Extras · 1 of 4

A typical day

Review requests from departments that need to buy something. Write a tender or request for quotes, post it, answer bidders' questions. Score the bids that came in against the criteria you set. Negotiate delivery terms with a supplier. Check that an invoice matches the contract. Meetings with engineers, lawyers or finance about a big purchase. On a quiet day it is calm paperwork; the week a hospital needs a new scanner or a city needs winter salt, it is not.