The public procurement profession has historically focused on how money is spent. That’s very logical. Since these folks purchase goods and services that represent 15 to 20 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) in a given year, it only makes sense. We are talking about billions of dollars here.

But it is not enough for today’s procurement professional to know where the money is going; they also need to be aware of where it comes from. Being knowledgeable about the agency budget is an important part of public procurement. In past years, we have tended to wait for program managers to secure the necessary funding and then for the finance office to “bless” the purchase. Only then would we become concerned. Not only did procurement think it was somebody else’s role, so did others in the organization.

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