The Achievement of Excellence in Procurement Award In October 2004, NASPO agreed to co-sponsor the Achievement of Excellence in Procurement (AEP) award. In 1995, the National Purchasing Institute (NPI) founded the (AEP) award program. NPI is the public sector affiliate of the Institute for Supply Management (ISM). The AEP is awarded annually to those organizations that demonstrate excellence by obtaining a minimum score on a rating of standardized criteria. The program is designed to measure innovation, professionalism, productivity, and leadership attributes of the procurement organization. The program was created by the National Purchasing Institute to: Recognize organizational excellence in public and non-profit procurement, Encourage development of excellence, Provide benchmarks for continued excellence, and Increase awareness of public procurement as a profession. Excellence should be recognized. It is sometimes difficult to "toot your own horn." However, with the Achievement of Excellence in Procurement program, national professional associations are recognizing an organization's excellence. In order to continue to win the award, continued excellence is necessary. The award is achieved by all organizations that receive a score of 100 on a rating of standardized criteria of excellence. An independent committee conducts the evaluation. The electronic application and more information including a list of all previous AEP recipients are available on the web at www.nationalpurchasinginstitute.org. Questions or suggestions may be directed to Wayne A. Casper, C.P.M., Achievement of Excellence in Procurement Committee Chair, and Director of Procurement, City of Tucson (phone 520/791-4347 or wayne.casper@tucsonaz.gov. NASPO 201 East Main Street, Suite 1405 Lexington, KY 40507 (859) 514-9159