University of Florida graduate Rey Palma has more than 25 years of experience in purchasing, procurement, asset management, quality assurance and contract administration. He began his career with an engineering and metal fabrication company in Merritt Island, Fla.
Palma’s service to local and state government started in 1987 in Titusville, Fla., as the city’s first purchasing and contracting administrator. His experience includes serving as procurement services director for Osceola County, Senior Procurement Contracting Officer for Jackson Health Systems and Procurement Services Supervisor for the City of Miami, Florida. As director of procurement for the Georgia State Financing and Investment Commission (GSFIC), Georgia Building Authority (GBA) and the State Properties Commission (GSPC), Palma managed all procurement activity for these three divisions under the State Property Officer. Currently he is focused on managing the SPO’s GBA Procurement Office. Amongst his duties are professional services solicitation and contracting, construction solicitation and contracting for all types of delivery methods, e.g., design-bid-build (DBB), construction management/general contractor (CM/GC), and design-build (DB). In addition it is Palma’s responsibility to manage the inventory/warehousing activities as well as the purchasing card program. Another part of Palma’s responsibilities is to ensure consistent, legal and ethical procurement management through policy and procedures as one of the financial stewards of the State of Georgia taxpayer funds.
Palma, who earned both his Bachelor and Master of Arts degrees from the University of Florida, is a Certified Public Administrator and Certified Professional Public Buyer.
Married to his college sweetheart for 35 years he has 2 daughters.
Palma was instrumental in winning the first and three subsequent Award of Excellence in Procurement from the National Procurement Institute (NPI) for the Georgia Building Authority (GBA).