“Breaking Barriers Award” for 2024 Goes to 3 Agents for Change in Procurement

In recognition of National Procurement Month, PlanetBids created the “Breaking Barriers” award to acknowledge those professionals who have guided their organizations to greater levels of efficiency through eProcurement.  Change can be difficult, and these individuals are champions who “broke barriers” to make it happen for their agencies.

Juliette Terry, Director, Procurement Services at the Sacramento Regional Transit District, CA.

The Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) is the 2021 National APTA Outstanding Public Transportation System of the Year award recipient for accomplishment and innovations in public transportation, the 2021 and 2020 National APTA Rail Safety Gold Award recipient for its multi-faceted and innovative approach to reducing crime and fare evasion, and the 2019 National TSA Gold Standard Security Award recipient for the highest standard of excellence. SacRT is the largest regional transit provider in the capital of California (the 5th largest economy in the world), operating over 82 bus routes (fixed-route, microtransit and dial-a-ride) , 43 miles of light rail serving 53 light rail stations and ADA paratransit services all within a 440-square-mile service area throughout Sacramento County, which includes service in the cities of Sacramento, Citrus Heights, Elk Grove, Folsom and Rancho Cordova.

Juliette has exhibited exceptional leadership in driving continuous improvements, ensuring adherence to regulations across all facets of procurement. She was instrumental in spearheading the successful implementation of the PlanetBids eProcurement system, which has streamlined workflows, enhanced transparency, and reduced procurement timelines for SacRT. Juliette has fostered a culture of accountability and ethical conduct within the agency's procurement team. She consistently emphasizes the importance of adhering to ethical guidelines and conducting business with honesty, fairness, and respect for all stakeholders. She has implemented performance metrics and benchmarking processes, enabling us to identify areas for enhancement and improvement. As a buyer, her proactive approach to identifying cost-saving opportunities and negotiating favorable terms with suppliers yielded significant savings for our organization. 

Beyond her technical expertise, Juliette is also known for her collaborative spirit and ability to foster strong partnerships both internally and externally. Her open communication style, coupled with her willingness to actively engage with stakeholders at all levels, has cultivated a culture of trust and collaboration within her procurement team and across departments. Juliette has actively contributed to the procurement industry in California by being a member of CAPPO (California Association of Public Procurement Officials), where she continuously shares her expertise and stays abreast of the latest industry trends and best practices.

Juliette embodies the epitome of excellence in procurement leadership and ethics. Her remarkable achievements, innovative mindset, and unwavering dedication to driving operational excellence have left an indelible mark on our organization.

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Tiffany Kimball, Contracting Officer for the Central Florida Oversight District, FL.

In the mid-1960s, the Walt Disney World Company proposed building a recreation-oriented development on 25,000 acres of property in Central Florida. The property sat in a remote area of Orange and Osceola County, so secluded that the nearest power and water lines were 10-15 miles away. Neither Orange nor Osceola County had the services or the resources needed to bring the project to life.

In 1967 the Florida State legislature, working with Walt Disney World Company, created a special taxing district – called the Reedy Creek Improvement District – that would act with the same authority and responsibility as a county government.

Walt Disney World could then move ahead with its vision to turn 38.5 square miles of largely uninhabited pasture and swamp land, into a global destination resort that welcomes millions of visitors every year.

The new legislation said that landowners within the Reedy Creek Improvement District, primarily Walt Disney World, would be solely responsible for paying the cost of providing typical municipal services like power, water, roads, fire protection etc.

Local taxpayers, meaning residents of Orange and Osceola County, would not have to pay for building or maintaining those services.

Tiffany had the difficult task of taking over in the midst of a tough political situation, working through a rebrand and tasked with building from the ground up, a united and comprehensive procurement program to bring all of the vendors and agencies together in Central Florida. The work she and her team are doing to unite the community, spur local contracts and economic growth is the definition of breaking procurement barriers. Tiffany led the charge to create a Buy Local/Buy Veteran program providing a central location for vendor certification.  Their "Buy Local Now" program has even been recently called out by the Governor of Florida. Tiffany is a true Procurement Hero. 

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Karisa Katsuki, Planning Analyst for the California State University Office of the Chancellor

The CSU Board of Trustees requires all architectural firms seeking commissions on major capital outlay projects to be prequalified.  The CSU Office of the Chancellor has an annual prequalification process for all 23 campuses.  Until recently the CSUCO conducted the architectural prequalification manually via paper and compiled a list of qualified vendors.  Campuses would then contact the CSUCO to request a list of qualified vendors. 

In May of 2023, the CSUCO launched the online Architectural Prequalification process using PlanetBids.  Architects can now apply online and track their application status in real-time.  The When completing the application, vendors are asked to select areas of interest (Architecture, Civil Engineering, Interior Design, etc.), list their experiences, staff and provide reference as well as completing addition fields and submitting documentation.  The CSUCO can track and manage the applications, including reaching out to the application for correction or requests for more information and request reference checks!

Each of the 23 campuses can log in to their own unique instance of PlanetBids and directly access the application information from the Chancellor’s Office with limited views to check a vendor’s architectural eligibility to perform for the campus!

Karisa Katsuki, lead the charge in adopting the electronic process and streamlining campus access to real-time approved architects!  Her leadership in the discovery and implementation was instrumental in saving time, money and thousands of trees! 

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PlanetBids is a “Software as a Service” (SaaS) company offering a cloud-based modular suite of innovative and proven digital solutions to help procurement teams streamline traditionally time-consuming bid management processes. Designed, developed and serviced in California, PlanetBids’ proprietary system serves the public, private, educational and nonprofit sectors across the United States.