Spring ISD Executive Director of Procurement Phillip Ellison, from left, together with Procurement team members Rhonda Mitchell, Erica Banda, Geralyn Mosely, Robyn Dobard and Cindy Kercheval.
The Spring ISD Procurement Services Department has been named among the winners of the 26th Annual Achievement of Excellence in Procurement (AEP) by the National Procurement Institute, Inc. The AEP Award recognizes public and nonprofit agencies that demonstrate a commitment to procurement excellence, and the 2021 award marks Spring ISD’s 12th consecutive AEP win.
“The AEP program encourages the development of excellence as well as continued organizational improvement to earn the award annually,” the organization said in a press release honoring this year’s winners.
Among the honorees for 2021, Spring ISD was one of 46 recipients in Texas and one of only 19 school districts across all of the U.S. and Canada to receive the distinction. The award criteria evolve each year as best practices in public procurement operations change, incorporating updated requirements on strategic planning and technology, e-procurement and the use of purchasing cooperatives.
“The process of applying for the award is essentially a self-audit that requires we continue to review our processes and procedures to ensure not only our compliance with our laws and regulations, but that we are at the forefront in procurement practices amongst our public sector colleagues,” said Spring ISD Executive Director of Procurement Phillip Ellison.
The annual process also serves as a kind of team review, Ellison said, strengthening each member of the department individually, allowing the department to spot areas for improved efficiency or greater effectiveness, and further developing the team’s potential as a whole to provide high levels of customer service to campuses in Spring ISD.
“The award criteria changes slightly each year in order to keep the AEP award the highest achievement in our profession,” Ellison said. “Spring ISD’s consistency in receiving this award shows how our team continues to challenge our processes to ensure our customer experience is focused on compliance, customer service and value creation.”
In addition to the National Procurement Institute, the AEP award is sponsored by the California Association of Public Procurement Officials, the Canadian Public Procurement Council, the Florida Association of Public Procurement Officials, the National Association of Educational Procurement, the National Association of State Procurement Officials, NIGP: The Institute for Public Procurement, and the Texas Public Purchasing Association. The award is also supported by the Airport Purchasing Group, OMNIA Partners, Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council and the Universal Public Procurement Certification Council.