
The Cronin Award is intended to serve two purposes. First, of course, it seeks to recognize outstanding state procurement initiatives—providing some well-deserved appreciation to a State and its procurement personnel that have undertaken and accomplished projects that result in distinct benefits to the State in economy, efficiency, delivery of services or some combination of each.
Second, by calling attention to these efforts, the Cronin Award serves as a means to disseminate and to encourage adoption of these initiatives by other States. In this way, Cronin awardees and finalists create opportunities for improving the procurement function nationwide, which can multiply those initial benefits many times over.
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 Lori Denhart at [email protected]
The submission template provides guidelines that will 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.

Click here to download the new submission template and get started on your nomination!

Introduction to Submission / Executive Summary
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.

Scoring Categories

Innovation
(30 points) – unusual or unique approach, scale, or magnitude of effort; conceptual originality. This category should answer the question, “What makes this project stand out as a notable contribution to the procurement function?” It is intended to capture the nature and impact of changes in your state operations, but it also rewards path-breaking ideas or efforts that may not have been considered or attempted elsewhere. Because substantial originality is so rare, this category offers the highest potential point total to a submission that is able to point out differences and to distinguish itself from closely similar projects completed or underway in other states.

Transferability
(30 points) – unusual or unique approach, scale, or magnitude of effort; conceptual originality. This category should answer the question, “What makes this project stand out as a notable contribution to the procurement function?” It is intended to capture the nature and impact of changes in your state operations, but it also rewards path-breaking ideas or efforts that may not have been considered or attempted elsewhere. Because substantial originality is so rare, this category offers the highest potential point total to a submission that is able to point out differences and to distinguish itself from closely similar projects completed or underway in other states.

Service Improvement
(30 points) – unusual or unique approach, scale, or magnitude of effort; conceptual originality. This category should answer the question, “What makes this project stand out as a notable contribution to the procurement function?” It is intended to capture the nature and impact of changes in your state operations, but it also rewards path-breaking ideas or efforts that may not have been considered or attempted elsewhere. Because substantial originality is so rare, this category offers the highest potential point total to a submission that is able to point out differences and to distinguish itself from closely similar projects completed or underway in other states.

