Held only once every three years in conjunction with APTA TRANSform and EXPO, the APTA Procurement Summit is the public transportation industry's premier event dedicated exclusively to procurement, contracting, and supply chain excellence. Held in conjunction with APTA EXPO, attendees can also experience one of the world's largest public transportation trade shows, offering direct access to the latest vehicles, technologies, equipment, and services transforming the industry.
This complimentary two-day Summit brings together procurement professionals, transit executives, project managers, legal counsel, finance leaders, manufacturers, suppliers, consultants, and government partners from across North America to address the issues shaping today's procurement landscape.
As public transportation agencies face increasing pressure to deliver projects faster, maximize public investment, and adapt to evolving regulations, the Procurement Summit provides a forum to exchange ideas, share proven practices, and explore innovative solutions.
Whether you are responsible for purchasing buses, rail vehicles, technology, infrastructure, professional services, or construction projects, you'll gain practical knowledge, new perspectives, and valuable connections that can help improve procurement outcomes within your organization.
Why Attend
The APTA Procurement Summit delivers practical education, meaningful conversations, and direct access to the people shaping the future of public transportation procurement.
Attend to:
Learn from nationally recognized procurement, legal, and transit leaders.
Stay current on procurement regulations, funding requirements, and emerging policy developments.
Discover innovative contracting strategies, procurement technologies, and best practices from agencies across North America.
Gain practical solutions for managing risk, strengthening supplier relationships, and improving project delivery.
Network with peers facing similar challenges and build lasting professional connections.
Explore APTA EXPO and connect with leading manufacturers, technology providers, consultants, and suppliers showcasing the latest products and services for the public transportation industry.
Because the Summit is offered only once every three years, it provides a unique opportunity to gain insights, build relationships, and prepare your organization for the future of transit procurement, all at no cost to attendees. Note to attend any events that are part of the TRANSform conference requires paid registration.
Few things have shown as much promise to positively change public procurements more than AI, but the stakes are large the knowledge gap is intimidating. In this session we will explore what is being done, what can be done, and how to get the most without betting the farm with this exciting new technology.
Learn how the Illinois Unified Certification Program navigated the reevaluation process required by the Interim Final Rule, including the operational, administrative, and policy challenges involved in applying a new federal mandate across an active certification portfolio. It will highlight how Illinois coordinated across certifying agencies, communicated expectations to firms, and managed the transition to the new reevaluation framework while maintaining program continuity. The discussion will also touch on lessons learned from processing reevaluations at scale, the impact on DBE and SBE firms, and how Illinois adapted its procedures to align with federal guidance.
Procurement staffing requires a strategic, three-pillar approach: Hiring for analytical and tech-forward competencies, Training to bridge digital skill gaps, and Retention driven by career progression and task automation. Together, these efforts build supply chain resilience and maximize team value.
Public procurement contract terms and price structures significantly influence the pricing approach adopted by vendors. This session will examine how public transit agencies can become better customers to their transportation industry vendors and how these vendors can, in turn, improve transparency, better manage risk and pricing and long-term support to the agencies through collaboration and meaningful negotiations.
We all want procurement that is fast, competitive, and compliant, but is cooperative purchasing the right tool for the job? This session explores what cooperative purchasing is. What FTA guidance says about it, and when it can help streamline a procurement versus when it is not the best fit.
FTA will review the most frequent findings from triennial and procurement system reviews and discuss practical steps agencies can take to reduce recurrence, strengthen compliance, and improve oversight across key operational areas.
