On the Border, By the Sea and Beyond – The City of Brownsville, Damian Espinoza, and procurement at pace

“Brownsville is growing at an unprecedented pace,” said Mayor John Cowen Jr. at the 2026 State of the City address. In addition to significant private investment in the region, the city itself is undertaking an historic $215 million capital improvement plan spanning infrastructure, public safety, and quality of life improvements for citizens.

Delivering on these ambitious programs requires a city procurement system that can operate at pace, while maintaining transparency and control. Damian Espinoza, Brownsville’s Procurement Director, has seen that change up close.

Purchasing to partnership

Damian’s route into procurement wasn’t typical. He came from the private sector, having worked for a local Texas bank. “At first, to be quite honest, I wasn't even sure what the purchasing department did”.

He joined the City of Brownsville as a senior buyer, focused on delivering against specific requests. “You’re focused on your task,” he explains. “Helping with a particular need, and that’s it.”

But as Brownsville entered a period of growth and organizational change, so too did procurement’s role. Over time, Damian stepped into leadership, eventually becoming Procurement Director after the function transitioned from a division within finance to a standalone department.

“Now it's about asking: ‘How can my department and my team help you accomplish, more broadly, what you need to accomplish?’,” he says.

One City – People, Purpose, Projects

As Brownsville has grown – its population has increased nearly a quarter in the last 25 years – so too has the way its departments work together. At the centre of that shift is Brownsville’s ‘One City’ philosophy to have people, purpose and projects aligned.

“At the end of the day, we're a city as a whole, there's no silos here,” says Damian.

For procurement, that meant moving beyond a transactional role and embedding more closely with departments across the city. Instead of responding to requests in isolation, the team works alongside colleagues to better understand priorities, plan ahead, and support delivery.

The city’s leadership team played a key role in setting that tone, explains Damian. “They're always open to listening and seeing how they can help you out. If they're doing that for me, that honestly inspires me to do the best job for my department as well.”

Balancing innovation with delivery

With that foundation in place, Brownsville’s procurement team is looking ahead and identifying where new approaches and tools can improve how the city delivers. Their team's progress builds on earlier recognition, including the 2022 Annual Achievement of Excellence in Procurement® (AEP) from the National Procurement Institute.

“You can have a lot of good ideas, but if you try to do everything at once nothing gets done,” says Damian. Instead, he explains the focus is on prioritization, understanding what matters most for the city, and implementing change at the right pace. That means continuing to deliver on the fundamentals: transparency in how public funds are spent, maintaining compliance, and keeping projects moving. 

The adopted FY25 budget for the Procurement Department was $919,505, which was later amended to $876,229. The actual expenditures came in at $737,370. “The primary driver of the underspend was personnel savings,” explains Damian, “as we had a couple of vacancies throughout the year. Despite operating with a leaner team, we were still able to manage all procurement requests, maintain timely turnaround, and support departments without delays.” At the same time, Damian’s team is introducing targeted process improvements, such as exploring virtual payment solutions to make transactions more efficient and secure.

Just as important, Damian explains, is how that change is introduced. In the past, new initiatives could be met with hesitation, particularly when the purpose wasn’t clearly explained. But now, through clear communication and collaborating “the departments are more trusting,” explains Damian, “and know we are trying to make a change for the betterment of the city.”

Opening the city to partners

As collaboration has strengthened inside the city’s departments, Brownsville’s procurement team has turned its focus outward, towards engaging suppliers and the wider regional ecosystem.

“There's this stigma some suppliers have and they don't want to participate with the city because they find it a little bit too difficult,” says Damian. Changing that perception has become a priority and Damian’s team is working to make procurement more accessible. “We want to understand why, and how we can make it easier.”

That has meant a more hands-on approach to building relationships with potential suppliers. Last year, Brownsville’s procurement team expanded their engagement program to host a regional vendor fair, bringing together suppliers, city departments, and partners from across Cameron County.

The event gave suppliers a clearer route into public sector work, while helping connect multiple entities across the region, an early step towards a more joined-up procurement ecosystem.

That proactive approach has also led to initiatives like the city launching a First Quote Program on Civic Marketplace, designed to simplify access for lower-value procurements and make it easier for suppliers to engage with the city. In addition, Brownsville plans to become a lead entity on a number of cooperative contracts, creating opportunities for local suppliers not only to work with Brownsville, but with other entities across the state and even nationally. “It's a fantastic opportunity and a win-win for both the city and the local vendors,” says Damian.

Pride in the work

“There's an economic and industrial boom happening here with our city,” reflects Damian. “And it's not slowing down.” For him, what stands out is not just the scale of work underway, but his team’s ability to keep pace, without compromising on process.

“I’m extremely proud of my department,” he says. “We’re delivering a huge volume of projects, and doing it the right way.”