Mohave County’s Procurement Department received the National Procurement Institute’s 2025 Achievement of Excellence in Procurement (AEP) award, Procurement Director Tara Acton told the Board of Supervisors on Nov. 17.

Acton said Mohave County applied for 135 points and received all points applied for this year, marking the county’s twentieth AEP award and its seventh consecutive annual recognition. "This is Mohave County's twentieth AEP award," Acton said during the presentation. She highlighted the county’s updated e-procurement manual — selected as a model submittal — and outlined plans for vendor training and staff professional certification to pursue additional points in the 2026 application.

Acton also described the county’s surplus thrift-store approach to reuse county assets: items no longer needed by one department are cataloged, photographed and offered to other departments to transfer before surplus auction. The department estimates cost avoidance by comparing online replacement prices; Acton used a chair (about $200 to replace) as an example of routine savings.

Board members congratulated procurement staff and asked for more detail about the surplus thrift-store and how items are transferred between departments. Acton said she would circulate the full application for board members who are interested in the supporting documentation.

What happens next: procurement will continue vendor training, pursue professional certifications for staff, and share the 130+-page award application on request.