The City of Richmond is proud to celebrate its Department of Procurement Services for earning the 2026 “Above and Beyond” award from National Cooperative Procurement Partners, North America’s premier association for cooperative procurement. The award recognizes exceptional practitioners in public procurement; those who have excelled in their tradecraft by bringing innovative solutions and disciplined leadership to enhance service delivery.  

“The City of Richmond Department of Procurement Services is transforming into a model of innovation, accountability, and professional excellence,” the award reads. “What sets Richmond apart is a deliberate, Director-driven strategy to build institutional capacity through targeted hiring and professional investment,” it says, referencing recent hiring decisions, trainings, and supplier engagements all meant to strengthen relationships with the business community and professionalize the City’s procurement processes.  

“This is a well-deserved honor for a team that has executed the administration’s focus on identifying gaps, improving processes, and charting a strategic path towards excellence in procurement,” said CAO Odie Donald II . "As the awards pile in, they represent the benefits of our look for it, find it, and fix it philosophy and I am proud to see our team recognized for their commitment to world class service delivery.” 

The award is a fitting cap to March’s National Procurement Month and is yet another achievement for a Department which has, as of late, earned the National Achievement of Excellence in Procurement Award for the second consecutive year, the Buyer of the Year and Manager of the Year distinctions from the Virginia Association of Governmental Procurement (VAGP), and VAGP’s “Leading Light” award for outstanding achievements in innovation and vendor outreach.  

“For every award, there are countless unseen hours spent evaluating, tweaking, and perfecting the way we handle business," said Procurement Director Rene Almaraz . “None of it is possible without a dedicated team of contracts and operations professionals who are all motivated towards the same goal: to provide excellent service for our government and for our residents.”