Survey reveals trends in state and local government procurement practices

The National Association of State Procurement Officials (NASPO) has released a survey of procurement practices among its members that reveals details such as whether agencies centralize purchasing decisions, what factors they consider when awarding contracts and how they use technology in their operations. The 2011-2012 edition of the “NASPO Survey of State Procurement Practices ” gives an overview of state procurement laws, regulations and practices, and it offers insight on the various initiatives states have implemented.

The NASPO survey results can be useful to legislators, vendors, faculty, students, and state and local government procurement officials. The survey includes information on local government procurement and how it relates to state procurement. For instance, 42 states responding to the survey indicated that they have legal authority to participate in cooperative purchasing. Of those states, 39 reported that they may participate in cooperative agreements with local governments within the state, and 30 states can participate with local governments outside the state.

In 23 states, the authority over local government cooperative procurement is managed through the state government’s central purchasing office. Over half of the responding states (25) allow local governments to use state central contracts.

Read more about the survey on our sister website, govpro.com.