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| About State Purchasing |
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State Purchasing became a part of the Department of Administrative Services in 1972 and since then we have served as the centralized procurement function for state of Georgia government entities. Providing leadership, guidance, and reliable valued business services to our customers and Georgia citizens, it is our ultimate goal to be the best managed purchasing organization in the nation.
In 2005, State Purchasing became actively engaged in the Governor Sonny Perdue’s Commission for a New Georgia, which is an initiative focused on the complete overhaul of procurement methodologies and best practices across the state. Over the past few years we have, and continue to make strides in realizing procurement excellence goals set by the Governor. We are proud of our top-notch, highly skilled staff, who consistently delivers quality service to our customers and our leadership, who remain passionately focused on making the State the best it can be. And, we are excited about Team Georgia Marketplace, the state’s new electronic procurement system, which has enhanced our ability to deliver transactional efficiencies and low-cost processes that unite purchasing power across the state. Ultimately, quality service and reduced cost are major contributors in our quest to be the model of operational efficiency and effectiveness.
State Purchasing’s organizational structure is designed to provide our customers with quick and direct access to the appropriate individual or team needed for assistance. Under the direction of the Assistant Commissioner of Procurement, Leslie Lowe, there are three service teams:
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Strategic Sourcing |
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Consists of four sourcing teams vertically aligned by categories and addressable spend. The teams are: Information Technology, Goods, Special Projects, and Infrastructure. |
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Knowledge Center |
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Consists of six business units that support the procurement operations at State Purchasing and procurement professionals across the state. The six business units are: Process Improvement and Audits, Professional Development, Supplier Relations, Procurement Applications, State Cards Program, and Strategic Support. |
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Customer Advocacy |
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Serves as an advocate for customers statewide by establishing and maintaining executive relationships. Customer Advocacy also plays a leading role in many e-procurement initiatives | |
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We further recommend that you take advantage of our online training opportunities contained in the Suppliers section of our website. You may also contact our Supplier Relations Unit at 404 656-0936. |
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State Purchasing Division Services |
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SPD provides extensive procurement-related services to state and local government agencies. |
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SPD offers great opportunities for suppliers wanting to do business with the State of Georgia. |
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Services and Contacts |
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The SPD organization provides support for all areas of government procurement. Click here to review services and meet the SPD staff.
 Click here to see the SPD organization chart. | |
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State Purchasing Division Leadership Team
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LESLIE LOWE
Assistant Commissioner
State Purchasing
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Leslie Lowe, serves as the assistant commissioner of procurement.
A 26-year veteran of the State of Georgia, she previously worked as the chief financial
officer for the Department of Early Care and Learning, legislative liaison for the
Department of Corrections, and controller and director of Central Services for the
Department of Administrative Services.
An experienced leader with a strong background in government procurement, financial
management and legislative responsiveness, Ms. Lowe earned a bachelor's in political
science and religion from Duke University and a Master of Public Administration
from the University of Georgia. She is an Association of Government Accountants'
Certified Government Financial Manager (CGFM).
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VACANT POSITION
Executive Assistant
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DARRYL MITCHELL
Director
Strategic Sourcing
Darryl Mitchell serves as the Director of Strategic Sourcing for
the State Purchasing Division and is a member of Department of Administrative Services'
leadership team. Mr. Mitchell previously served as the Group Category Manager for
Infrastructure within the division after joining DOAS following 20 years of service
in the United States Air Force. During his tenure in the Air Force, he held several
positions of responsibility within the contracting and audit career fields and brings
over 18 years of strategic sourcing experience to the position. Mr. Mitchell earned
a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Tuskegee University and a Masters
of Business Administration from Georgia College and State University. Mr. Mitchell
is a C.P.M, G.C.P.A and also holds an Advanced/Senior Level Contracts Management
Professional Certification from the Department of Defense.
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Clarence Ingram
Goods Group Category Manger
Strategic Sourcing/Goods
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Clarence Ingram serves as a Goods Group Category Manager in the
Sourcing unit of State Purchasing. Prior to joining DOAS, he worked for Advanced
Micro Devices as a global sourcing manager. He brings 12 years of purchasing/strategic
sourcing experience to the job. Clarence earned a B.A. in English from Morehouse
College and a MBA in Management from Rochester Institute of Technology.
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Jeffrey Rolsten
Group Category Manager
Strategic Sourcing/IT
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Jeffrey Rolsten, C.P.M., CTPE, serves as a Group Category Manager
in State Purchasing's Strategic Sourcing Division, where he leads a category team
in IT Procurement. Prior to joining DOAS, he worked for AT&T (formally BellSouth)
as an Assistant Vice President – Strategic Sourcing. He brings over 15 years of
sourcing experience to the job. Jeff earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business
Administration from Youngstown State University, and is a member of the Advisory
Committee for Caucus, a High Tech Procurement networking organization.
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Rick Beal
Group Category Manager
Strategic Sourcing/Services
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Ricky Beal, serves as a Group Category Manager in State Purchasing’s Strategic Sourcing Division, where he leads a category team in Special Projects Procurements. Prior to joining DOAS, he served 20 years in the United States Air Force. During his tenure in the Air Force, he worked in Medical Logistics and Materials Management procuring medical commodities. Rick earned a Bachelor of Science in Health Care Management from Park University and a Master of Science in Public Administration from Valdosta State University.
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DONNA FILE
Process Improvement
Professional Development
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In addition to testing the health of Georgia’s statewide purchasing activities through compliance monitoring, in August 2011, Donna became responsible for delivering and managing the state’s procurement training and certification programs, as well as managing the communications and vendor relations of State Purchasing. Her auditors continuously monitor the purchase orders, solicitations, contracts, and purchasing and fuel card transactions of Georgia’s 86 agencies and 35 academic institutions, while her procurement trainers traverse the state, helping to increase purchasing knowledge and consistency. Training and auditing combined, both teams help to manage risks to and improve the purchasing performance of individual entities and the state overall.
A 20-year state veteran, Donna brings 14 years of governmental and private sector managerial procurement experience to the job. Prior to joining the Department of Administrative Services (DOAS), she was a compliance supervisor for the Department of Corrections (DOC), responsible for auditing agency procurement activities, developing and implementing procurement training, and implementing the state purchasing card into departmental purchasing practices. Additionally, as chair of DOC’s Business Process Advisory Council for four years, Donna brought state business managers, central office purchasing, accounting, and information technology staffs together to improve agency business processes. |
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JOHN THOMASON
State Cards Program Manager
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| Taking the reins of managing Georgia’s travel, fuel and purchasing card programs is John Thomason, who became the new state cards program manager on August 1, 2011. A member of State Purchasing for nearly five years, many are familiar with his important impact as category manager in the Infrastructure and Services groups, as well as interim group category manager in Goods. Described by Strategic Sourcing Director Darryl Mitchell as “a great consensus builder and ambassador for DOAS, who consistently steps up to challenging assignments and delivers quality results that satisfy customer needs,” John has more than 18 years of public and private sector procurement experience. Moreover, there are many successful, cost avoiding statewide contracts to his credit, including an automated license and information system contract with the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) — a contract that efficiently and effectively changed the way hunting, fishing and boating licenses are purchased across the state. John has a Bachelor of Science in business administration from Auburn University and is an Institute for Supply Management’s Certified Purchasing Manager (CPM). |
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