The Newton County School System has been awarded the prestigious 17th Annual Achievement of Excellence in Procurement Award for 2012 from the National Purchasing Institute. The award recognizes organizational excellence in procurement by measuring innovation, professionalism, e-procurement, productivity and leadership attributes of the procurement function. AEP awardees obtain a score (115 out of 130 for Newton County Schools) on a rating of standardized criteria. The Newton County School System was one of only 17 school systems nationwide to receive the award for 2012.

"The AEP award is both an honor and a responsibility," said Greg Goins, procurement coordinator for the school system. "It is an honor, because it recognizes the hard work, dedication and professionalism of our team. And because public procurement standards will continue both to evolve and be enhanced, we have the ongoing responsibility to improve our efficiency, skills and expertise."

In addition to NPI, the Achievement of Excellence in Procurement Award is sponsored and recognized by more than a dozen professional public procurement associations and organizations, including the National Association of State Procurement Officials, the National Association of Educational Procurement, and the National Institute of Governmental Procurement. It is recognized as a gold standard in the field of public procurement.

"Attainment of this award provided an opportunity to compare our processes against nationally recognized best practices and we are very pleased with the outcome," said Michael Barr, director of support services for the school system. "The award demonstrates our overall commitment to continuous improvement and the use of effective procurement strategies."

"We are fortunate to have such a dedicated group of professionals serving in the district's procurement division," said Dr. Dennis Carpenter, deputy superintendent for operations for the school system. "Given that the commitment to excellence of both Mr. Mike Barr and Mr. Greg Goins has been formally recognized by the Governmental Procurement Association of Georgia in recent years, this most recent national recognition is demonstrative of the upward professional progression I have grown to expect from our procurement division."