Mark May, McAllen ISD Communications
McAllen TX - McAllen ISD again earned the prestigious 2026 Annual Achievement of Excellence in Procurement® (AEP) from the National Procurement Institute, Inc. (NPI).
The district was one of just 30 school districts in the United States or Canada to be selected This is the 13th time in the last 14 years that the district has achieved this international recognition. McAllen ISD also won the NPI award in 2013-18 and 2020-25.
The AEP Award is earned by public and non-profit agencies that demonstrate a commitment to procurement excellence. This annual program recognizes procurement organizations that embrace innovation, professionalism, productivity, leadership and e-procurement.
The AEP program encourages the development of excellence as well as continued organizational improvement to earn the award annually. For 2026, there were 251 successful applicants, including multiple counties, cities, higher education agencies, school districts, special districts, state or provincial agencies and others.
The Achievement of Excellence in Procurement® is sponsored by the National Procurement Institute (NPI), the Airport Procurement Group (APG), the California Association of Public Procurement Officials (CAPPO), the Canadian Public Procurement Council / Conseil canadien des marchés publics (CPPC), the Florida Association of Public Procurement Officials (FAPPO), the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA), the National Association of Educational Procurement (NAEP), NIGP: The Institute for Public Procurement and the Texas Public Purchasing Association (TxPPA).
McAllen ISD has won many major awards in recent years for its sound fiscal practices. These include:
· The Certificate of Achievement in Excellence in Financial Reporting by Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) for its Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) for 14 straight fiscal years (2010-23). The Certificate of Achievement is the highest form of recognition in governmental accounting and financial reporting and its attainment represents a significant accomplishment by a government and its management.
· Earning the state’s highest mark by TEA’s School FIRST (Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas), 22 times in 23 years (including 18 perfect scores, 4 in a row through 2025).
· Recognized for excellence in budget presentation with the Meritorious Budget Award (MBA) for the 2025–26 budget year. McAllen ISD has been recognized for its comprehensive budget presentation from 2018-26. The award has come from the Association of School Business Officials International (ASBO) for budget years 2017-18 through 2025-26 while the district had previously received the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award by the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) for budget years 2015-17.
· Maintaining a high credit rating from a major credit-rating service (Moody’s).
· Earned Transparency Stars from the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts in Debt Obligations for exemplary efforts in creating financial transparency around public debt and the Transparency Star in the area of traditional finances for exemplary efforts in creating financial transparency around public services and spending decisions.
· The Texas Association of School Business Officials (TASBO) has presented the Award of Merit for Purchasing Operations to McAllen ISD nine times. The Award of Merit recognizes Texas school districts that are committed to following professional standards in the acquisition of goods and services. McAllen ISD has won this award in 2014-16 and 2021-26.