Public procurement is different than procurement in the private sector.  In the private sector, buyers must answer to supervisors, CEO, board of directors and shareholders.  In the public sector, our shareholders are the taxpayers, essentially everyone.  We are using taxpayer funds.  Therefore public procurement differs from private procurement in 3 ways.

• We must have an open/transparent process;
• We must be fair to all vendors; and
• We ARE accountable.  Therefore, we must follow a standardized set of rules and procedures and we must have a well-documented audit trail.

HePS helps us do all three of those things.  However, we must still must follow the prescribed set of statutes, rules, etc.  These rules are there to protect taxpayer funds and to protect you when make decision.

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