Florida public agency names purchasing pro of the year
The Miami-Dade County Department of Procurement Management (DPM) has selected Km Ra as the winner of the department’s first annual Purchasing Professional of the Year award. Ra is a senior procurement contracting agent.
Ra was recommended for the award by four of his colleagues because he represents the best qualities of a procurement professional. According to a press release issued by the department, “Km Ra is assigned some of the most complex and high profile contracts awarded by DPM and uses his expertise and skills in market research to bring the greatest value to the citizens of Miami-Dade County. One such contract is the county’s fuel contract. He is an expert on the fuel commodity, the fuel industry and the market conditions that affect fuel prices. Through his expertise, he was able to successfully award a fuel contract generating over $1 million in savings to the county.”
Ra has earned a number of purchasing certification designations over the years. He obtained his Certified Public Procurement Buyer (CPPB) and his Certified Public Procurement Officer (CPPO) certification from the Universal Public Purchasing Certification Council (UPPCC), an arm of the National Institute of Governmental Purchasing, Inc. (NIGP). He also has coached co-workers studying for their certification exams. Additionally, he obtained professional certification through the Institute of Supply Management (ISM) as a Certified Procurement Manager.
Some of the characteristics that colleagues use to describe Ra include: willing to offer a helping hand, team player, extremely knowledgeable, no nonsense, diligent in completing assignments, meticulous, accurate, a well-rounded and seasoned professional, and exemplary senior procurement contracting agent.
Department staff were invited to base their award nominations on the candidate’s ability to effectively promote fair and open competition, provide excellent customer service to client departments and vendors, and demonstrate ethical behavior and honesty in performing job responsibilities.
A three-person committee collected the nominations, obtained the last two years’ evaluations for each candidate and selected the winner from a list of nine nominees. Ra was unanimously named by the committee to be the 2009 Procurement Professional of the Year.
Two hours of administrative leave was presented to every award nominee, and the winner received a cash award of $500 and eight hours of administrative leave.
Miami-Dade County has more than 30,000 employees serving 2.3 million residents. DPM awards contracts for goods and services valued in excess of $1.4 billion annually to support countywide operations. The department manages vendor relations for more than 16,000 vendors. With a current staff of 116 positions, DPM manages in excess of 1,400 active contracts valued at more than $5 billion.
