Melissa Saddnagim
Arima
Summary
Results-driven professional with strong interpersonal skills and extensive experience in fostering growth and development. Proven ability to exceed organizational standards while aligning personal objectives with company goals. Committed to delivering impactful contributions that enhance team performance and drive success.
Overview
9
9
years of professional experience
Work History
Foreign Service National
Embassy of the United States of America
P.O.S
06.2024 - Current
- Procurement of commodities, supplies and services for the U.S Embassy and Agencies in accordance with ICASS agreements, CMI standards and post policies to obtain the best value through the usage of ICASS, Program, DS and other agency funds while maintaining knowledge of U.S and local market practices, suppliers, Department of State and associated agency procurement procedures, regulations and instructions to apply to each procurement transaction
- Processing up to approximately USD $3 million of requisitions in a fiscal year, along with being a purchase card holder with a single purchase limit of USD $3,500.00 and a monthly purchase limit of USD $50,000
- Responsible for the proper use, as a cardholder, of a Government SMARTPAY Purchase Card, maintenance, record keeping, and complying with policies and procedures to ensure effective procurement and statement reconciliation.
- Utilizes the PCCR program in ILMS to reconcile charges.
- Responsible for procurement actions and determines the type of action necessary to performs 'off-the-shelf' purchases locally and through U.S Vendors.
- These actions may include preparing purchase orders (PO), purchase card orders, Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) orders (for local supplies and services), indefinite delivery orders or preparation of solicitations. Utilizes the ARIBA module of the Integrated Logistics Management System (ILMS) for these actions.
- Review's procurement requests for completeness and the presence of necessary, technical information, conferring with the requestor as needed.
- Conducts market research from mandatory and other prospective sources such as U.S and local commercial vendors.
- Prepares appropriate requests for prices verbally, by email or by issuing formal solicitations by considering the requirements; ensuring the award remains in the best interest of the USG financially and ethically; negotiating on behalf of the U.S Government to finalize purchases.
- After purchase orders have been approved, supply vendors with copy of purchase orders and appropriate Embassy personnel with copies of the order so that final coordination's can be carried out.
- Immediately update the corresponding electronic file for each purchase ensuring that the necessary documentation is added to each e-file at each phase.
- Amends orders as needed due to discontinued products, deadlines, change in prices and de-obligations.
- Responsible for coordinating projects in all Embassy sections and Agencies.
- Liaises with the vendors and customers as well as coordinates meetings and finds solutions for problems that arise whilst the project is ongoing.
- Manages expectations of both parties and communicates regularly till project end.
- Responsible for preparation of contracts from the solicitation phase to award inclusive of preparing the solicitation documents, scheduling pre-proposal conferences, analysis of proposals, negotiations and contract award.
- Required to be an Incidental Operator of Government owned Vehicles to perform some of the duties assigned.
- Submits S/FPDS (State/Federal Procurement Data System) report via lLMS, for orders exceeding USD $10,000, fixing any variances or errors and ensures completion in a timely manner.
- Coordinates closely with the receiving office to ensure that receiving reports are completed when items are purchased via the purchase card or services/items received via purchase orders.
- Responsible for the efficient processing and clearing of Unliquidated obligations (ULO) through liaising with the requesting offices and vendors on items/ services purchased as to whether there are any charges outstanding and if funds can be de-obligated.
- Assists vendors in resolving pending/outstanding payments.
- Works closely with the financial management office to ensure the efficient, accurate and successful updating of the ULO list from Charleston.
- Supplies relevant purchase order information to the financial office relating to invoices received whilst maintaining a minimal number of pending invoices.
- Works with the financial office on their attachment of the relevant invoice and final payment information to the e-file.
- Serves as a point of contact for several offices/agencies addressing general and complex issues of concern. Is a process manager that follows procurements for those offices from 'customer order,' 'receipt,' and 'vendor payment.'
- Receives incoming calls, visits from vendors and customers with the purpose of resolving problems and clarifying specifications.
- Follows-up with vendors to ensure timely delivery of orders as per promised delivery date and on outstanding orders.