Cost Reduction
(30 points) – unusual or unique approach, scale, or magnitude of effort; conceptual originality. This category should answer the question, “What makes this project stand out as a notable contribution to the procurement function?” It is intended to capture the nature and impact of changes in your state operations, but it also rewards path-breaking ideas or efforts that may not have been considered or attempted elsewhere. Because substantial originality is so rare, this category offers the highest potential point total to a submission that is able to point out differences and to distinguish itself from closely similar projects completed or underway in other states.
Resubmissions
Resubmittal of past nominations is allowed, however it must meet the following criteria:
- The resubmittal cannot have received any level of Cronin award (e.g., Gold, Silver or Bronze) from a past year
- The resubmittal must contain new information from the previous submission
- The resubmittal must clearly describe the significant changes/circumstances that make this program viable for resubmission
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.
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.
AWARD WINNERS
SEVERAL STATES HONORED FOR PROCUREMENT EXCELLENCE AND INNOVATION
The Cronin Awards were presented at NASPO’s Annual Conference, September 8-11, in Grand Rapids, MI. The 2019 recipients are:
-
Gold Award Winner: State of MichiganRead More
Circumventing Risk with Contract Management
In order to better manage its contracts, Michigan’s Central Procurement Services (“CPS”) developed a proactive Contract Management program by which it would ensure greater contract compliance by both the State’s agencies and its vendors. At its core, this program builds upon and formalizes the policies for what we should have been doing all along, while adding new processes, policies, and positions to effectuate the needed change. This program is designed to ensure that the State gets the full benefit of its contracts.
-
Silver Award Winner: State of FloridaRead More
Market Analysis and Procurement Strategy
The Florida Department of Management Services (DMS), Division of State Purchasing utilizes the Market Analysis and Procurement Strategy (MAPS) process to determine which procurement method to employ and to achieve a best value for Florida. The MAPS process is used in determining if the Department should issue a new, competitive solicitation (purchases exceeding Category II, $35,000), to re-solicit an existing contract, to renew an existing contract or to allow an existing contract to expire. The MAPS processes resemble a research paper which highlights the following sections: background information, the current industry, customer and vendor information, pricing analysis to determine pricing of comparable contracts, risk assessment, special circumstances and a recommendation. The MAPS is an excellent tool for determining past procurement decisions and for determining what course of action is needed for future purchases, always keeping State of Florida customers in mind.
-
Bronze Award Winner: State of MinnesotaRead More
Innovation Begets Innovation: How Challenge-Based RFP’s Have Been a Winning Solution for Minnesota
The Minnesota Connected and Automated Vehicle Challenge (CAV Challenge) is a new and flexible procurement process that fosters innovation as the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) procures connected and automated vehicle (CAV) technology. MnDOT approached our Office of State Procurement (OSP) with a problem—how could they harness the rapidly-evolving technologies associated with CAV through the procurement process? OSP and MnDOT met, and MnDOT was concerned that the typical narrowly defined requirements in a request for proposal (RFP) would inhibit vendors from submitting real technological innovation with CAV. OSP was wary of making statutory changes specifically for MnDOT and wanted to preserve the values of fair and open competition in the procurement process. Could we work within the statute? Could we preserve fair and open competition while helping MnDOT lead in CAV technology? Through collaboration we determined that answer is yes and the CAV Challenge was born. The CAV Challenge is open for vendors to apply to at any time. Proposals are reviewed every other month. Rather than narrowly defined requirements, MnDOT lists broad goals in the RFP, and vendors are scored to the extent their project aligns with those goals.
-
Finalist: Commonwealth of MassachusettsRead More
Excellent Data = Meaningful Analytics: Improving Vendor Report Information Management
The Operational Services Division (OSD) needed a tool that would simplify the reporting process and ensure the integrity of vendor-reported quarterly Massachusetts customer sales activity data and provide Business Intelligence (BI) analysis and defensible reporting of that data. This tool would provide an efficient, secure, and reliable means of collecting, managing, storing, and reporting on sales activity against statewide contracts, replacing a spreadsheet-based manual reporting collection process. The focus was on leveraging a highly configurable Software as a Service tool to replace the current Vendor Report Management spreadsheets.
-
Finalist: State of New YorkRead More
Online File Requirements System
New York State Procurement Services establishes more than 1,300 centralized statewide contracts for commodities, technology, and services valued at approximately $22 billion for use by state agencies, municipalities, and other public and some nonprofit entities. As centralized procurement, we are tasked to acquire commodities and services at competitive, volume-discounted/reduced prices while complying with statutory requirements and ensuring the strategic effectiveness for all procurements. Two primary goals of centralized procurement are to 1) increase the percentage of authorized users buying from centralized contracts, and 2) act as a single customer to the vendor community on behalf of all state purchasers.
2019 Award Winners
Gold Award Winner: State of Michigan
Silver Award Winner: State of Florida
Bronze Award Winner: State of Minnesota
Innovation Begets Innovation: How Challenge-Based RFP’s Have Been a Winning Solution for Minnesota
Finalist: Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Excellent Data = Meaningful Analytics: Improving Vendor Report Information Management
Finalist: State of New York
Other Nominations
State of Connecticut:
State of Georiga:
Partnering for Efficiency and Positive Impact, Leadership Academy
State of Ohio:
State of Tennessee:
State of Wisconsin:
One Procurement Shared Services Model, Professional Development in RFP Management
State of Tennessee:
State of Tennessee:
State of Florida:
2018
Gold Award Winner, State of Alaska, Continuous Improvement in Statewide Procurement
