Award Recipient: California Highway Patrol, Business Services Section, Purchasing Services Unit
Contact Person: Margaret Scruggs
Mailing Address: P. O. Box 942898, Sacramento, CA 94298-0001
Phone: (916) 375-2951
Fax: (916) 376-3159
E-mail:  mscruggs@chp.ca.gov

Person Nominating:
(Person to notify if your nomination is a winner. Fill out only if different than the person above.)
Mailing Address:
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

The California Highway Patrol's (CHP) Purchasing Services Unit (PSU) within Business Services Section (BSS) has proven invaluable to the success of the small business (SB), microbusiness and disabled veteran-owned business enterprise (DVBE) program. This unit's emphasis is to increase CHP participation with SB and DVBE businesses by matching vendor needs with leadership, knowledge, and expertise in acquisitions, materials management, and supplier relations. Whenever possible, the PSU has focused on one core service - SB/DVBE goal attainment.  Employees in this unit exhaust all resources to ensure certified businesses are used for every purchase.  These dedicated employees use their own initiative to develop a comprehensive database of certified businesses to provide easy access to departmental employees who need assistance identifying vendors.  Additionally, PSU employees utilize the Department of General Services certified business inquiry and network with other departments, agencies, and internal facilities (Area offices) before awarding contracts to noncertified businesses. To date for the 2002/2003 fiscal year, PSU has completed 3,991 purchase orders amounting to $74,467,774. Of these orders, 48% were awarded to small businesses and 2.5% were awarded to disabled veteran-owned business enterprises. 
 

WRITTEN NOMINATION:

As a result of executive management's dedication to increasing certified business participation, BSS staff was requested to work cooperatively with the Certified Business Advocacy Unit to meet or exceed the goals set by the Governor's directives.  Although all units under BSS have shown significant improvement, PSU has exhibited the drive and tenacity needed to meet, as well as SURPASS, departmental certified small business participation goals. 

Personal contact, education, and one-on-one assistance with various CHP personnel regarding the certified business program have been implemented and closely monitored by PSU.  For example, their experience and communication skills enable them to assist departmental personnel in finding the right certified business for the product needed, ensuring everyone is pleased with the process and the end product. PSU personnel review and investigate every requisition to ensure a certified business has been solicited.   If a certified business is not listed on a request for purchase, PSU staff exhaust every available resource until a certified vendor is identified.

PSU personnel go that extra mile by sending certification applications to vendors so they may become certified.  One instance which illustrates their tenacity is the vendor who refused to become certified even when the advantages had been repeatedly explained.  Finally, after two years of continuous requests from PSU, the vendor became a certified and is extremely satisfied with the process.

The California Highway Patrol is proud to recommend the Business Services Section, Purchasing Services Unit for their creative and outstanding achievement in advancing the state's small business and disabled veteran-owned business enterprise participation in the state contracting process.

 

 

Award Recipient: Ms. Dornetta Williams, CAL-Card Coordinator, California Highway Patrol, Business Services Section,  Purchasing Services Unit
Contact Person: Margaret Scruggs
Mailing Address: P. O. Box 942898, Sacramento, CA 94298-0001
Phone: (916) 375-2951
Fax: (916) 376-3159
E-mail:  mscruggs@chp.ca.gov

Person Nominating:
(Person to notify if your nomination is a winner. Fill out only if different than the person above.)
Mailing Address:

Phone:
Fax:
E-mail:

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

The California Highway Patrol (CHP) dedicated two positions to form the Certified Business Advocacy Unit (CBAC) with the specific goal of increasing certified business participation in both commodity purchases and contract services.  However, without the help from an invaluable employee who made the effort to implement the CBAC's program, our designated goal could not have been attained.  Therefore, CHP nominates for award a dedicated employee who makes a significant contribution to the certified business program on a daily basis:  Ms. Dornetta Williams, CHP CAL-Card Coordinator, Business Services Section, Purchasing Services Unit.  Ms. Williams has overseen the Department's CAL-Card Program for over four years and concentrates solely on the statewide implementation of this program.  Ms. Williams is devoted to meeting the recommended criteria of the certified business program by ensuring all responsible employees, under her guidance, make every effort to enlist the services of certified businesses FIRST before purchasing goods through non-certified vendors. Because of her support and extensive outreach, CHP's 2002/2003 fiscal year-to-date attainment has increased dramatically from 15% to 40% for small/microbusinesses and from .5% to 3% for disabled veteran-owned business enterprise participation.

WRITTEN NOMINATION:

The CAL-Card program involves the purchase of commodities through the use of credit cards issued by a contracting bank for commodities under $5,000.  Ms. Williams serves as the CHP program liaison with a participating bank and Department of General Services (DGS).  She has program oversight including the mandated use of certified businesses. 

The CAL-Card is designed to be the primary method for obtaining office and janitorial supplies.  During fiscal year 2002/2003, of the nearly 5,000 credit card purchases made, approximately 69 percent of those commodities were purchased from small businesses and 34 percent were purchased from disabled veteran-owned business enterprises. Ms. Williams vigorously enforces policy which articulates executive management's desire to utilize certified businesses in all transactions and reinforces best practices through a regular newsletter disseminated statewide.

The CAL-Card Program governing policy is published in Highway Patrol Manual 11.2, Chapter
3. Ms. Williams is responsible for the currency of information, verbiage, and direction included in the manual.  Pursuant to the Governor's Executive Order D-37-01 and D-43-01, Ms. Williams incorporated this information into the manual, which encourages card holders in all 121 CHP offices throughout the state to make every effort to purchase from certified businesses. Additionally, Ms. Williams provides comprehensive up-to-date training (including certified business information) to all CHP cardholders a minimum of every two years.

Finally, Ms. Williams has proven to be an effective leader implementing executive management's directive to utilize certified businesses in all CAL-Card transactions.  She has shown a dedication to this program whereby she is never too busy to answer questions or to patiently explain the proper procurement procedures, ensuring card holders have a clearer understanding regarding the certified business program.  Her tenacity and steadfastness regarding this program is commendable.

 

Updated : 8/9/2007