From the Desk of CEO Marc Heisterkamp: Public Sector Leadership
The public sector has often led the way in sustainability.
Unfortunately, we are witnessing or anticipating the dismantling of so many ways that the U.S. Federal Government has led over numerous decades, including certification programs such as ENERGY STAR and WaterSense, as well as the tremendous influence that the federal government held with Federal Acquisition Regulation and the 30% Scope 3 reduction goal that the Biden-Harris Administration established in late 2024.
While the U.S. Federal Government goes one direction, so many other governments continue to progress and lead in the other direction. In the U.S., states, counties and cities have long led on sustainability, something I witnessed in the early days of the green building movement and leadership we’ve definitely seen in the sustainable procurement movement as well.
SPLC is excited to foster this leadership, having supported many key public sector leaders in our decade+ of catalyzing the sustainable procurement movement. Early leaders such as City of Portland, State of California, Multnomah County, and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts have long been SPLC members and have engaged individually and collectively in building sustainable procurement leadership. Their sharing of successes and setbacks openly paved the way for others to step forward with increased knowledge and reduced risk.
At SPLC we are taking the next steps in driving this progress.
Over the past months SPLC has signed Memorandums of Understandings (MOUs) with these organizations:
- National Association of State Procurement Officials (NASPO)
- NIGP: The Institute for Public Procurement
- National Association of Educational Procurement (NAEP)
This is a powerful trio of public procurement associations, representing tremendous leaders across North America and beyond. Each MOU stands alone with its own tailored focus on education, conferences, membership, and other strategic alignment. But together they show that the public sector continues to lead, is thirsty for progress, and that navigating sustainable procurement successfully is good for risk reduction, resilience, and efficiency of public sector employees and taxpayer dollars.
SPLC is proud to partner with these organizations to leverage the Power of (Public) Procurement for Good.
Onward,
Marc Heisterkamp (he/him)
Chief Executive Officer
SPLC