads the task list in the next section.
- Typical entry education: bachelor's degree. 65% of survey respondents say a new hire needs a bachelor’s degree.
- Related work experience at entry: none. On-the-job training: moderate-term on-the-job training.
- One certification applies: CPSM. CPSM is from Institute for Supply Management (ISM).
- Median pay for buyers and purchasing agents: $77,710. The 10th to 90th percentiles run $48,380 to $128,870.
- Projected change through 2035: 6%. Annual openings: about 47,200.
Procurement specialists do the buying. They review requisitions, write or check the specifications for what is being bought, solicit bids from suppliers, and prepare the purchase orders. The aim, in O*NET’s words, is the right quality at the lowest price in the right amounts.
Following the applicable laws and regulations is the first task O*NET lists for the role, and bid and contract rules shape much of the work. Titles include buyer, purchasing agent, contract administrator and procurement official.
The tasks O*NET rates most important for purchasing agents, except wholesale, retail, and farm products:
- 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.
Job titles in the same O*NET occupation: Buyer, Contract Administrator, Procurement and Contracting Administrator, Procurement and Contracting Buyer, Procurement Official, Procurement Specialist, Purchasing Administrator, Purchasing Agent and Purchasing and Contracts Coordinator. Source: O*NET
OnLine, 13-1023.00, read 2026-09-23.
Buyers and purchasing agents buy the products and services an organization uses or resells. The Handbook describes the core of the job as choosing suppliers on price, quality, availability, reliability and technical support, then negotiating the contract and checking the quality of what arrives.
Much of the week is information work: studying sales records and current inventory, finding suppliers, and keeping up with changes that affect supply and demand for what they buy. They need a working knowledge of the goods themselves, and some visit plants and distribution centers to judge a supplier before signing.
The kind of buying varies. The Handbook separates purchasing agents, who buy what an organization runs on, from wholesale and retail buyers, who buy goods to resell, and from farm-product buyers. Procurement specialist is a purchasing agent title in O*NET.
Main Responsibilities
- Evaluate suppliers on price, quality and delivery speed
- Interview vendors and visit suppliers’ plants and distribution centers
- Analyze price proposals and financial information to judge a fair price
- Negotiate contracts and delivery terms
- Monitor contracts for supplier compliance, and deal with defective goods
- Keep records of purchases, costs, deliveries, product performance and inventory
Who They Work With
Buyers and purchasing agents work under purchasing managers, who plan and coordinate their work, according to the Handbook.
Suppliers and vendors outside; inside, the purchasing manager and the teams whose requisitions they fill.
Where And When They Work
Mostly office work, with some travel to suppliers or to review products. Most work full time; the Handbook notes part-time work is common for some.
The biggest employers of buyers and purchasing agents, by the Handbook's count:
manufacturing (22%), wholesale trade (14%), government, excluding state and local education and hospitals (13%), management of companies and enterprises (8%) and retail trade (7%).
Source: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, Buyers and Purchasing Agents, What They Do and Work Environment. Employer shares are of the occupation's jobs in 2025, from Employment Projections data, and include the self-employed. Read 2026-09-23.
BLS publishes pay only for buyers and purchasing agents as a whole, which also counts wholesale, retail and farm-product buyers. The figures here are for that whole group.
The median for buyers and purchasing agents is $77,710 a year. The middle half
earns $60,800 to $100,820, and the full range runs from $48,380 at the 10th percentile to $128,870 at the 90th, across
491,430 jobs. The procurement specialist salary page breaks that down by state, metro area,
industry and employer type.
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025, national. Read 2026-09-23.
A bachelor’s degree is what most O*NET respondents said a new hire needs, in supply chain management, business or a field tied to what is being bought. Some employers hire with an associate degree or a high school diploma and train on the job.
What BLS Says Entry Takes
Typical entry requirements for Buyers and Purchasing Agents, BLS Employment Projections | Typical entry education | Bachelor's degree |
|---|
| Related work experience | None |
|---|
| On-the-job training | Moderate-term on-the-job training |
|---|
A bachelor’s degree for entry-level positions in most cases, though a high school diploma is enough for some. New buyers typically get a few months of on-the-job training in monitoring inventory and negotiating with suppliers.
Majors
Business, finance or supply management; for farm-product buying, agriculture, agricultural production or animal science, according to the Handbook.
Degree Levels That Lead In
What O*NET's respondents in the occupation said a new hire needs:
Education a new hire needs, O*NET 13-1023.00, top three answers | Education Level | Share Of Respondents |
|---|
| Bachelor’s degree | 65% |
|---|
| High school diploma or equivalent | 15% |
|---|
| Associate’s degree or other 2-year degree | 10% |
|---|
Sources: BLS Employment Projections, Table 1.2 (entry
requirements); O*NET OnLine, 13-1023.00, education section, top three
answers. The O*NET figures are survey responses from workers in the occupation, not a legal requirement.
