Commissioner: Homer Bryson

Director of Public Affairs: Joan Heath

The Georgia Department of Corrections' Procurement Department has earned the 'Outstanding Agency Accreditation Achievement Award' (OA4) from the National Institute for Governmental Purchasing (NIGP) - The Institute for Public Procurement. The award formally recognizes excellence in Public Procurement through the establishment of a body of standards that evidence sound procurement practices. 

“We strive to be good stewards of Georgia taxpayers’ funds,” said Commissioner Homer Bryson. “This award is a recognition of those efforts and shows we are committed to providing quality services while reducing costs whenever possible.”

The accreditation process evaluates agencies against one hundred and thirty-two best practice criteria. An agency must meet a minimum of 100 criteria to quality for the recognition. Only 143 government agencies have achieved this distinction out of 3,000 NIGP member agencies throughout the United States and Canada.  It demonstrates the highest standard of competency in the public purchasing profession and emphasizes that the agency receiving the accreditation can make sound decisions that reflect maximum value for the taxpayer's dollar. 

This is the second time the Georgia Department of Corrections has earned the accreditation certification, which is valid for three years.  The agency's Procurement Department has clearly established a record of high standard and best practices in procurement and belongs to an elite group of purchasing organizations that represent the highest sustained standards of quality and efficiency in government.

The National Institute of Governmental Purchasing, Inc. is a national, membership-based non-profit organization providing support to professionals in the public sector purchasing profession by providing education, professional networking, research, and technical assistance. NIGP has more than 2,100 agency members representing federal, state, provincial and local government entities across the United States and Canada.

The GDC has one of the largest prison systems in the U.S. and is responsible for supervising nearly 52,000 state prisoners. It is the largest law enforcement agency in the state with approximately 10,500 employees.

For more information on the GDC call 478-992-5219 or visit https://gdc.georgia.gov.