Santa Clarita, Calif. –  The City of Santa Clarita has been recognized with the prestigious 23rd Annual Achievement of Excellence in Procurement® (AEP) Award in 2018 from the National Procurement Institute, Inc. (NPI). This is the eighth time the City has received this award in recognition of its purchasing policies and practices, and marks the fifth consecutive year Santa Clarita has been recognized.

            The AEP Award is bestowed upon public and non-profit organizations that obtain a high application score based on standardized criteria. The AEP is awarded annually to recognize innovation, professionalism, electronic procurement, productivity and leadership in the procurement function. The City of Santa Clarita’s procurement ethics standards, eProcurement practices and internal procurement automation received high honors and recognition among judges. Several other areas were also accredited, including the City’s creative and successful annual Vendor Outreach program, centralized procurement authority, internal customer and professional development training programs, the use of electronic systems for bids, quotes, online surplus auctions and the City’s employee Procurement Card program.

The City of Santa Clarita is one of only 65 cities in the United States and Canada to receive this esteemed award in 2018. The Achievement of Excellence in Procurement Award® has the distinction of being sponsored by every major procurement association in the nation and recognizes state-of-the-art best practices in public procurement.