CPSM requires supply management experience before ISM will award it, so for most procurement specialists it is a goal a few years into the job rather than an entry credential.
Institute for Supply Management (ISM)
CPSM: Certified Professional in Supply Management
Procurement and supply management: sourcing, category management, cost and price management, negotiation, contracts, supplier relationships, risk and compliance.
- Who It Is For
- Supply chain and procurement professionals whose primary job is supply management, procurement or supply chain. ISM counts only that kind of full-time professional experience toward the award.
- Eligibility
- Three years of full-time professional supply management experience with a regionally accredited bachelor’s degree, or five years without a degree. Clerical and support roles do not count toward the experience.
- Exam
- Three exams. They can be taken before the experience requirement is met, and each passing score stays valid for four years from the test date.
- Cost
- ISM puts the average total cost at $1,485 to $4,277 for members and $2,385 to $5,942 for nonmembers.
- Renewal
- Valid for three years, then renewed with proof of continuing education.
Source: ISM, CPSM page, read 2026-09-23.
The CPSM guide: the exam module by module, the full cost and how to keep it.
Sources: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, How to Become One; titles from
O*NET OnLine and the Handbook.
- Purchasing Manager. The management role buyers and purchasing agents advance into.
- Logistician. Logisticians oversee purchasing among their activities, and the two jobs share suppliers.
- Supply Chain Manager. Supply chain managers oversee purchasing and procurement as part of the wider network.
- Customs Broker. For imported goods, the customs broker’s duty calculation is part of what the buyer pays.
The qualities the Handbook names as important for buyers and purchasing agents:
- Analysis. Choosing the supplier with the best mix of price, quality, delivery and service.
- Decision-making. Making informed, timely choices about what to buy.
- Negotiation. Settling terms and resolving issues diplomatically.
- Math. Calculating costs and comparing prices across suppliers.
O*NET lists the software the occupation uses and flags the technologies employers name most often in their job postings. For
purchasing agents, except wholesale, retail, and farm products, the ones it marks as in demand are Microsoft SharePoint, Microsoft Outlook, SAP software, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Word.
Source: O*NET OnLine, 13-1023.00, Software Skills. "In demand" and "hot" are
O*NET's own flags, based on how often employers name the technology in job postings. Read 2026-09-23.
BLS projects employment of buyers and purchasing agents to grow 6% over 2025 to 2035,
from 516,100 to 547,000 jobs. That is faster than the 3.5% projected for all occupations.
BLS expects about 47,200 openings a year. Of those, 18,100 (38%)
replace people leaving the labor force, 26,100 (55%) replace people
moving to other occupations, and 3,100 (7%) are new jobs. The
procurement specialist salary page sets out what BLS says is driving demand.
Sources: BLS Employment Projections, 2025-35;
EP Table 1.10. New jobs is total openings minus
separations. Read 2026-09-23.
What Degree Do You Need To Be A Procurement Specialist?
BLS lists a bachelor's degree as the typical entry education for buyers and purchasing agents. In O*NET's survey of the occupation, 65% of respondents said a new hire needs a bachelor’s degree, and 15% said a high school diploma or equivalent.
How Long Does It Take To Become A Procurement Specialist?
BLS lists no related work experience as typical for entry, so the degree is the main time cost, followed by moderate-term on-the-job training.
How Much Does A Procurement Specialist Make?
BLS publishes pay only for buyers and purchasing agents as a whole, which also counts wholesale, retail and farm-product buyers. The figures here are for that whole group. The median for buyers and purchasing agents is $77,710 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), with the 10th to 90th percentile running $48,380 to $128,870.
Is Procurement Specialist A Good Career?
On the federal numbers: a median of $77,710, and BLS projects the occupation to grow 6% from 2025 to 2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 47,200 openings a year.
Can You Become A Buyer Without A Degree?
For some positions, yes. The Handbook says a bachelor’s is typical for entry-level jobs but a high school diploma may be sufficient for some, and new buyers learn the basics through on-the-job training.
What Is The Difference Between A Buyer And A Purchasing Agent?
In the Handbook, wholesale and retail buyers purchase goods for resale, while purchasing agents buy what an organization uses to operate, from chemicals for a plant to office supplies. BLS publishes one wage for both.
Is Procurement Being Automated?
The Handbook says organizations continue to automate some procurement tasks and integrate artificial intelligence, and that cooperative purchasing agreements may limit the need for procurement officers in the public sector. BLS still projects the occupation to add jobs over the decade.
Pay for buyers and purchasing agents by state, metro area and industry.
Programs read from each school’s own page, with tuition where the school states it.
Programs read from each school’s own page, with tuition where the school states it.
13 careers, each tied to the BLS occupation its pay comes from.
