29 Years in Public Contracting!

On October 23, 1979, I started working for the City of Seattle, Board of Public Works, in a position that was eventually titled Assistant Executive Director. It was the start of what marks 29 years for me in public contracting in the Seattle area.

A lot has changed in the last 29 years, especially my looks! From a 25 year-old recent MBA graduate with black frame glasses and a healthy crop of black hair, I am now 54 years-old with a mainly white beard and a head of hair that has thinned and grown lighter in color! How the times change!

I worked for the City of Seattle for 21 years, managing construction and consulting contracting and was the City's Contracting Manager when I left at the end of 2000. I then spent five years as Contracting and Procurement Manager at the Seattle Housing Authority. For the last three years, I have been the Contracts Manager at the University of Washington's Capital Projects Office.

In the spring of 2005, I started Michael E. Purdy Associates, a consultant business offering strategies, solutions, and training to government agencies and businesses in the area of public contracting. Please contact me if you'd like to talk about how I might assist you.