For the sixth year in a row, Gregg County has earned the Achievement of Excellence in Procurement Award from the National Procurement Institute.
Procurement usually refers to a business obtaining goods or services and generally refers to the final act of purchasing but can also include the procurement process overall.
The county is one of 36 in the United States and 171 agencies in North America to receive the award this year.
Gregg County Purchasing Agent Kelli Davis said the recognition measures the county’s procurement processes against the ever-changing benchmarks standards. Davis heads the purchasing department at the county and has been recognized for the work she’s done to help it receive the award.
“I think this achievement is so important because it ensures Gregg County taxpayers that their government is utilizing the best polices and procedures when spending taxpayer funds,” she said.
Davis added that the award doesn’t belong to just the purchasing department but the entire county, as officials work hard to adopt policies and procedures that ensure the best purchasing practices are met.
County Judge Bill Stoudt said Davis’ leadership helped the department win the award, and she is very active in the region.
“She’s brought some innovative ideas like creating co-ops with other counties to make joint purchasing to get pricing down,” he said.
He added that he was proud of the county’s purchasing department and the work Davis has done.
“I think what it means is we’ve got the right person in the right spot, doing a great job,” Stoudt said. “That’s what those awards are about — those individuals that go above and beyond the job itself and be more effective in the purchasing, and that’s what she does.”
