Overview
OIG Academy classes and trainings benefit a wide range of individuals and organizations, including procurement officials, superintendents, school business officials, public works officials, housing authority officials, architects and engineers performing public projects; auditors and compliance staff; department heads, contracting officers, not-for-profit employees, vendors doing business with the Commonwealth, and local government.
The OIG Academy maintains a broad curriculum that includes both general and specialized classes and trainings. The OIG Academy's classes and trainings range from beginner-level classes about public procurement to more advanced topics including cybersecurity, design and construction planning, and diversity and inclusion in procurement.
The program also offers qualified candidates an opportunity to obtain an MCPPO Designation. