05/10/06
An experienced transit professional who is a recognized leader nationally on procurement policy and innovation has been selected to head the Chicago Transit Authority's Purchasing and Warehousing Department.
Reginald B. Lovelace, who is currently the CTA's General Manager of Purchasing for capital construction and engineering, will replace Vice President John Trotta, who is retiring to join Parsons Brinkerhoff. While at CTA, Lovelace has been active in overseeing contracting for CTA's capital construction program. Currently, he serves as the Vice Chairman on the American Public Transit Association (APTA) Procurement and Materials Management Committee, and is slated to become Chairman of that committee in September.
Prior to joining the CTA in 2003, Lovelace was Chief of Procurement Policy and Third Party Contracting with the Federal Transit Administration. The FTA is the arm of the U.S. Department of Transportation that is responsible for oversight and grant funding of transit systems nationwide. Lovelace has also held procurement positions with other federal agencies including the General Service Administration and the Department of Defense and has expertise in the area of small business contracting. In his federal positions, Lovelace provided policy guidance and direction to senior executives and staff on procurement regulatory and legislative issues.
"We?re very proud, at the CTA, to have established a purchasing department with a well-earned reputation for professionalism and integrity, 'said CTA President Frank Kruesi. ?With his considerable knowledge of procurement rules and procedures at both the local and federal levels, Reggie has the skills and experience to maintain the high standards of our Purchasing Department and introduce business practices that will ensure we continue to select vendors in a manner that maximizes open and fair competition and provides the best results for the CTA."
Lovelace graduated from the University of Maryland with a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry. He is also a senior fellow with the Council for Excellence in Government. He will earn $129,000 in his new position.
Kruesi also praised retiring Vice-President Trotta. ?Under John's leadership, CTA has operated a procurement process that is competitive, open and fair, as evidenced by the FTA's most recent audit of the CTA's procurement process, which revealed no deficiencies with FTA requirements for procurement," said Kruesi. He also recognized smart buying measures that Trotta introduced, such as stockless and off-the-shelf purchasing and second sourcing, as well as warehouse efficiencies such as streamlining the physical layout of the warehouse and stocking similar items and materials together in order to reduce the time it takes to fill orders. Improved procurement practices and enhanced revenue from these initiatives have resulted in annual savings of approximately $4.5 million.
As operators of the nation's second largest transit system, the CTA spends more than $1 billion annually to operate, maintain and improve its equipment and facilities. The mission of the CTA's purchasing department is to procure high quality, low cost goods and services in a timely manner.
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