Elisa “Lisa” Littrell is a Purchasing Agent with the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG), where she supports the TXShare Cooperative Purchasing Program and works to expand innovative, compliant, and accessible procurement solutions for public agencies.

She brings more than 25 years of public procurement experience, including over two decades with the City of McKinney, Texas, where she served in procurement leadership roles before joining NCTCOG. Throughout her career, she has focused on strategic sourcing, solicitation development, cooperative purchasing, supplier engagement, and finding practical ways to modernize public procurement.

Littrell shares some of the accumulated wisdom of her quarter century in procurement in the following Q&A:

Q. What do you think have been some of the biggest changes in the world of procurement over your years in the field?

EL: One of the biggest changes I’ve seen is the growing recognition of procurement as a strategic partner. We’re being brought into conversations earlier, which gives us the opportunity to collaborate, understand department or customer needs, and help plan the best path forward. That allows us to be more proactive rather than reactive.

Technology has also changed how we work. When I started, so much of the process was paper based. Today, we can manage solicitations electronically and sign contracts and purchase orders digitally. Those changes have streamlined our processes and allowed us to spend more time building relationships, solving problems, and supporting the organizations we serve.

Q. How well is your field understood by others in government?

EL: I think procurement is still sometimes misunderstood. We’re often perceived as the “Department of No,” when our role is to help people accomplish their goals while working within statutory requirements, organization policies, and procedures.

A big part of that is education and communication. If a particular approach isn’t possible, we need to explain why, explore alternatives, and help our stakeholders understand their options. Those conversations build trust and show that we’re there to help them succeed while protecting both them and the organization.

Q. Sometimes, the policies may not be useful and just get in the way. Can you do something about that?

EL: Absolutely. We should be willing to revisit our policies and ask whether they’re serving their intended purpose. There’s a difference between a statutory requirement we must follow and an internal policy we have the ability to improve.

For example, if a policy requires three quotes for a smaller purchase, is that requirement providing value, or is the time and effort disproportionate to the benefit? We need to be open to those questions rather than continuing a practice simply because that’s how we’ve always done it. Making changes requires leadership support. We need to explain why a change is needed, how it would improve the process, and how we would maintain accountability. Change can make people uncomfortable, but thoughtful updates can help us work more efficiently and create room for innovation.  

Q. E-procurement systems are one of the big advances in procurement, aren’t they?

EL: Absolutely. E-procurement systems have made a tremendous difference in how we connect with suppliers and manage solicitations. Years ago, we mailed documents or distributed them by email. Today, we can publish an opportunity and notify registered suppliers with a click of a button. Suppliers can then access the documents, complete their responses, and submit them electronically.

But supplier education is still essential. We need to explain how to register, select the categories relevant to their business, and receive notifications about opportunities.

The technology makes the process easier, but we still have a responsibility to help suppliers understand how to participate.

Q. Does this also help with accuracy?

EL: Yes, they can help improve accuracy. When we managed evaluations in Excel, there was always the potential for a formula error or an incorrect entry. E-procurement systems can automate calculations and consolidate evaluators’ scores, which reduces manual work and the opportunity for human error. We still need to verify that the scoring criteria and weights are set up correctly and review the results, but automation can make the process more consistent and reliable.

Q. What are some other benefits of AI?

EL: AI can save time by helping us move from a blank page to a draft scope of work within minutes, generate ideas, and turn an RFP’s submission into a compliance  checklist. I verify that checklist against the RFP and use it to personally review supplier responses; the responses themselves aren’t submitted into AI. It’s a useful starting point that helps organize work and allows more time for professional judgment and review.

Q. But aren’t there downsides to the use of AI in procurement?

EL: Absolutely. AI can make mistakes or generate information that isn’t accurate, so human review is essential. We need to verify its output rather than accept it at face value.

On the supplier side, we sometimes receive lengthy lists of questions that appear to be AI generated, including questions already answered in the RFP. We can’t know how those questions were developed but submitting them without a careful review creates unnecessary work. AI can support the process, but it still requires people to read, understand, and apply judgment.

Q. Streamlining the process is important because there’s a shortage of procurement professionals, right?

EL: Yes, streamlining helps us make the most of our staff’s time, but we also need to attract people to the profession. Many of us, myself included, didn’t intentionally seek out a career in public procurement. We need to do more to introduce students and others to the opportunities it offers.  You have a hand in building a great community whether that’s building a park, a roadway, a library, or a new city hall. It's meaningful work and expanding exposure to public procurement through college coursework and career outreach can help more people see it as a career worth pursuing.

Q. How does TXShare and other organizations make it possible for smaller entities, particularly, to function without building up a procurement department of their own?

EL: While smaller entities may not have a department of procurement professionals, TXShare can serve as an extension to their team. There's no cost to join our program, and we help address their procurement challenges by connecting them with competitively awarded contracts and suppliers that meet their needs. Our goal is to give them options to find solutions without having to manage every solicitation themselves.

Q. Can you give an example?

EL: We partnered with a smaller North Texas town without a procurement department to help it modernize its water metering system and move toward advanced metering infrastructure. We met with them to understand their needs and developed a challenge-based RFP focused on their goals and the water metering challenges other communities also face.  Instead of prescribing an exact solution, as a traditional RFP often does, we defined the challenges and desired outcomes, giving suppliers room to bring forward innovative approaches and apply their expertise. We received strong supplier participation and evaluated proposals through our competitive procurement process. That collaboration created contract options other entities can use as well. That’s the value of cooperative purchasing: one community’s need can lead to solutions for many others. 

If an entity doesn’t know where to start, we encourage them to explore TXShare’s contract portfolio and reach out if they don’t find what they need. We’re happy to work together to identify a path forward.

This article was supported by and written in partnership with Civic Marketplace.

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