MERISSA MANELL
Clifton Park,NY
Summary
I am an experienced Contract Manager with over nine (9) years of experience as a NYS employee. My responsibilities in procurement, contract negotiation, compliance, and MWBE compliance and coordination have grown over the past 6+ years. I have proven myself able to manage complex procurements from solicitation through execution while ensuring compliance and effective communication among the many involved stakeholders. I have been recognized for my strong analytical and organizational skills, and strong work ethic. I am seeking to obtain a leadership role, with the vision of fostering a solution-focused approach and achieving impactful results as a team.
Overview
1
1
Certification
15
15
years of professional experience
Work History
Contract Management Specialist 2 & MWBE Coordinator
NYS Department of Civil Service
Albany, NY
11.2024 - Current
- Manage full procurement lifecycle including RFPs, IFBs, RFQs, single-source and sole-source CRERs, evaluations, awards, and monitoring contract compliance in coordination with Counsel's Office & Program staff.
- Negotiate procurements, contracts, and contract amendments for successful approval and execution.
- Assemble procurement records and contract documents for Attorney General (AG) and Office of the State Comptroller (OSC) submissions.
- Serve as a liaison between program staff, legal teams, contract managers, AG, OSC, ESD/MWBE, and external stakeholders.
- Prepare and submit B-1184 requests on the DOB website.
- Enter and track contract requisitions in SFS.
- Complete Vendor Responsibility reviews for OSC review and approval.
- Develop and monitor 16+ active SUNY MOUs with SUNY campus staff. Update all testing schedules annually and adjust throughout the year as needed.
- Prepare, review, revise, and refine attachments, appendices, data logs, and fillable PDFs to improve departmental efficiency.
- Manage MWBE utilization reporting and workforce compliance processes. Attend MWBE conferences. Complete in-year exclusion and waiver requests as needed.
- Maintain detailed and complex procurement tracking spreadsheets for executive meetings and leadership updates.
- Facilitate bi-weekly meetings between multiple units to discuss project progress.
- Organize and maintain records, including managing multiple shared mailboxes.
- NYS Contract Reporter - Submit quarterly and annual projected procurements, as well as NYSCR Ads.
- Assist in the recruitment process by conducting interviews with prospective candidates.
- Developed "how to" guides for staff.
Contract Management Specialist 1
NYS Department of Transportation
Albany, NY
11.2021 - 11.2024
- Administered the consultant engineering designation process.
- Negotiated and drafted contracts for submission to the Office of the State Comptroller.
- Served as liaison for the Department and consulting firms regarding contract negotiation, execution, and compliance.
- Reviewed and approved annual and maximum salary rosters.
- Tracked contract timelines, progress, and communicated potential risks.
- Monitored financial data and compliance, including keeping up to date on NYS industry rates, prevailing wages, and mileage reimbursement.
- Monitored customer feedback regarding product quality or service delivery issues and developed action plans accordingly.
- Maintained a positive working relationship with coworkers and management.
Contract Management Specialist 1 Trainee
NYS Office For People With Developmental Disabilities
Schenectady, NY
04.2020 - 11.2021
- Accepted, reviewed, and documented submitted RFPs.
- Reviewed documents for accuracy, completeness, and consistency before approval and further evaluation.
- Prepared, revised, and processed contract requisitions and purchase orders in SFS.
- Reviewed vendor MWBE compliance to support contract goals.
- Focused on learning NYS procurement rules and assisted with contract preparation and processing.
Business Document Specialist 2
NYS Department of State
Albany, NY
05.2019 - 04.2020
- Reviewed and processed corporate filings in compliance with NYS regulations.
- Determined entity name availability and completed expedited filing requests.
- Prepared daily revenue reports.
- Answered questions about document status and filing procedures by phone and email.
- Received, reviewed, and filed corporation documents at the customer service counter while guiding customers through the process.
- Recognized for processing large volumes of documents daily.
Business Document Specialist 1
NYS Department of State
Albany, NY
04.2018 - 05.2019
- Reviewed corporate records and processed requests for name availability, certified copies, and certificates under seal.
- Provided information and support in response to customer service desk and call center inquiries via email, phone calls, or in person.
- Printed individual operator cash reports, verified reported fees processed, and processed credit card transactions on a daily basis.
- Contacted customers whose requests were denied to provide additional clarification and support in hopes that the resubmission would be a success.
- Searched microfilm records and made copies of historical corporate documents.
Office Assistant 1
NYS Department of State
Albany , NY
06.2017 - 04.2018
- Sorted incoming corporation filing requests from fax, email, customer service counter, and mail, then distributed items each hour to document reviewers, including expedited and routine requests.
- Organized and maintained physical filing system.
- Monitored email for incoming filing requests.
- Monitored the fax machine and organized all faxed filing requests for reviewers to receive either immediately, upon hourly distribution, or to separate and include with routine filings in chronologically received order.
- Retrieved heavy-volume service company filings, then sorted by expedited handling or routine processing.
Direct Support Professional
Schenectady ARC
Schenectady, NY
10.2016 - 05.2017
- Assisted individuals in a day habilitation setting with daily living skills, such as personal care and hygiene, meal preparation, methods of communication, and participation in physical and social activities.
- Monitored individuals' health and behavior, and reported any changes to appropriate staff.
- Encouraged positive behavior through modeling appropriate responses and reinforcing desired behaviors.
- Used approved crisis intervention techniques in situations when an individual was at risk of, or actively, harming themself or another person.
- Developed strong and trusting relationships with the individuals I supported and some of their families.
- Planned and coordinated various outings and supported individuals on said outings.
Sandwich Artist
Subway
Schenectady, NY
02.2012 - 10.2016
- Trained new hires on basic tasks and workplace procedures.
- Prepared orders neatly, accurately, and in a timely manner while providing exceptional customer service.
- Reconciled prior-day cash and transported deposits to the bank.
- Maintained inventory log and submitted weekly supply orders for the restaurant.
Education
Bachelor of Arts - Psychology, Minor: Sociology, Social Welfare
University At Albany
Albany, NY05-2016
Associate of Arts - Individual Studies
Hudson Valley Community College
Troy, NY05-2012
Skills
- Procurement Development, Contract Management, Contract Negotiation, and Lifecycle Compliance
- MWBE/SDVOB Compliance and Reporting
- Electronic Documents Submission System (EDSS)
- Statewide Financial System (SFS)
- Vendor Responsibility Reviews (VendRep)
- B2Gnow and the New York State Contract System
- B1184 Requests to the Division of Budget
- Submissions to the AG and OSC
- Microsoft Office: Word, Excel, Outlook, OneNote, Access, Teams, SharePoint
- Customer Service Focused
- Analytical & Organizational Skills
- Detail Oriented
- Effective Communicator
- Solution-focused
Certification
- CPR - American Red Cross
Timeline
Contract Management Specialist 2 & MWBE Coordinator
NYS Department of Civil Service
11.2024 - Current
Contract Management Specialist 1
NYS Department of Transportation
11.2021 - 11.2024
Contract Management Specialist 1 Trainee
NYS Office For People With Developmental Disabilities
04.2020 - 11.2021
Business Document Specialist 2
NYS Department of State
05.2019 - 04.2020
Business Document Specialist 1
NYS Department of State
04.2018 - 05.2019
Office Assistant 1
NYS Department of State
06.2017 - 04.2018
Direct Support Professional
Schenectady ARC
10.2016 - 05.2017
Sandwich Artist
Subway
02.2012 - 10.2016
Bachelor of Arts - Psychology, Minor: Sociology, Social Welfare
University At Albany
Associate of Arts - Individual Studies
Hudson Valley Community College