Governor Stein Proclaims Procurement Month

Governor Josh Stein proclaimed March as Procurement Month, honoring the many purchasing, acquisition, procurement and material management professionals in the private, non-profit, and government sectors. Local, state and federal purchasing professionals are responsible for monitoring billions of dollars in goods and services each year, influencing our national and international economy.

Public procurement is an essential government function, providing for the cost-effective purchase of goods and services needed to safely and efficiently operate state and local governments. Procurement professionals must make regular purchases to support essential services such as education, health and human services, transportation, and administration.

“These professionals are the backbones of our agencies and institutions,” said NC Department of Administration’s Secretary Gabriel J. Esparza. “From vaccines that supply our health departments to forestry equipment to manage our state parks, every day they work to ensure we have the goods and services necessary for agencies to function and serve the residents of our state.”

The NC Department of Administration’s Division of Purchase and Contract (P&C), the central procurement authority for state government, for years has been instrumental in modernizing procurement practices across the state by upgrading technology, implementing educational opportunities and streamlining the purchase and contract process. 

Last year, P&C received the 2025 George Cronin Award for its internship program, developed to encourage more professionals in procurement careers. The agency also received an award for its Purchase and Contract Aspiring Procurement Professional program. This 11-month educational opportunity immerses college students in real hands-on procurement work from managing contracts to attending professional development events. Since its inception, one third of students who complete the program have entered the procurement field upon graduation.

In recent years the division also broadened its training program by adding to its existing certifications for purchasers and contract managers and introduced a new electronic portal that unified three state procurement systems into one-cloud based platform that improves efficiency and saves time and taxpayer dollars.

To learn more about Purchase and Contract, visit the NCDOA website.

Read the proclamation.

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About NCDOA and the Division of Purchase and Contract

The NC Department of Administration acts as the business manager for North Carolina state government. Under the leadership of Secretary Gabriel J. Esparza, the department oversees government operations and advocacy programs. The department's advocacy programs help to promote and assist diverse segments of the state's population that have been traditionally underserved. The NC Division of Purchase and Contract is the state’s central procurement authority that oversees purchasing for all state departments, institutions, agencies, universities, and community colleges in North Carolina.