Spring ISD Procurement Services team members Brian Broussard, from left, Rhonda Mitchell, Melissa Obregon, Geralyn Mosely, Cindy Kercheval, Phillip Ellison and Erica Banda gather outside the district’s headquarters with the department’s 2018 Achievement of Excellence in Procurement Award. This is the group’s ninth-consecutive time to be awarded the prize.
HOUSTON – Sept. 5, 2018 – Marking its ninth-consecutive win, the Spring ISD Procurement Services Department has been awarded the Annual Achievement of Excellence in Procurement Award by the National Procurement Institute (NPI). Spring ISD was one of just 48 recipients in Texas and one of only 26 school districts in both the U.S. and Canada to receive the distinction this year.
“We’re proud of our procurement team for once again earning this award,” said Chief Financial Officer Ann Westbrooks. “Here in Spring ISD, we’re always striving to build trust within our community and to maintain transparency in our financial management practices. Procurement is an important part of that, and this award demonstrates the department’s commitment to quality service and to good stewardship of the district’s resources.”
The Achievement of Excellence in Procurement (AEP) Award celebrates organizational excellence, overall professionalism, and continuous innovation in procurement practices. According to NPI Award Officer Brian Garrity, a pattern of consecutive wins – like that achieved by Spring ISD – shows not only an organization’s ongoing commitment to best practices, but also to annual growth and development.
“The continuously evolving AEP criteria are designed to measure state of the art in public procurement practices,” Garrity wrote in a message announcing Spring ISD as one of this year’s award recipients.
For Spring ISD Executive Director of Procurement Phillip Ellison and his team members, that ongoing evolvement is one of the strongest benefits of the award program.
“It challenges us to continually look at our processes, to look for ways to improve what we do,” Ellison said. “It requires us to continue reviewing those processes year after year and recognize areas for improvement. That’s what’s really good about it.”
With an ever-changing legislative landscape to keep pace with, the in-depth annual submission process for the AEP Award keeps the department always adapting and advancing. That challenge, Ellison said, is good for the department, but also sends a clear message to Spring ISD stakeholders.
“It shows the community that we are continuing to strive for excellence in our profession,” he said.