Discuss, consider and take appropriate action on recognizing the Purchasing Department as the recipient of the 2018 Achievement of Excellence in Public Procurement Award by the National Procurement Institute (NPI).

The 2018 award represents the 19th consecutive year that Williamson County has achieved this prestigious honor and recognition. The Achievement of Excellence in Procurement award is nationally and internationally recognized as the gold standard for the achievement of excellence, innovation and best practices in the profession of public procurement. The award criteria have evolved since the award’s inception to reflect changes that have occurred in areas such as technology, while maintaining the high standards and insistence on public procurement best practices that the award is known for. In 1995, the National Procurement Institute, Inc. (NPI) established this program designed to recognize organizational excellence in public procurement. The Achievement of Excellence in Procurement® (AEP) is awarded annually. This prestigious award is earned by those organizations that demonstrate excellence by obtaining a high score based on standardized criteria. The criteria are designed to measure Innovation, Professionalism, Productivity, E-procurement, and Leadership attributes of the procurement organization.  National and international sponsors include:  the National Procurement Institute (NPI), the California Association of Public Procurement Officials (CAPPO), the Florida Association of Public Procurement Officials (FAPPO), the Institute for Supply Management (ISM), the National Institute for Public Procurement (NIGP), the National Association of State Procurement Officials (NASPO), the National Association of Educational Procurement (NAEP), the Texas Public Purchasing  Association (TxPPA), and the Canadian Public Procurement Association.