https://www.americancityandcounty.com/wp-content/themes/acc_child/assets/images/logo/footer-logo.png
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcast
    • Latest videos
    • Product Guides
  • Resources & Events
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • Municipal Cost Index – Archive
    • Equipment Watch Page
    • American City & County Awards
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Statement
    • Terms of Service
American City and County
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcasts
    • Latest videos
    • Product Guides
  • Resources/Events
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers/eBooks
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • American City & County Awards
    • Municipal Cost Index
    • Equipment Watch Page
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Stament
    • Terms of Service
  • newsletter
  • Administration
  • Economy & Finance
  • Procurement
  • Public Safety
  • Public Works & Utilities
  • Smart Cities & Technology
  • Magazine
acc.com

Co-op Solutions


Photo by fauxels from Pexels

Commentary

Miami methodically stockpiles procurement talent through purposeful recruitment

Miami methodically stockpiles procurement talent through purposeful recruitment

  • Written by Michael Keating
  • 30th April 2021

In the United States, about 36,000 openings for buyers and purchasing agents in all sectors (including government) are projected annually over the decade (through 2029), according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. In Miami, the city is taking several steps to recruit and retain talent as procurement managers and other staffers retire or leave their jobs for other reasons.

“One of the tactics that has worked well for me is to groom the talent from within the department so that they can easily apply for promotion opportunities here,” says Annie Perez, Miami’s procurement director. When she came to the city’s administration in July 2014, the department had undergone many retirements, and changes, including the addition of the capital improvements office procurement team that has now joined the department. “There were vacancies and an opportunity to come in with a fresh new outlook and restructure the entire department,” Perez explains.

The entire department was reorganized to include better titles (purchasing buyer now became procurement contracting officer and so on), more high-level positions and a restructuring of the teams. “Instead of commodity-based teams, we created a Goods and Services Team with a sub-team called the RFP Team that specialized in complex RFPs (request for proposals). The other team was the Architecture and Engineering and Construction Team.” Perez says she received the assistance of the human resources department and the support of the city manager’s office on the task.

The department went from a culture of buying and purchasing to become true contracting and negotiating specialists. “My senior staff and I focused on high-level training and we created a shadowing program where a contracting officer would shadow a senior contracting officer or Manager on complex procurements—all in an effort to cross-train. The strategy paid off. Within my almost seven years at the helm, we have had 12 internal promotions in a department of 19 positions. In addition, we have been successful in recruiting talent from other city departments, recruiting back a former procurement professional who was with the department, and recruiting from other agencies such as Miami-Dade County and the Florida Department of Transportation.”

Perez notes that it was crucial for the department to invest in the talent that it had in-house through training and succession planning. “The process has helped produce a diverse team that is both talented and phenomenal. We are blessed to have a very diverse and talented workforce which includes white, Black, Hispanic and women procurement professionals.”

Miami’s procurement leaders are purpose-driven in acquiring new talent. “In recruiting, it is important to network with other local government agencies and local and national procurement organizations such as the NIGP: The Institute for Public Procurement where there is an opportunity to meet different procurement professionals and establish professional relationships that in the future can lead to a hire for the department,” Perez explains. Vendor workshops and purchasing conferences staged by procurement organizations are good places to meet procurement professionals, Perez says.

Perez spotlights a few approaches and techniques that can boost diversity and inclusion in recruiting, hiring, onboarding and training in local government procurement offices. “Our city’s human resources department does a great job at ensuring that the interview committee is diverse, that the process is transparent and fair, and that all candidates are asked the same questions.” She adds that emphasizing the diverse culture and inclusion within the department to potential candidates at targeted networking events, conferences or workshops is crucial. “It is important for potential candidates to know that we encourage and celebrate diversity in our department.”

Perez believes cooperative contracts can be used to boost participation in government contracts of Black, Hispanic, Indigenous, people of color, women, small businesses and other under-represented groups. One example, she says, is OMNIA Partners, which is where the city accesses an Amazon Business cooperative contract. “During the pandemic, we launched the ‘Amazon Local Seller Initiative,’ where city purchasers are able to see local city of Miami small businesses flagged as ‘local’ in an effort to connect these businesses and their products with city buyers.”

Miami’s recruiting has led to success and superior performance. For the fourth consecutive year, in late 2020, Miami’s procurement department earned national recognition for excellence in the delivery of public procurement services. The National Procurement Institute, Inc. (NPI) named the city’s procurement department as a winner of the 2020 Achievement of Excellence in Procurement Award. The prize measures several yardsticks for best practices in public procurement.

