March is officially National Public Procurement Month. The folks in the Purchasing Division are celebrating with a quiz that tests everyone's procurement know-how.

C'mon, you know you want to play along! At stake: Braggin' rights! City swag! A prize of a $50 gift card to Yassin's Falafel House!

Find the quiz HERE.

Test your history nerdiness by knowing such trivia as...What was the first-ever federal construction contract? (Hint: It was for much-needed wayfinding way back in 1791, the same year that the Bill of Rights was ratified and two years into George Washington's presidency.)

Or, closer to home: What are the City of Knoxville's "competitive thresholds" in purchasing? At what dollar amount do City managers need to get and compare vendor quotes, as opposed to soliciting formal bids?

Take the quiz - those with all correct answers win City swag and entry in the drawing for the grand prize.

Doing procurement the right way is legally required - but it also benefits the City and its residents.

"Working with us to start saves time in the long run," Purchasing Agent Penny Owens says. "Plus, anytime we can work more efficiently and stretch our money, we're being better stewards of taxpayer dollars."

Between 30 and 40 percent of the City's annual spend - about $40 million to $50 million a year - is with small businesses, helping those businesses to increase capacity. The City's spend also helps grow the local economy.

Pamela Cotham, head of the Small Business and Diversity Outreach Office, says she and the Purchasing team can help City departments' staffs anytime they're struggling to locate the suppliers they need.

"We collaborate and help departments to get what they need," she says. "That might mean using our extensive directory of companies and the products they distribute. Often, that includes reaching out to new suppliers who want to earn our business."

Did you know that any City staff can now easily access the City's database of contracts? Purchasing utilizes BidNet (the link is on the Inside Knoxville page) for vendor registration, posting solicitations and contract management.

To access the BidNet contract management system, visit Purchasing's Intranet page to request a password and find the instructions for searching. Or call Purchasing at 865-215-2070.

One last thing to note: Purchasing staff personally paid for the grand prize out of their own pockets as a gift to their customers!