A helping hand: 2022 Exemplary Public Servant Sarah Andrews

Sarah Andrews has been working in procurement from the time she could answer phones at her family’s business. “I knew I wanted to go into procurement and bidding since I was a child,” she says. “I would work with them on submitting bid responses to things, to government agencies and on the private sector side, just responding to procurement bidding opportunities.”

Sarah Andrews

She then moved on to a larger company that did a substantial amount of bidding with government entities, before she turned her sights on the public sector. “I went into Dutchess County (N.Y.), knowing I wanted to work in procurement.,” Andrews explains. “I knew what it was like as a vendor to answer and respond to a bid, and now I want to be the county that’s issuing the bid. I just really fell in love with the bidding process from the vendor perspective.” She started taking civil service exams toward that goal, and in 2018 was hired as a contract specialist in the division of central services for Dutchess County.

In her position, Andrews primarily works with request for proposals (RFP) for professional services and assists with bidding. She also runs the shared services procurement program, which provides procurement assistance services to any municipality in Dutchess County.

“If you’re putting out a bid, and you’re not really sure what to do, you can reach out to me and ask any questions,” Andrews says. She helps to guide people with examples of what has been done in the past, and what worked and what didn’t.

“I helped them learn, guide them along with their procurement projects that they may have. Especially because Dutchess County ranges from cities to very rural areas, and some of the municipalities within our county are very small, so the mayor may also be the dog warden, they may also be the town clerk. On top of that they’re doing purchasing, and I can understand if you’re not in the world of purchasing, it could be very difficult. I’m that point of contact to help any municipality within our county.”

It is because of that helpful, encouraging service Andrews offers with Dutchess County that she has been chosen as one of American City & County’s 2022 Exemplary Public Servants.

In the procurement office in Dutchess County, Andrews is working to implement best practices, moving from reactive to more proactive when it comes to planning and strategy.

“When the department needs something, they submit the form to start the process of a bid. We’re reactive,” she explains. “I’d really like to get my department to be more proactive. Let’s look at everything for the whole year of 2023 and plan.” She suggests by planning out known bids, perhaps the office can do more market research with the idea of yielding better results and pricing.

“I am a very organized person, almost to a fault,” she says. “I keep track of things like data. So, if we go out every four years for (a project), it shouldn’t be a surprise when we get this request that the department needs this again. We should have been talking to them six months ago. Let’s get going on it now.”

In March 2022, Andrews was awarded the NCPP Above and Beyond Award, a national award that is given to only 15 public procurement officials nationally. She also has obtained both CPPB and NIGP-CPP certifications.

Andrews’ enthusiasm for public service is not limited to Dutchess County. She was appointed to the New York State Association of Municipal Purchasing Officials (SAMPO) as a regional representative in 2022, and was selected by the SAMPO board to create, implement and maintain the Emerging Professionals Program, which aims to shape the future of the public procurement industry by supporting the growth of new purchasing professionals employed by public entities in the state of New York by creating opportunities for new public procurement professionals to build relationships, expand their skills and advance their careers while continuing to promote ethics of the profession, public trust and applicable laws and procedures. The program launched in January 2022.

“I’m so excited about this program,” Andrews says. Alongside a fellow procurement professional Andrews works to create a “judgement-free zone,” where newcomers to the public procurement field can reach out to industry veterans for advice and guidance. “In procurement for the public sector, there’s so many questions when you’re new and there’s so many people you could obviously ask for questions, but it can be sort of nerve wracking,” she says. “You don’t want to ask a question, and it could seem like you don’t really know what you’re doing. There are no silly questions, and people will be able to ask it in open and comfortable forum.”

The program offers support across the state, which Andrews stresses is important, especially in the smaller regions, where someone could be the only procurement agent in their entire town. “So that’s where SAMPO really comes in, and that’s where this program comes in,” she says. “Join this program, and you are no longer alone. You have a team to help you guide you.”

Currently, there are 50 registered members in the Emerging Professionals Program, and a mentor program was launched in January 2023. “We have maybe a dozen or so members that asked to have a mentor, and we were so excited to pair them,” Andrews says. “We hope that our members find that valuable, not just for day-to-day questions but more of that professional insight to help guide you within your career.”

She adds, “We actually had more mentors than we did mentees, which was amazing. We’re able to pair one-to-one ratio versus one mentor to five mentees. What we liked about it is, it’s starting off with a manageable number, especially since we’ve never had this program before. We’re hoping to learn and grow and continue to improve the program as it goes on, but we really lucked out.”

Andrews also takes her enthusiasm for public procurement to the national level. In 2022, she was was elected in a national election for a seat on the member council of the National Institute of Governmental Purchasing (NIGP). After discovering that only 25 percent of SAMPO members are also members of the national NIGP, she wants to become a better spokesperson for the national organization. “I think there’s a misconception sometimes with members that, because you’re already a member of your state organization you’re automatically a member of the national, and unfortunately that’s just not the case.” She plans on mentioning NIGP more at her SAMPO roundtables and conferences to help boost dual membership numbers.

Andrews recognizes the importance of bringing new blood into the public procurement industry, on both the national and local level. “With new people comes new ideas, and a new thought process we never thought of,” she says. Luckily for public procurement, there are people like Andrews who use their enthusiasm to help support and guide procurement professionals into being the best they can be, and to get the best outcomes for their constituents