purchasing agent

English

Noun

purchasing agent (plural purchasing agents)

1. A person or group whose job is to buy equipment, supplies, inventory, or other assets for a business or other organization.
   • 1861 December 4, “Report of the Secretary of the Navy”, in New York Times, retrieved 21 Oct. 2008:

     Subjoined is a statement from the purchasing agent at New-York, with a schedule giving the name, tonnage, price demanded, and cost actually paid of every vessel that has been bought by him.

   • 1960 April 4, “Nettled Nickel-Nipper”, in Time:

     Since taking over as mayor last January, Lee has . . . forced the resignation of the city purchasing agent because he bought $10,000 worth of water pipe without asking for bids.

   • 2004 May 25, Khalid Hasan, “Pakistan mired in another nuclear scandal”, in Daily Times, retrieved 21 Oct. 2008:

     The newspaper claims to have “confirmed” that Humayun Khan’s family import-export business, Pakland Corp., was a purchasing agent for Pakistan’s nuclear programme.

Synonyms

• buyer