Primary Department: County Administration
Primary Department Head/Elected Official: Erica Lee Carter, County Administrator
Secondary Department: Purchasing
Secondary Department Head/Elected Official: Kimberly J. Williams, JD
Regular or Supplemental RCA: Regular RCA
Type of Request: Discussion Item
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Request Summary (Agenda Caption):
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Request for approval to establish the Purchasing Optimizing Procurement Speed and Service (OPSS) Project, led by the Office of County Administration and the Office of the Purchasing Agent, and to convene a stakeholder committee consisting of representatives from each Commissioners Court office, the Department of Economic Equity and Opportunity, Public Health, Universal Services, the Office of the County Engineer, the County Auditor's Office, the Tax Office, and the County Attorney's Office, to provide input and support for project findings, recommendations, and deliverables.
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Background and Discussion:
Recent department feedback-including results from the County's 2025 Purchasing Survey and prior analysis of the Procure-to-Pay workflow conducted by Protiviti in 2022- has identified opportunities to improve efficiency, coordination, and transparency within the County's procurement and contracting processes. Key themes include:
* Extended procurement and contracting timelines driven by workflow bottlenecks and limited staffing capacity.
* The need for improved customer service, clearer communication, and greater predictability for departments; and
* High staff workload, contributing to delays, rework, and inefficiencies.
Prior analyses also highlighted employee frustration and burno...
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