Please note: Nominations for the George Cronin Awards for Procurement Excellence are intended for state central procurement offices, and must be submitted by, or with approval from, the NASPO voting member (CPO) within your state. If you have questions about who can submit for the award, please contact Stephanie Schlueter at sschlueter@naspo.org
These submission guidelines will also help you build a strong submission. The evaluation of the Cronin Awards consists of four categories, each one examining a different aspect of the project's impact and each weighed separately to provide an overall score (more details available in the subsections below). Submissions are limited to four pages, although optional supporting material can also be submitted as a separate document when needed to showcase images, examples, or documentation that is too large to fit within the four-page submission itself. Supporting materials should do just that—support and document the statements made and results described in the submission itself.
It is useful to committee members for a submission to begin with a short executive summary/introduction that describes the purpose and scope of the project and gives a brief overview of the implementation process. The introduction should also include a summary statement of the content of each of the four categories and a comment on the results of the project. If there is anything in the submission to which committee members should pay particular attention, it is helpful to mention it in the introduction. This executive summary should not exceed one page and is included as part of the total pages for the submission. Below are the categories you should ensure are covered within your four page nomination. Using the template above will make this a lot easier.
Resubmittal of past nominations is allowed, however it must meet the following criteria:
The Cronin Awards Committee will review the resubmission justifications to determine whether the submission will be included with those to be scored. If the committee determines the reasons for resubmission are substantial, then the entire document will be reviewed along with the other submissions. If, however, the committee determines, based on the justification, that a particular resubmittal does not merit inclusion in the group to be scored, the resubmittal will not be scored. All states involved with a resubmittal will be notified of the committee's decision to include or exclude their submission from scoring immediately following the committee's decision by August 11th.
George J. Cronin was the State Purchasing Agent for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts from 1925 to 1957, serving under 11 different governors. He was known as a trail blazer in the public procurement field and established the ground rules and operative procedures for centralized procurement within the Commonwealth. He was the first president of NASPO and is the namesake of the NASPO Cronin Club and the annual George Cronin Award for Procurement Excellence. NASPO was founded in 1947 at a meeting of state purchasing officials in Chicago, Illinois. The meeting was originally designed to seek ways and means for states to secure property distributed under the Surplus War Property Disposal Act of 1944. While at the meeting, Cronin urged the formation of an ongoing, formal organization of state purchasing officials as an effective vehicle to address specific public procurement issues and provide a network for resolving problems. The other attendees agreed and elected Cronin as president. He remained active in NASPO activities after his retirement in 1957. The Cronin Club evolved from an idea presented by John Dyer of Maine to form an organization of NASPO past presidents and name it after Mr. Cronin. The group met for the first Cronin Club Luncheon at the NASPO Annual Conference in 1970. In 1974, the Cronin Club opened the luncheon to any NASPO member who wished to participate instead of restricting attendance to the past presidents and it became an established feature of the NASPO Annual Conference. The Cronin Club decided to sponsor a “cost reduction” incentive program in 1977. This created interest among the states and encouraged them to share cost saving ideas with other states. The program has evolved over the past 30 years and adapted to the changing procurement landscape. The George Cronin Award for Procurement Excellence is recognized as a premier achievement for innovative public procurement and pays homage to a founder and the first president of NASPO for his devotion to improving governmental purchasing.
SEVERAL STATES HONORED FOR PROCUREMENT EXCELLENCE AND INNOVATION
ATLANTA, GA. (October 8, 2017) – A cloud-based procurement system developed by the state of Utah has received the Gold Award, the highest honor in the George Cronin Awards for Procurement Excellence, presented annually by the National Association of State Procurement Officials (NASPO).
The Cronin Awards recognize innovative and exemplary state procurement initiatives while also acknowledging state procurement personnel who have undertaken and accomplished projects resulting in distinct benefits to a state’s economy and efficient delivery of services. By calling attention to these efforts, the Cronin Awards serve as a means to disseminate and encourage adoption of these initiatives by other states. Cronin awardees and finalists create opportunities for adoption of best practices, improving the procurement function nationwide.
The Cronin Awards were presented at NASPO’s Annual Conference, October 8-9, in Atlanta. The 2017 recipients are:
GOLD AWARD: State of Utah, ValuePoint Cloud Solutions Procurement
Utah led a multi-state effort for its Cloud Solutions Procurement, which was presented to local governments moving away from a hosted information technology infrastructure to one where software, infrastructure and other sophisticated platforms are accessible with browsers. This process for acquiring IT resources turns the traditional method of acquisition on its head, providing key benefits in cost savings and efficiency, and addressing critical issues like data integrity, ownership and security.
SILVER AWARD: New York State, Information Technology Manufacturer-Based Umbrella Contracts
Facing ever-evolving demands of efficiency and cost savings from existing contracts, the New York State Office of General Services (OGS), Procurement Services, positioned themselves to address the matters with an intriguing concept of “umbrella” contracting.
OGS collaborated with key stakeholders—from state and local chief information officers to vendors—to create a broad-based offering of goods and services. Whether it is project-based IT services, manufacturer-based, or a large distributor that sells a variety of third party hardware and software needed by users, OGS offers an efficient procurement solution through umbrella contracting.
BRONZE AWARD: State of Tennessee, Collaborative Value Development
The State of Tennessee adapted a collaborative contracting model developed at the University of Tennessee, incorporating key elements of the model into the first use of this methodology in the public sector. With a complex solicitation on the horizon, Tennessee saw an opportunity to try out the new process, Collaborative Value Development (CVD), which led to significant cost savings, as well as improved flexibilty and transparency for the state.
FINALIST: State of Georgia, Amazon Business in Team Georgia Marketplace™
Georgia’s spend analytics data showed that millions of dollars were being spent each year to procure needed items through Amazon. The Department of Administrative Services, State Purchasing Division (SPD) recognized the efficiencies to be gained by eliminating the Amazon Prime accounts that went along with these purchases. Additionally, they saw the need to establish controls while also maintaining flexibility. To allow for these controls to be in place, they implemented an Amazon for Business catalog within the Team Georgia Marketplace™, the state’s virtual catalog application integrated within the State’s ERP system.
FINALIST: State of Florida, Concierge Service for Contract Education
Florida’s Department of Management Services Division (DMS) created a State Purchasing Concierge program to provide training to Florida state agencies on how to use federal government tools, revamped its website to provide instructions on accessing General Services Administration (GSA) schedules, and established a Concierge Team to assist customers. This program, a partnership with GSA, involves direct participation of GSA representatives, a DMS and GSA-shared communication system, and rapid quality assurance feedback to GSA.
CRONIN HERITAGE AWARD: Commonwealth of Virginia, eVA
In honor of the 40th Anniversary of the Cronin Awards program, the Cronin Heritage Award was created to recognize the history of excellence that the Cronin Awards represent. The NASPO membership was asked to select the past Cronin Gold Award winner they felt embodied the most innovative procurement initiative in the past decade.
This special, one-time Cronin Award was presented to the Commonwealth of Virginia for its 2014 nomination, eVA Mobile Apps.
Virginia was the first state to launch a mobile app, eVA Mobile 4 Business. This mobile app brings bid opportunities and solicitations to suppliers and the general public, giving them immediate, real-time access to thousands of business opportunities published every year, while providing increased visibility into how state government spends taxpayer dollars.
Gold Award Winner, State of Utah, ValuePoint Cloud Solutions Procurement
Silver Award Winner, State of New York, IT Based Umbrella Contracts
Bronze Award Winner, State of Tennessee, Collaborative Value Development
Finalist, State of Georgia, Amazon Business Marketplace
Finalist, State of Florida, Concierge Service for Contract Education
Cronin Heritage Award, Commonwealth of Virginia, eVA Mobile Apps - View Webinar
Other Nominations State of California, Benchmark Sustainable Programs
State of California, Purchasing Authority Accreditation
State of Colorado, Procurement Modernization
State of Connecticut, Save State Dollars Using Surplus
State of Deleware, eSTAR Time Attendance Tracking
State of Florida, Certified Contract Negotiator Training
State of Florida, Office of Supplier Diversity: Expanding Opportunities for Small Businesses
Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Advanced Vehicle Technology Equipment, Supplies and Services
State of Minnesota, Increasing Diversity & Inclusion
State of Ohio, Agency Contact A+ Service
State of Ohio, Requisite Review Process
State of Oklahoma, Oklahoma Procurement Summit
State of Oklahoma, Oklahoma Procurement Training
State of Oklahoma, Oklahoma Cooperative Procurement Outreach
State of Oregon, Parks & Recreation Equipment and Related Services
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, GO TIME! Save $100 Million
State of Tennessee, Dept. of Corrections - Food Services
State of Tennessee, Facility Protection Services
State of Washington, Exceeding Governor Carbon Reduction Goals Through Innovative Electric Vehicle Solutions
State of Wisconsin, Breaking the Barriers: Agency and Customer Relations Best Practices
State of Wisconsin, Professional Development in Software Licensing
State of Wisconsin, Breaking the Barriers: Vendor Relations Best Practices
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