- Responsible for planning and organizing work, setting priorities, and making the most efficient use of available resources.
- Follows up on purchases to ensure timely delivery of materials ordered, using ILMS to track the status of orders, and communicates regularly with GSO staff, customers and vendors as necessary.
Buyer
Knight Investments Ltd
Trincity
01.2023 - 03.2024
- Analyze market trends, negotiate with vendors to obtain the best prices, scheduling deliveries, filling stores with fashionable merchandise and forecast consumer demand
- Ensure all merchandise consists of proper product mix and balanced inventory flow
- Adhere to all buying procedures as developed and implemented by the company
- Adhere to assigned open to buy targets, SKU counts by door, pricing strategy and works to optimize SKU Assortments
- Analyze reports and calculate Open To Buys for each class by using the Sales, Ending Inventory and Holding Stock
- Submits weekly reports measuring buying progress giving clear completion dates to complete buys as per schedule to the Financial Controller
- Research current & future trends for each season to be aware and plan ahead by running projections of each class to review what is required
- Requesting catalogues from Suppliers in Panama, United States and others to review apparel/products, pricing, offers, brands, etc and negotiate with Suppliers to attain the best price for the product
- Review and edit product lines, brands, classes to achieve sales and profitability targets to ensure balanced assortment in style, pattern, colour and size
- Check and make recommendation on old goods to reshuffle and also list on Weekly and EOM Sales which will be prepared after Store Visits each Month
- Ensures that all purchases are in compliance with current legislation
- Manage and analyze the budget and financial plan to ensure profitability margins, mark-ups and other financial markets are in line with corporate strategy and submit weekly report
- Conduct SWOT analysis of market and identify opportunities for growth
- Attend Trade Shows in Panama and United States to meet with Suppliers for negotiations, quality checks of products, visiting show rooms to place orders and seek new Suppliers to do business with for the company
- Upon Placing orders, log on our shipping logs for Panama, USA and Direct Shipment buys and submit order to administration, supplier and computer department
- Follow up on orders placed, when payments are being made, ensure wire transfer/credit card is charged by the supplier, shipping instructions will then be sent to the supplier and delivery will be made to our freight forwarder and packing list and invoices to be received, reviewed and submitted to management
- Keep log of when orders arrive at warehouse in containers and prioritize goods to be worked to be sent to our stores
- Store Visits are done for all stores along with reports generated providing feedback highlighting key areas of merchandising, manager, staff and customer feedback and giving sound recommendations
- Keep abreast of competitor activities and consumer trends to continuously meet consumer needs
- Follow up on all Claims/Discrepancies with Suppliers and submit all credit notes along with updated statement of accounts to accounting department
- Assist marketing department with regard to marketing initiative for seasons, new arrivals, brands, specials or in demand product
- Kept records of transactions and submitted to accounting for auditing
- Presented new merchandise lines to staff members during sales meetings and demonstrated feature benefits for each product
- Achieved favorable pricing, quality and quantity with diligent vendor relationship management
- Ensure that cash used for the purpose of business trips on behalf of the company is properly accounted for, with receipts
- Ongoing negotiations with Local and International Suppliers
Procurement Assistant
Mt. Hope Women's Hospital
05.2021 - 10.2022
- Identify appropriate suppliers from approved vendor listing
- Determines which vendors should be solicited for quotations or bids
- Selects the most suitable products/services as per end user requirements/specifications
- Evaluates quotations received and generate Purchase Orders for approval
- Monitor progress of Purchase Orders after approval and ensure suppliers receive Purchase Order via email and hard copy as well as ensuring goods are shipped as per ETA provided by suppliers
- Expedite emergency type orders from point of requisition to point of receipt
- Ensures all records are kept per individual end user requests and filed in Purchase Order file
- Prepares Purchase Order Report
- Provide updates to End Users for PR'S generated
- Built a competitive bidding environment with broad range of suppliers
- Sourced new vendors for purchasing needs
- Stayed abreast of market changes by conducting research
Clerk 1
Mt. Hope Women's Hospital
07.2019 - 04.2021
- Received and distributed incoming mail, messages and packages to appropriate individuals
- Communicated with customers and employees to answer questions or explain information
- Coordinated company records and resources to assist team members with special projects
- Created, updated and maintained detailed documents, charts and spreadsheets to sort company information
- Trained office professionals on procurement procedures to keep output of the office consistent and accurate
