Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm Products
Purchase machinery, equipment, tools, parts, supplies, or services necessary for the operation of an establishment. Purchase raw or semifinished materials for manufacturing. May negotiate contracts.
$77,710 a year (for the broader BLS group this job sits in).
of the working time. Estimate.
- 87%
- 11%
- 1%
Anthropic's data does not cover this job.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 23%. Today's estimate: 33%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 19 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Purchase the highest quality merchandise at the lowest possible price and in correct amounts.Done daily by most who do it. | 21% | 3.3 h50 min to 1.7 work days | 21%Half by May 2027 | |
| Analyze price proposals, financial reports, and other data and information to determine reasonable prices.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 15% | 3.3 h50 min to 1 work day | 28%Half by Feb 2027 | |
| Monitor and follow applicable laws and regulations.Done daily by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 11% | 1.7 h25 min to 6.7 h | 43%Half by Nov 2026 | |
| Prepare purchase orders, solicit bid proposals, and review requisitions for goods and services.Done daily by most who do it. | 9% | 1.7 h25 min to 3.3 h | 65%Half by now | |
| Negotiate, renegotiate, and administer contracts with suppliers, vendors, and other representatives.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 8% | 5 h1.7 h to 3.1 work days | Stays with people | |
| Research and evaluate suppliers, based on price, quality, selection, service, support, availability, reliability, production and distribution capabilities, and the supplier's reputation and history.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 6% | 4.2 h1.7 h to 2.1 work days | 20%Half by Apr 2027 | |
| Maintain and review computerized or manual records of purchased items, costs, deliveries, product performance, and inventories.Done daily by most who do it. | 5% | 1.3 h25 min to 2.5 h | 87%Half by now | |
| Write and review product specifications, maintaining a working technical knowledge of the goods or services to be purchased.Done more than monthly by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 5% | 2.5 h50 min to 1 work day | 40%Half by Dec 2026 | |
| Study sales records and inventory levels of current stock to develop strategic purchasing programs that facilitate employee access to supplies.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 3% | 3.3 h1.3 h to 1.7 work days | 27%Half by Mar 2027 | |
| Formulate policies and procedures for bid proposals and procurement of goods and services.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 3% | 1.7 work days3.3 h to 4.2 work days | 2%Half by Feb 2028 | |
| Hire, train, or supervise purchasing clerks, buyers, and expediters.Done yearly or less by most who do it. | 3% | 3.3 h50 min to 2.1 work days | Stays with people | |
| Evaluate and monitor contract performance to ensure compliance with contractual obligations and to determine need for changes.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 2% | 2.5 h50 min to 6.7 h | 46%Half by Oct 2026 |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025). Counts are for the broader BLS group this job sits in.
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025). Counts are for the broader BLS group this job sits in.