Silver Award Winner, State of Massachusetts, Local Government Enablement (LGE) team
Bronze Award Winner, State of Michigan, The Unrealized Transformative Power of Internally-Focused KPI’s in Public Procurement
Finalist, State of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Best Value Initiative
Finalist, State of Oklahoma, Innovate OK: The Market of Government Innovation
2017
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
2016
Gold Award Winner, State of Tennessee: Radio Equipment and Services – View Webinar
Silver Award Winner, State of Wisconsin: IT Procurement Best Practices Playbook – View Webinar
Bronze Award Winner, Commonwealth of Massachusetts: FAC85: Environmentally Preferable Cleaning Products, Programs, Equipment and Supplies – View Webinar
Finalist, State of Wisconsin: Professional Development in Negotiation Skills on Behalf of a State – View Webinar
Finalist, State of New Jersey: NJSTART – View Webinar
2015
Gold Award Winner, State of Tennessee: Tourist Development – Marketing and Advertising – View Webinar
Silver Award Winner, State of Minnesota: Minnesota’s MMCAP Focus Data Analytics System – View Webinar
Bronze Award Winner, State of New York: New York State Vehicle Marketplace – View Webinar
Finalist, State of Ohio: Ohio Waste Management Program – View Webinar
Finalist, State of Delaware: Maximizing Fleet Resources and Streamlining Operations – View Webinar
2014
2014 George Cronin Award for Procurement Excellence, Gold: Virginia, eVA Mobile Apps – View Webinar
2014 George Cronin Award for Procurement Excellence, Silver: California, Modeling the Path to Award – View Webinar
2014 George Cronin Award for Procurement Excellence, Bronze: Tennessee, Innovations in Facilities Management – View Webinar
2014 George Cronin Award for Procurement Excellence, Finalist: Delaware, Copier, Printer and Multifunction Device Resource Management Program – View Webinar
2014 George Cronin Award for Procurement Excellence, Finalist: Tennessee, Vehicle Fleet Management – View webinar
2013
2013 George Cronin Award for Procurement Excellence, Gold: Mississippi, Mississipi Procurement Transformation: Driving Efficiency into Business Operations – View Webinar
2013 George Cronin Award for Procurement Excellence, Silver: Oklahoma, Multi-State Natural Gas Vehicles OEM Contract – View Webinar
2013 George Cronin Award for Procurement Excellence, Bronze: New York, Hourly Based IT Services – View Webinar
2013 George Cronin Award for Procurement Excellence, Finalist: Oregon, Groceries: “Indefinite Delivery Contracts Provide Real Savings to Small Agencies” –View Webinar
2012
2012 George Cronin Award for Procurement Excellence, Gold: Oregon, Statewide Fleet Program, ‘Direct Dealership Price Agreements’ – View Webinar
2012 George Cronin Award for Procurement Excellence, Silver: Texas, TEX-AN Next Generation Procurement – View Webinar
2012 George Cronin Award for Procurment Excellence, Bronze: Arizona, Driving State Procurement Decisions Using Business Intelligence – View Webinar
2012 George Cronin Award for Procurement Excellence, Finalist: Massachusetts,Massachusetts Procurement Reforms – View Webinar
2012 George Cronin Award for Procurement Excellence, Finalist: Indiana, K12 Indiana – View Webinar
2011
2011 George Cronin Award for Procurement Excellence, Gold: Oregon, Nationwide Lodging Services: State of Oregon/WSCA Lodging Program
2011 George Cronin Award for Procurement Excellence, Silver: Idaho, Best Value Performance Information Procurement System
2011 George Cronin Award for Procurement Excellence, Bronze: Oregon, Disaster Response Procurement
2011 George Cronin Award for Procurement Excellence, Finalist: Arizona – ProcureAZ (Finalist)
2010
2010 George Cronin Award for Procurement Excellence, Gold: Minnesota & Wisconsin, Partnership Initiative
2010 George Cronin Award for Procurement Excellence, Silver: Georgia, State Purchasing Division’s SUM (Spend Under Management) Initiative
2010 George Cronin Award for Procurement Excellence, Bronze: Ohio, Local Print Consolidation Program
2009
2009 George Cronin Award for Procurement Excellence, Gold: Oregon, Information Technology Managed Service Provider (IT MSP) for Hourly and Project Based Services
2009 George Cronin Award for Procurement Excellence, Silver: Pennsylvania, Energy Strategy
2009 George Cronin Award for Procurement Excellence, Bronze: New York, NYS OGS PSG – Natural Gas Contract
2008
2008 George Cronin Award for Procurement Excellence, Gold: Ohio, Multi-State Procurement of Unique Services
2008 George Cronin Award for Procurement Excellence, Silver: District of Columbia, Use of a Wiki for Procuring Goods and Services
2008 George Cronin Award for Procurement Excellence, Bronze: Washington, Contract Adoption Rate
2007
2007 George Cronin Award for Procurement Excellence, Gold: Minnesota Spend Analysis System
2007 George Cronin Award for Procurement Excellence, Silver: District of Columbia Surplus Property Disposal
2007 George Cronin Award for Procurement Excellence, Bronze: Georgia Procurement Transformation Initiative
2006
2006 Cronin Club Classic Gold: New York Hazardous Incident Response Equipment (HIRE)
2006 Cronin Club Classic Silver: Rhode Island Fiscal Fitness Initiative
2006 Cronin Club IT Gold: Hawaii Compliance Express Program
2005
2005 Cronin Classic Gold: Massachusetts Envirocalc: Environmental Benefits & Energy Cost Savings Calculator for Purchasers
2005 Cronin Classic Silver: Michigan MiDEAL Program: Michigan Delivering Extended Agreements Locally
2005 Cronin Classic Bronze: New York Aggregated IT Procurement Program
2005 Cronin IT Gold: Washington WEBS:Washington Electronic Business Solution
2005 Cronin IT Silver: Illinois Knowledge Management System
2005 Cronin IT Bronze: New York Road Salt
2004
2004 Cronin Classic: Illinois Transformation of Procurment Performance
2004 Cronin IT: Arizona SPIRIT: Automated eProcurement System
2003
2003 Cronin Classic: Connecticut Weekly Information Newsletter
2003 Cronin IT: Virginia eVA Electronic Procurement Solution
1996-2002
2002: Alaska Long Distance Learning
2001: Idaho Purchasing Modernization Initiative
2000: Utah Vehicle Purchase Program
1999: Ohio Natural Gas Purchasing Program
1998: Missouri PC Prime Vendor Contract
1997: Wisconsin Advantis Credit Bureau Access Program
1996: North Carolina Micro-Computer & Peripherals Contract as Developed and Managed on the Internet
1985-1995
1995: none selected
1994: none selected
1993: Minnesota Document management system
1992: Oregon Vendor information program
1991: Arizona Contract for abatement of underground storage tanks
1990: New York Contract for electronic ballasts
1989: Missouri Pharmacy service contract for correctional facilities
1988: Kansas Freight management systems
1987: West Virginia Natural gas contract
1986: Alaska Video – “A Better Way To Buy”
1985: Missouri Competitive bidding of residential rehabilitation services