Michael Keating is senior editor for American City & County. Contact him at [email protected]

 

Tags: homepage-featured-1 homepage-featured-4 Cooperative Purchasing Procurement Co-op Solutions Co-op Solutions Procurement Commentary

Most Recent


  • Phoenix
    Federal funds help fast-growing Arizona city address several infrastructure challenges and needs
    Joe Giudice, public works director for the city of Phoenix, says the influx of new residents is driving a lot of construction in his community. “Phoenix is the fifth largest city in the United States. It is one of the fastest growing cities in a fast-growing region, which influences infrastructure product and service demand. This […]
  • recruit
    With a few strategies and tools, public procurement directors can recruit new, diverse staffers
    Yes, being a public purchasing professional is a much-coveted career that can have a big impact on a community, says Celeste Frye, principal and CEO of Public Works Partners, a WBE/DBE/SBE-certified urban planning and consulting firm. “From purchasing quality foods for school lunches or environmentally sustainable trucks for trash collection, procurement managers have a significant […]
  • electric vehicles
    How data can drive electric vehicle funding
    Transportation is the highest greenhouse gas-emitting sector in the United States, with cars, trucks, commercial aircraft, trains and other sources producing, by most estimates, around 30 percent of all carbon emissions in the country. Electric vehicles (EV) have the potential to reshape the transportation sector and support state and local decarbonization efforts. Private EV use […]
  • digital construction
    More dollars will be available for infrastructure projects and digital construction management in 2023
    Cities and counties are preparing for an increase in project funding, mainly through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), says Matt Sprague, industry strategy director – local government at Trimble. His firm is an industrial technology company that offers a variety of integrated infrastructure solutions. The solutions enable better decision-making by connecting the right information with […]

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your American City and County account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • Public procurement can be transformative for stakeholders in a community
  • The pandemic has led to big adjustments in procurement staffing in governments
  • Adapting procurement priorities for a post-COVID environment
  • IT infrastructure in government is getting a post-pandemic makeover

WHITE PAPERS


Modernizing government services for today’s resident expectations

24th January 2023

Preparing Your Community Now for the Next Generation of Older Adults

18th October 2022

Helping Government Fleets Achieve Their Goals

30th September 2022
view all

Webinars


How To: Evaluate Digital Government Service Delivery Technologies

23rd January 2023

Using Technology to Enhance Communications

29th November 2022

Learn the benefits of transforming and automating your Contract Management process

4th November 2022
view all

Podcast


Young Leaders Episode 4 – Cyril Jefferson – City Councilman, High Point, North Carolina

13th October 2020

Young Leaders Episode 3 – Shannon Hardin – City Council President, Columbus, Ohio

27th July 2020

Young Leaders Episode 2 – Christian Williams – Development Services Planner, Goodyear, Ariz.

1st July 2020
view all

GALLERIES


These 10 American cities are well prepared for a tech-based future

1st February 2023

Report: While remote work is causing offices to empty out, walkable cities are still in high demand

26th January 2023

10 American cities with a great downtown

24th January 2023
view all

Twitter


AmerCityCounty

Amid spike, federal transportation department launches initiative to curb traffic-related deaths dlvr.it/Shvs31

3rd February 2023
AmerCityCounty

Engaging businesses to strengthen your community dlvr.it/ShvZn0

3rd February 2023
AmerCityCounty

Report: Some public employees face financial hardship; comprehensive pay packages proved ‘a pathway toward economic… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

2nd February 2023
AmerCityCounty

Strategic Budgeting for Modern Government dlvr.it/ShrHmD

2nd February 2023
AmerCityCounty

These 10 American cities are well prepared for a tech-based future dlvr.it/Shp7sH

1st February 2023
AmerCityCounty

How public health can build a “one health” infrastructure for the future dlvr.it/ShnlKm

1st February 2023
AmerCityCounty

Four Steps to Better Municipal Fleet Fuel Purchasing dlvr.it/ShnbWP

1st February 2023
AmerCityCounty

Report: With increase popularity of e-bikes and e-scooters, there’s a need for ‘safe and connected infrastructure’ dlvr.it/ShlKmJ

31st January 2023

Newsletters

Sign up for American City & County’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about local governments.

Resale Insights Dashboard

The Resale Insights Dashboard provides model-level data for the entire used equipment market to help you save time and money.

Municipal Cost Index

Updated monthly since 1978, our exclusive Municipal Cost Index shows the effects of inflation on the cost of providing municipal services

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital audience? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • IWCE’s Urgent Communications
  • IWCE Expo

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us

FOLLOW American City and County ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2023 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.