Hawaiʻi County Purchasing Division Wins Prestigious Award

The County of Hawaiʻi Finance Department’s Purchasing Division won a prestigious statewide award for excellence, accorded by the Hawaiʻi State Procurement Office on Friday, Oct. 20.

County purchasing division. Photo Courtesy

The Hawaiʻi Procurement Professional Excellence Team Award recognizes noteworthy contributions to procurement including “extraordinary business leadership or the design, development or execution of a procurement program or project that furthers an Agency’s/Department’s mission; and noteworthy contributions to contracting policy including the development of a management policy, regulation, data system or other task that significantly enhances the economy, efficiency and effectiveness of an agency’s acquisition system.”

The five-person Purchasing Division team, comprised of former Purchasing Agent Jeffrey Dansdill and his colleagues Steve Wilhelm, Lori Shikuma, Larry Suenishi and Krystie Campbell, shared the 2017 Procurement Professional Excellence Team Award.

“I’m really proud of them for stepping up and for helping others in the County and the State,” said County Finance Director Deanna Sako. “They worked really hard.”

Sako said the Purchasing team helped other Departments and the State this past year with statewide cooperative purchasing agreements, which are pool arrangements with others in the County and State that effectively bring down everyone’s costs.

The award was presented by State Procurement Office Administrator Sarah Allen during the second annual SPOCon conference for state procurement professionals.