- Copied, scanned and filed documents to maintain office records
- Taking apart signed Purchase Order Packages and dispatch relevant Purchase Requisitions to necessary stores/departments and update purchase order file
- Identify, Source and Evaluate quotes from Suppliers
- Preparation of Monthly Purchase Order Report
- Preparation of Private Medicals Report
- Preparation of Monthly Gas Report
- Faxing, Emailing and Distributing of Purchase Order/Packages to suppliers
- Preparing Transmittal Memo with attachments such as Purchase Order, Purchase Requisition, Company Delivery Note/Invoice and Receiving Report to send to Accounts Payable for payment to suppliers
- Log Incoming Direct Purchases using Excel and Dispatch any correspondence given by Procurement Officer
- Contacting Suppliers for Updates on relevant deliveries/jobs
- Logging Stock Requisitions, Purchase Requisition and Receiving Report book numbers and issuing to different departments upon request
- Creating, Storage and Retrieval of Any Necessary Documentation
- Logging Purchase Order's cut for the day in log book and send to Manager for Signature along with any other documents that has to be signed
- Delivering high-quality customer service to all personnel
- Submits Purchase Requisitions received to Purchasing Officer for verification
Contracts Clerk
North Central Regional Health Authority
Champs Fleur
08.2015 - 06.2019
- Responded to client calls and inquiries to deliver applicable information
- Drafted correspondence, documented data and submitted materials to appropriate parties
- Observed privacy laws to prevent breaches and protect data
- Creating, Storage and Retrieval of necessary files used for different tenders
- Selling of Tender documents to bidders upon purchase of package
- Assist and Receive telephone calls, emails and faxes from bidders or anyone contacting the department
- Ensure that all Addendum/ Correspondence/ Memorandums that I have prepared on a daily basis, once approved are sent to bidders/relevant personnel via telephone calls, emails and fax
- Binding, Photocopying and Shredding of all relevant documents and ensuring personnel gets copies of correspondence allocated to them
- Log, Receive & Dispatch Incoming/Outgoing mail as well as file any documents given to me related to different tenders
- Preparing all relevant forms for tender openings using Microsoft Office
- Preparation, Coordinating and binding of Evaluation Packages for the Evaluation Committee once a tender is closed and sent to evaluate
- Preparing letters/memorandums on a daily basis
Accounts Clerk
North Central Regional Health Authority
Champs Fleur
08.2015
- Being a part of the creation of a fixed asset register which was an exercise done to tag and value assets within the Authority under different clusters such as Arima Cluster, Caura Hospital, Chaguanas Cluster, Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, St Joseph Cluster and Mt Hope Women's Hospital
- Formulating different types of documents such as memos and letters to request funding for example: a letter requesting funding from the Ministry of Health (MOH) which would need supporting documents such as: The Purchase Order, The Letter of Award, The Supplier's Invoice and The NCRHA'S Invoice
- Calculating overtime for extended hours in different health centers as well as overtime worked within the management accounting unit to be sent to payroll for payment and calculating compensatory time earned for employees to be placed into an excel table to be sent to the Human Resources Department
- Doing the Absenteeism and Punctuality Report (A&P) and Return of Personnel (ROP) reports each month to be sent to the Human Resources Department
- Pulling cheques from the filing room attached to Accounts Payable to be reviewed for the costing stage of the Fixed Asset Tagging Exercise as well as verifying the cheques with field data to compare and build the fixed asset register
- Using Great Plains (GP) software to get information such as: Purchase Order information, Cheque Numbers and Dates, etc
- Using Microsoft excel to sort sheets to assist in the mapping stage of the Fixed Asset Tagging Exercise
- Using Microsoft excel to prepare Costing for Employees within the institution by using their Basic Salary and Allowances to calculate 1 The total monthly cost, 2.The NIS, Pension and Employer's Cost and The total expenditure for the period
- Using Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel on a daily basis to perform majority of the tasks assigned
Accounts Clerk
North Central Regional Health Authority
Champs Fleur
08.2015
- Calculating back pay for employees of all positions within the NCRHA in the arrears department (for example: registrar, house officer, consultant, registered nurses, clerk 1, patient escorts, business manager, etc)
- Checking of journals with the General Accounts department (monthly paid and daily paid)
- Assisting ministry auditors with employee worksheets to attach and helping prepare incremental certificates and dates for all employees
- Working with the pension department in Caura hospital to get employee worksheets photocopied and sent to calculate pensions
- Making different types of listing for employees (example: query listing to address queries sent from audit department, incremental certificates listing, etc.)
