Washington, DC –Mayor Adrian M. Fenty and Chief Procurement Officer (CPO) David P. Gragan today announced that the DC Office of Contracting and Procurement has earned the National Institute of Governmental Purchasing, Inc. (NIGP) Outstanding Agency Accreditation Award. The three-year accreditation signifies that the District’s procurement office operates under best practices and is among the top in its industry.
"Improving the city’s purchasing system has been, and continues to be, a major priority for this administration," said Mayor Fenty. "This award is a great demonstration of the hard work we have done over the last three years in an effort to elevate the District’s procurement office into a world-class organization."
Since 1944, NIGP has worked to develop, support and promote public procurement practitioners through premier educational and research programs, technical services and advocacy initiatives. With over 2,600 member agencies representing over 16,000 professionals across the United States, Canada and countries outside of North America, the Institute is international in its reach. The Outstanding Agency Accreditation Achievement Award recognizes government procurement agencies. Agencies meeting the minimum requirements receive an achievement certificate. Accreditation certification is valid for three years at which time the agency will be required to re-accredit. Accreditation has a significant impact on an agency’s credibility, recognition and helps improve bond ratings.
"We are honored to receive this national award from such a well respected organization like NIGP," said David P. Gragan, Chief Procurement Officer. "Procurement is a vital part of the District government. We will continue to make improvements in the way we do business while protecting precious government resources."
OCP was established in 1997 to provide contracting services for selected agencies and offices in the District. The office operates:
- Contracting – provides acquisition services to District agencies so that they can have the supplies and services they need to support their missions;
- Public Accountability – provides full disclosure of procurement information to the public to educate, inform and ensure transparency of the procurement process;
- Personal Property – provides surplus property management, reutilization and disposal services to District agencies and eligible not-for-profit organizations so that they can dispose of excess property; and
- Agency Management – provides operational support and the required tools to achieve operations and programmatic results.
For more information about the District's procurement process, please call (202) 727-0252.