Procuring Products and Praise

In this photo from last year, the Sourcewell procurement team is pictured with the 2019 Achievement of Excellence in Procurement Award®. The team received news that Sourcewell has been awarded the 2020 AEP Award and is the only organization in Minnesota, once again, to receive this year’s honor.

Sourcewell is the only Minnesota organization to earn 2020 AEP Award

For the fifth year in a row, Sourcewell has earned the Achievement of Excellence in Procurement® (AEP) Award by the National Procurement Institute, Inc.

Sourcewell was the only organization in the state of Minnesota to achieve this honor in 2019 and again in 2020.

Public and nonprofit agencies earn the AEP Award by demonstrating a commitment to procurement excellence. This annual program recognizes procurement organizations that embrace innovation, professionalism, productivity, leadership, and e-Procurement.

Sourcewell Procurement Lead Analyst Kim Austin explained that the AEP Award validates organizations that have held themselves to the highest standards in public procurement. The overall criteria throughout the AEP application measures qualities important to a successful procurement department.

To earn the award each year, the AEP program encourages not only the development of excellence, but also the push for continued improvement.

“Our procurement team works each day to improve our processes,” Austin says. “Receiving the AEP Award affirms that the hard work, and continued pursuit for excellence, shows in our processes and procedures.”

This year, 188 organizations were recognized for excellence in procurement, including:

Forty counties
Sixty-nine cities
Fifteen higher education agencies
Twenty-two school districts
Thirty-four special districts
Five state agencies
Three additional organizations

This is the 25^th year NPI has recognized organizations with the annual AEP Award. A complete list of recipients can be found at npiconnection.org/aep.