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Procurement

P&SC LIVE New York: New York City's Procurement Revolution

By Tom Chapman
July 22, 2024
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Lisa Flores, Director & City Chief Procurement Officer for the City of New York, spoke at P&SC LIVE New York
Lisa Flores, Director & City Chief Procurement Officer for the City of New York, discussed New York City's procurement revolution during P&SC LIVE New York

Procurement & Supply Chain LIVE New York brought together industry leaders from many of the biggest businesses in the world. 

Attendees were able to enjoy insightful keynotes, fireside chats and panel discussions, during which executives and experts shared valuable knowledge and real-world experiences. 

One of the highlights of the 2024 edition came on Day 1, when Lisa Flores, Director & City Chief Procurement Officer for the City of New York, discussed New York City's procurement revolution. 

To watch the session in full, click here.

Sessions from Procurement & Supply Chain LIVE New York can now be viewed on-demand

Harnessing the power of procurement

Lisa began her keynote by explaining her responsibilities within the City of New York and her department's approach. 

"As Director of MOCS (Mayor's Office of Contract Services), I oversee more than US$41bn billion worth of contracts for all of our city's mayoral
agencies and the pivotal functions that ensure agency compliance with procurement rules and regulations," she said. 

"During my tenure, my office has spearheaded our city's procurement paradigm shift, bringing municipal procurement out from the dark shadows of bureaucracy and into the light where we can harness the power of procurement.

"Municipal procurement has a power to impact local economy, have positive workforce development outcomes, reshape a government's relationship with its citizens and contractors, encourage and support innovation, and drive equity.

"Here in New York City, our approach to harnessing the power of procurement is organised around three principle areas of focus: procurement reform, people and technology."

A three-pronged approach to procurement

Lisa went on to shed further light on the aforementioned three-pronged approach. 

"Procurement reform is an essential part of our procurement revolution," she continued. "Unravelling and eliminating outdated bureaucratic rules is foundational to creating a procurement ecosystem that is streamlined, standardised, more nimble, flexible, innovative, efficient accessible and equitable.

"Our people-first approach is an essential component. Our procurement system must meet the needs of all our end users, which includes the citizens of New York who receive our services."

Also included in this element of the City of New York's approach is its contractors and municipal staff. The latter has a key role to play in the procurement process, from budgeting to sourcing and auditing. 

Providing staff members with the ongoing education and tools they need ultimately has a positive impact on both citizens and contractors. 

Emphasising the importance of technology in the procurement space, Lisa added: "Technology is a tool that's needed to make all of our procurement dreams come true.

"An accessible, transparent, accountable and innovative procurement system cannot be achieved in this day and age without digital transformation."

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P&SC LIVE continues to expand

Procurement & Supply Chain LIVE continues to expand its repertoire of events, with more to come in 2024 and 2025. Discover our essential diary dates below.

2024 diary dates:

2025 diary dates: 

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Check out the latest edition of Supply Chain Magazine and sign up to our global conference series – Procurement and Supply Chain LIVE 2024. 

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