El Paso officials review procurement sourcing policy, push local-supplier tools and Hire El Paso First preference

City purchasing officials reviewed the city’s procurement sourcing policy and the tools the Purchasing and Strategic Sourcing Department uses to expand supplier participation, improve oversight and support local businesses.

The presentation, given during the Feb. 3 work session, described the policy (amended and restated May 9, 2023), the city’s vendor platforms and cooperative purchasing programs, and the Hire El Paso First local-preference program. Nicole Cody, managing director for purchasing and strategic sourcing, told council the department’s core functions include centralized purchasing, contract administration and vendor outreach and that “we have to have that professionalism and that integrity in the process.”

Why it matters: procurement is how the city spends hundreds of millions of dollars each year. City staff framed the presentation as both a compliance briefing (federal, state, local rules) and an effort to increase local contracting opportunities through outreach, technology and preference policies.

What staff described - Procurement thresholds and delegations: contracts and contract modifications above $50,000 must be brought to council; the purchasing director is authorized to…