State Senator Bill Ketron (R-Murfreesboro) said today he was very pleased that Jessica Robertson has been appointed by Governor Haslam as Tennessee’s Chief Procurement Officer.  Ketron and Representative Charles Curtiss (D-Sparta) were sponsors of the law passed last year creating the position, along with the Tennessee State Procurement Commission, a state protest committee and an advisory committee on procurement.

“Ms. Robertson has strong experience in this area and is an excellent choice for the position of Chief Procurement Officer,” said Ketron who is Chairman of the Fiscal Review Committee, the legislature’s financial watchdog panel.  “I am very  pleased to see this position filled so we can begin the work of restructuring the way we contract for goods and services to implement the cost-saving strategies needed to make sure taxpayer dollars are used efficiently and effectively.”

“Ketron said that based on the experience in other states, he is hopeful the state will save hundreds of millions of dollars for the taxpayers over the long run by applying best practices and modernizing how state government manages the procurement of goods and services under the leadership of the new Chief Officer.  “He said one of the biggest untapped advantages is to use the state’s clout as a volume buyer to leverage more competition in bidding.”

“We can take advantage of the government’s clout as a volume-buyer to leverage more competitive bidding,” added Ketron.  “I look forward to working with Ms. Robertson and her staff as this new law is fully implemented.  “We are in the ‘new normal’ in financial times right now and, if we are going to move forward, we must restructure state government from the way we know it.  This office is a huge step in the right direction to accomplish these goals.”