When Anjelica Houston joined the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC), she wasn't chasing an award. She wanted to establish procurement excellence.

Anjelica, Director of ITS Administrative Services, drew on her background in program and project management. She found a blueprint in a nationally recognized framework designed to help public agencies strengthen their procurement practices. She used that blueprint and added to it to strengthen the ITS Procurement team and build a more effective organization.

Two years later, that work helped the team earn the 2026 Achievement of Excellence in Procurement Award, one of the highest honors in public procurement across North America. The award, also known as the AEP Award, is presented by the National Procurement Institute.  It recognizes government and nonprofit procurement organizations for excellence in leadership, innovation, professionalism, operational performance and continuous improvement.

The recognition is especially notable because, in the award's 31-year history, the SFPUC and San Francisco International Airport are the only City and County of San Francisco agencies to receive the distinction. 

Supporting the SFPUC's Mission

Technology procurement is about more than purchasing software and equipment. The SFPUC's ability to reliably deliver water, power and sewer services depends on the technology that supports employees every day — from cybersecurity and operational technology to customer billing platforms, field mobility tools and the networks that connect them. Like maintaining pipelines or treatment facilities, investing in technology is essential to delivering safe, reliable and resilient public services.

Each year, the ITS Procurement team manages more than 800 technology procurement orders totaling tens of millions of dollars. To better support this critical work, Anjelica and the team focused on strengthening internal processes, investing in staff and improving service across the SFPUC.

"Technology procurement is often behind the scenes, but it's essential to everything we do," said Jennifer S. Hopkins, SFPUC Assistant General Manager & Chief Administrative Officer. "This award recognizes a team that has strengthened its processes, built strong partnerships across the organization and helped ensure our employees have the technology they need to serve the rate payers of San Francisco."  

Building a Stronger Procurement Program

Using the AEP framework as a roadmap, the team developed an ITS Procurement Manual, created a centralized intranet resource for employees, expanded professional development opportunities, introduced monthly Procurement Office Hours and strengthened collaboration with departments across the utility.

The team also began measuring procurement timelines, identifying workflow bottlenecks and gathering feedback from employees and vendors to continuously improve services. Those efforts led to more coordinated purchasing strategies, including consolidating hundreds of copier leases—an initiative projected to save more than $300,000 while simplifying contract management.

"The framework gave us a plan for what excellence could look like," Anjelica said. "It helped us identify where we were doing well, where we could improve and how to build a stronger procurement program."

Investing in People

For Anjelica, the award represents more than operational improvements.

"Beyond earning the AEP Award itself, I'm most proud of the culture our team has built," she said. "We've shown that meaningful progress doesn't always come from one large initiative or big project. It often comes from many small, consistent improvements over time. Those incremental changes have added up to create a stronger organization and a better experience for our employees and our vendors."

Anjelica credits the team's success to investing in its people. Through professional development, training and a culture where employees are encouraged to ask questions, learn from mistakes and see themselves as trusted advisors, the team has strengthened both its expertise and its service to the organization.

Looking Ahead

The SFPUC's ITS Procurement team completed the extensive AEP application — often a multi-year process for first-time applicants — in approximately one year and earned the award on its first submission.

The recognition also comes as Mayor Daniel Lurie has made improving government efficiency and modernizing procurement a priority across San Francisco. While broader policy reforms continue, the ITS Procurement team believes it doesn't have to wait to make meaningful progress. The team remains focused on improving the parts of the procurement process within its control through standardized practices, streamlined workflows, professional development and continuous improvement.

The goal remains the same as when Anjelica joined the SFPUC: to continuously improve how the SFPUC procures the technology that enables employees to deliver safe, reliable water, wastewater and power services to the people of San Francisco.