County of Santa Clara Receives Prestigious Recognitions for Procurement Excellence

County Leadership Highlighted by National Procurement Institute Inc.  and National Cooperative Procurement Partners

SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CALIF—The County of Santa Clara Procurement Department and Office of Countywide Contract Management have been awarded the prestigious Achievement of Excellence in Procurement® (AEP) Award for 2019 from the National Procurement Institute, Inc. (NPI). The AEP Award is earned by public and non-profit agencies that demonstrate a commitment to procurement excellence. This annual program recognizes organizations that embrace innovation, professionalism, productivity, leadership and implement solutions that lead to best value contracts. Only 42 counties of the 3,007 in the United States received this coveted recognition.

“Our procurement team deals with $4.18 billion worth of contracts for goods and services our residents need on a daily basis at the best possible quality and price,” said County of Santa Clara Supervisor Cindy Chavez. “They are the gold standard for the rest of the country.”

The County of Santa Clara’s achievement of this significant national benchmark speaks to the organizational leadership, the County’s commitment to excellence in contracting, and the collective pledge to continuous improvement in ensuring high quality best value contracts.

The County of Santa Clara was also selected as one of six agencies in the country for its Cooperative Procurement Strategy highlighting leadership in redefining best practices in the cooperative procurement landscape.

“Through strategic initiatives, transparency, best practices, e-procurement tools and significant vendor outreach efforts to a diverse business community, County of Santa Clara procurement professionals are committed to ensure value, fairness and equal access to business opportunities,” said Miriam Singer, County of Santa Clara Chief Procurement Officer.

In collaboration with the Office of Countywide Contract Management and a diverse array of public facing and internal County agencies, the Procurement Department offers businesses online registration and competitive business practices and tools that provide notice of upcoming solicitations and search capabilities for current solicitations and active contracts.

A weekly in-person vendor outreach initiative that includes onsite registration events for businesses owners interested in seeing current bid and contract opportunities with the County, as well as posting of scopes of work for industry comment in advance of advertisement, are further indicators of the County’s commitment to transparency and access.

In addition to the National Procurement Institute, Inc. (NPI), the AEP is sponsored by the California Association of Public Procurement Officials (CAPPO), Canadian Public Procurement Council / Conseil canadien des marchés publics (CPPC), Florida Association of Public Procurement Officials (FAPPO), National Association of Educational Procurement (NAEP), National Association of State Procurement Officials (NASPO), NIGP: The Institute for Public Procurement, and Texas Public Purchasing Association (TxPPA). The AEP is supported by the Airport Purchasing Group (APG), OMINA Partners, Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council (SPLC) and the Universal Public Procurement Certification Council (UPPCC).

ABOUT THE COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA

The County of Santa Clara government serves a diverse, multi-cultural population of 1.9 million residents in Santa Clara County, the sixth largest county in California. With more than 70 agencies/departments and 22,000 employees, the County of Santa Clara plans for the needs of a dynamic community, offers quality services, and promotes a healthy, safe and prosperous community for all. The County provides essential services including public health and environmental protection, medical services through Santa Clara Valley Medical Center (SCVMC) hospitals and clinics, child and adult protection services, homelessness prevention and solutions, roads, parks, libraries, emergency response to disasters, protection of minority communities and those under threat, access to a fair criminal justice system, and scores of other services, particularly for those members of our community in the greatest need.

Visit us at SCCGOV.org 

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ABOUT THE NATIONAL PROCUREMENT INSTITUTE

The National Procurement Institute, founded in 1968 as a non-profit organization, serves public procurement professionals internationally. NPI is focused on leading excellence in public procurement. The Achievement of Excellence in Procurement Award, established by NPI in 1995, recognizes organizations that demonstrate a commitment to innovation, professionalism, productivity, e-procurement, and leadership attributes.

Media Contact Laurel Anderson/Marina Hinestrosa, Office of Public Affairs, (408) 299-5119. 

Posted: November 12, 2019​