- October 8, 2017
- Posted by: James
- Category: News
Utah’s cloud-based procurement solutions honored as best in state procurement
2017 Cronin Awards presented at the NASPO Annual Conference
ATLANTA, GA. (October 8, 2017) – A cloud-based procurement system developed by the state of Utah has received the Gold Award, the highest honor in the George Cronin Awards for Procurement Excellence, presented annually by the National Association of State Procurement Officials (NASPO).
The Cronin Awards recognize innovative and exemplary state procurement initiatives while also acknowledging state procurement personnel who have undertaken and accomplished projects resulting in distinct benefits to a state’s economy and efficient delivery of services. By calling attention to these efforts, the Cronin Awards serve as a means to disseminate and encourage adoption of these initiatives by other states. Cronin awardees and finalists create opportunities for adoption of best practices, improving the procurement function nationwide.
The Cronin Awards were presented at NASPO’s Annual Conference, October 8-9, in Atlanta. The 2017 recipients are:
GOLD AWARD: State of Utah, ValuePoint Cloud Solutions Procurement
Utah led a multi-state effort for its Cloud Solutions Procurement, which was presented to local governments moving away from a hosted information technology infrastructure to one where software, infrastructure and other sophisticated platforms are accessible with browsers. This process for acquiring IT resources turns the traditional method of acquisition on its head, providing key benefits in cost savings and efficiency, and addressing critical issues like data integrity, ownership and security.
SILVER AWARD: New York State, Information Technology Manufacturer-Based Umbrella Contracts
Facing ever-evolving demands of efficiency and cost savings from existing contracts, the New York State Office of General Services (OGS), Procurement Services, positioned themselves to address the matters with an intriguing concept of “umbrella” contracting.
OGS collaborated with key stakeholders—from state and local chief information officers to vendors—to create a broad-based offering of goods and services. Whether it is project-based IT services, manufacturer-based, or a large distributor that sells a variety of third party hardware and software needed by users, OGS offers an efficient procurement solution through umbrella contracting.
BRONZE AWARD: State of Tennessee, Collaborative Value Development
The State of Tennessee adapted a collaborative contracting model developed at the University of Tennessee, incorporating key elements of the model into the first use of this methodology in the public sector. With a complex solicitation on the horizon, Tennessee saw an opportunity to try out the new process, Collaborative Value Development (CVD), which led to significant cost savings, as well as improved flexibilty and transparency for the state.
FINALIST: State of Georgia, Amazon Business in Team Georgia Marketplace™
Georgia’s spend analytics data showed that millions of dollars were being spent each year to procure needed items through Amazon. The Department of Administrative Services, State Purchasing Division (SPD) recognized the efficiencies to be gained by eliminating the Amazon Prime accounts that went along with these purchases. Additionally, they saw the need to establish controls while also maintaining flexibility. To allow for these controls to be in place, they implemented an Amazon for Business catalog within the Team Georgia Marketplace™, the state’s virtual catalog application integrated within the State’s ERP system.
FINALIST: State of Florida, Concierge Service for Contract Education
Florida’s Department of Management Services Division (DMS) created a State Purchasing Concierge program to provide training to Florida state agencies on how to use federal government tools, revamped its website to provide instructions on accessing General Services Administration (GSA) schedules, and established a Concierge Team to assist customers. This program, a partnership with GSA, involves direct participation of GSA representatives, a DMS and GSA-shared communication system, and rapid quality assurance feedback to GSA.
CRONIN HERITAGE AWARD: Commonwealth of Virginia, eVA
In honor of the 40th Anniversary of the Cronin Awards program, the Cronin Heritage Award was created to recognize the history of excellence that the Cronin Awards represent. The NASPO membership was asked to select the past Cronin Gold Award winner they felt embodied the most innovative procurement initiative in the past decade.
This special, one-time Cronin Award was presented to the Commonwealth of Virginia for its 2014 nomination, eVA Mobile Apps.
Virginia was the first state to launch a mobile app, eVA Mobile 4 Business. This mobile app brings bid opportunities and solicitations to suppliers and the general public, giving them immediate, real-time access to thousands of business opportunities published every year, while providing increased visibility into how state government spends taxpayer dollars.
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The National Association of State Procurement Officials (NASPO) is a non-profit association dedicated tostrengthening the procurement community through education, research and communication. It is made up of the directors of the central purchasing offices in each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia and the territories of the United States. NASPO is an organization through which the member purchasing officials provide leadership in professional public purchasing, improve the quality of purchasing and procurement, exchange information and cooperate to attain greater efficiency and economy. To learn more, visit www.naspo.org for additional information.