For the third consecutive year and fifth time overall, the National Procurement Institute (NPI) has recognized Anne Arundel County Public Schools’ Purchasing Office as one of the best in the United States.
The 2014 Achievement of Excellence in Procurement Award puts AACPS’ Purchasing Office in elite company. Just six organizations in Maryland and 23 across the United States earned the award.
The award measures “innovation, professionalism, e-procurement, productivity, and leadership,” according to the NPI. Agencies are judged on 19 different criteria, including the education and certification of personnel, professional qualifications and knowledge, delivery of service, efficiency, and operational transparency.
“I can’t say enough about the work that our Purchasing Office does,” Superintendent George Arlotto said. “The work these employees do is not seen by many, but it is essential to our school system. Their track record of continual excellence, as measured by multiple awards, ensures that our school system is making prudent and responsible decisions with the resources we are given.”