- Using Microsoft Office to perform duties assigned
- Using software such as Great Plains (GP) and Microsoft Dynamics to locate information for employees to proceed calculating arrears sheet
Education
CIPS LEVEL 4 DIPLOMA - PROCUREMENT & SUPPLY OPERATIONS
CTS College of Business & Computer Science
Chaguanas, Trinidad & Tobago01.2025
CIPS LEVEL 3 ADVANCED CERTIFICATE - PROCUREMENT & SUPPLY OPERATIONS - BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
School of Business and Computer Science
Trinidad & TobagoABE LEVEL 4 DIPLOMA - Business Management
School of Business & Computer Science
Trinidad & TobagoHigh School -
Bishop Anstey High School
TrincitySkills
- Team & Time Management
- Critical Thinking
- Supervision & Leadership
- Microsoft Office
- Communication
- Problem Resolution
- Organizational Skills
Additional Courses Completed
OFFICE OF GLOBAL ACQUISITION
Transportation Workshop
Contract Closeout
Streamlining Source Selection
Sustainable Procurements
Solicitations
Cyber Supply Chain Risk Management
Suspension & Debarment
Developing IGCEs
Market Research
BAA/TAA Non-Availability Waiver Processing
QASP-PBSA
Equity in Procurement
What is Acquisition Planning
Invoice Processing Procedures
DOS IT Acquisition Process Management
Inter-Agency Agreements Training
FOREIGN SERVICE INSTITUTE (U.S DEPARTMENT OF STATE)
Email at the Department of State
No FEAR Act Training
Protecting Personally Identifiable Information
Annual Counterintelligence Awareness Training
Cybersecurity Awareness
Preventing Harassment at State
Records Management for Everyone
Additional Courses Completed
Short Courses
School of Business and Computer Science (SBCS), Trinidad & Tobago
Stress Management
Effective Time Management
Delivering Customer Service Excellence Get Work Ready
Administrative Career Training Institute , Trinidad & Tobago
Administrative Assistant (Grade A)
Accounting, Payroll & Taxation (Grade A)
References
- Mrs. Melissa Charles Sandy, Administrative Assistant/Hospital Manager Ag, Mt Hope Women's Hospital, 750-0794
- Mr. Leston Roberts, Purchasing Officer, NCRHA, 720-8831
- Mrs. Sherry-Ann Mohammed, Senior Buyer, Knights Investments Ltd, 320-4592
Timeline
Foreign Service National
Embassy of the United States of America
06.2024 - Current
Buyer
Knight Investments Ltd
01.2023 - 03.2024
Procurement Assistant
Mt. Hope Women's Hospital
05.2021 - 10.2022
Clerk 1
Mt. Hope Women's Hospital
07.2019 - 04.2021
Contracts Clerk
North Central Regional Health Authority
08.2015 - 06.2019
Accounts Clerk
North Central Regional Health Authority
08.2015
Accounts Clerk
North Central Regional Health Authority
08.2015
CIPS LEVEL 4 DIPLOMA - PROCUREMENT & SUPPLY OPERATIONS
CTS College of Business & Computer Science
CIPS LEVEL 3 ADVANCED CERTIFICATE - PROCUREMENT & SUPPLY OPERATIONS - BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
School of Business and Computer Science
ABE LEVEL 4 DIPLOMA - Business Management
School of Business & Computer Science
High School -
Bishop Anstey High School
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