Mike Purdy Announces Retirement

A Career in Public Contracting: In October of 1979, fresh out of MBA school, I began a career in public contracting that now spans more than 30 years – twenty-plus years managing construction and consultant contracts for the City of Seattle, followed by a five year stint as Contracting and Procurement Manager at the Seattle Housing Authority, and for the last four-plus years serving as the Contracts Manager at the University of Washington’s capital projects office.

It has been a rewarding journey and career, and I continue to learn new things everyday.

Retirement: But our lives are more than just careers, and the measure of our days is more than the routines of work. In order to pursue other interests in the second half of my life, I have decided to retire as of February 5, 2010.

Consulting: In my retirement, I plan to stay engaged with public contracting issues and spend more time providing consulting services and training to public agencies and businesses - helping them navigate through the complexities of public contracting.

Blogging: I will also continue to maintain this Public Contracting Blog, providing timely and relevant information to professionals who deal with government contracts.

Writing: I'm also looking forward to spending a significant amount of time writing. There are many ideas I have for books I would like to write that I have dreamed of over the years. Some I have begun writing, while others are only a title or a concept. I hope to bring some of these writing projects to completion and get them published.

Pace of Life: There are seasons in our lives, and this seems like the right time for me to make a change that will bring with it a different pace of life and new challenges. None of us are guaranteed any days, and while I’m still relatively young and healthy, I look forward to re-directing my time and energy into other pursuits.

I look forward to continuing to interact with all of you in the future! Keep in touch!