Enterprise and Procurement Services Team Reflects on Success and Plans for Future Growth
Following the close of another successful fiscal year, the Enterprise and Procurement Services (EPS) team came together for its annual department retreat on July 23 at Lake Tahoe Community College. Beyond celebrating achievements and fostering team camaraderie, the retreat focused on brainstorming key initiatives and projects for the coming year.
Hosting the retreat at a community college allows the team to stay grounded in the mission of the organization and gain insights into ongoing campus initiatives. Led by Executive Assistant to the VP of Administrative Services Maryellen Sanchez, the team toured the campus and learned about the history behind many of the college’s recent projects and modernization efforts.
The team also had the opportunity to speak with Lake Tahoe Community College Superintendent/President Jeff DeFranco and Director of Information Technology Josh Smith. Discussions focused on current projects, such as their nearly completed student housing facilities, and explored how CollegeBuys could serve as a valuable system resource for targeted support. These conversations also helped identify opportunities for collaboration to ensure the mutual success of our institutions.
The EPS team also celebrated several key accomplishments from the year. Our contracts library once again demonstrated significant growth, securing nineteen new agreements — thirteen new vendors and three former partners — while executing fifty-nine amendments and twenty-one extensions. Additionally, our team issued ten requests for proposals (RFPs) to expand various services and equipment in areas such as nursing supplies and models, visual arts materials, virtual parking permit management, telehealth, janitorial and sanitation services, office supplies, solar devices and microgrids, American Sign Language and captioning services, and online marketplaces.
Notable milestones include the Visual Arts Supplies RFP, marking our first RFP in which the K-12 market requested and actively participated in the RFP development and evaluation process alongside community college representatives. This represents EPS’s expanded focus on agreements that serve our CollegeBuys base, along with our new SchoolBuys and CivicBuys programs. Our Microgrid RFP also served as the first time EPS included community college–specific scopes for vendors to bid on as part of the RFP process.
This continued growth ensures that California Community College system needs are met while promoting compliance, mitigating risk, optimizing resources, and substantial cost savings. Our department programs have generated $141.1 million in savings to districts and students throughout 2025.
The insights gathered during the retreat will guide EPS’s goals and strategies in the year to come. Following a valuable opportunity to reset, realign, and recharge, our team eagerly looks forward to another strong year in supporting educational institutions, public agencies, and the communities we serve.
