2021 Open Contracting Champion: Beth Blauer

What does changing the status quo in public procurement mean to you?

A procurement process that is actually aligned to the government’s core strategies of improving conditions for people. Change means that the same, business as usual vendors, don’t get contracts year after year, and that the process of procurement actually encourages innovation and equity.

 What is the #1 question you would ask before trying to reform a public procurement system?

Who should lead procurement strategy?

What is one thing you would say to an open contracting reformer who wants to break with tradition?

Find yourself a “yes” lawyer. Of all the public processes, procurement is the one laced with actual and—the more problematic—perceived legal barriers to reform.

If public procurement was a sport, which one do you think it would be and why?

Marathon running, it takes a lot of discipline, training, and planning. Inevitable injuries and blockers will emerge, and when you finish, it never is the outcome you expected, but it’s a life-changing accomplishment.

Find Beth on Twitter.