For the past five years, Will Velasco in the City of Arlington's Finance Department has helped the City get the best value at the lowest price on its contracts, such as keeping the medians mowed, the municipal buildings clean or the police cruisers, fire engines and other fleet vehicles running smoothly.

Velasco, who began his career with Arlington as a Purchasing Agent in 2012, was recently named Purchasing Manager, overseeing the City's Purchasing Division and MWBE Program.

"I've always had a dream of working for a public agency. I truly enjoy helping people. That is what procurement is all about," Velasco said. "Our main goal is to help departments procure the goods and services they need to get their jobs done on a day-to-day basis, while ensuring compliance of all state laws and regulations."

Velasco started out handling contracts for Parks and Recreation, Code Compliance and the Convention Center. Over time he took on responsibilities for additional departments, including all of Public Safety, Public Works and Water Utilities. His recent projects include establishing a contract for police-requested towing services, citywide janitorial services and supplemental mowing for highway medians.

He also facilitated the Request for Proposal process for a new fleet maintenance contract for the City's 1,500 vehicles. The new contract will ultimately save Arlington about $1 million over a three-year period when compared to the previous contract.

Velasco's long-term goals for the Purchasing Division include centralizing more procurement functions within the City, such as obtaining quotes for contracts below $50,000 and for professional services to further increase MWBE and local business participation.

"We are very fortunate to have someone that possesses the integrity and initiative, along with the purchasing knowledge and familiarity with the City of Arlington, that Will Velasco brings to the Purchasing division of Finance," Finance Director Mike Finley said.

The Purchasing Division has won the Achievement of Excellence in Procurement Award from the National Procurement Institute for the 14th year in a row.