METRO NASHVILLE
her grasp of government duty , places her at the centre of close to US $ 900mn worth of annual spend .
“ Our goal is to assist the various departments in meeting their objectives by providing them with superior procurement services that are aligned with the administration priorities in a legal way . Many of those departments know what they need , but they don ' t always know all of the government procurement rules to get it . Our job is to provide them with those services .” Hernandez Lane and her team touch nearly every major project , from the city ’ s streets and roads , to soccer stadiums and ballparks . As a result , she feels a great responsibility to represent the residents and communities of the Tennessee capital . “ It is the people ’ s money that we spend ,” she says . “ So they should have some opportunity to participate in that process .” It is one of the biggest points of difference between Hernandez Lane ’ s procurement role and her private sector peers .
“ There is such a stark difference between what you can do as a procurement officer in the private sector versus the public sector ,”
“ We had to adjust some of our internal business processes , which we ' ve done very well , but from the standpoint of day-to-day work and the procurement process , it was largely digital already ”
MICHELLE HERNANDEZ LANE CHIEF PROCUREMENT OFFICER , METRO NASHVILLE
she says . " There are some who would say that the process in the public sector is not necessarily intuitive or common sense , but it is built the way that it is to ensure that there is integrity in that process , fairness , and that all potential offers have an opportunity .”
It is a system designed to rout out favoritism , but it can be limiting , Hernandez Lane admits . In her many years of experience
MICHELLE HERNANDEZ LANE
TITLE : CHIEF PROCUREMENT OFFICER LOCATION : NASHVILLE
Michelle Hernandez Lane is the purchasing agent and chief procurement officer for the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County . She previously served as the city ’ s chief diversity officer and director of the business assistance office . She is the first person of color appointed to her current role .
EXECUTIVE BIO
128 June 2021