I am proud of our dedicated team who continue to rise and meet the highest standards of professionalism and leadership. We are always excited to receive the recognition of our peers and we will continue to effectively and efficiently serve the community here in Howard County.
The AEP requires a thorough recertification process and documentation of best practices. Howard County is one of only 171 agencies in the U.S. and Canada and one of 36 counties to receive this award.
The Office of Procurement currently manages 764 supplier contracts to procure the various goods and services to support county agencies. Through targeted local outreach events, the County has nearly tripled the number of registered local businesses since 2018, including adding 100 new local businesses this year. Additionally, spending with minority, women and disabled owned businesses continues to climb and last year the Office of Procurement and Contract Administration awarded more than $64 million to these businesses.
The National Procurement Institute, founded in 1968 as a non-profit organization, serves public procurement professionals internationally. NPI is focused on leading excellence in public procurement.