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In early August, I was informed that my division had achieved the Excellence in Procurement award from the National Procurement Institute. It was the fourth consecutive year that we won this award, and that prompted many calls and letters from other agencies in public buying. In response to questions of how we consistently achieved such honors, I explained that it was critical how we presented ourselves to the judges. That was half the battle in being recognized. As an example, I want to discuss a recent award nomination sent on behalf of Cleveland Metroparks and note certain points and structure that were critical. At the same time, the discussion will summarize my personal methods of empowerment. So this article has two messages for the price of one. I hope you enjoy either or both. My email address is always at the end of these articles if you would like any further explanation.
First, our nominator described the division.
Cleveland Metroparks Purchasing Division acquires materials, commodities, and services to provide uninterrupted support for more than 23,000 acres of natural land, including multiple park reservations, golf courses, education facilities, marinas, a variety of picnic areas and halls, and the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo.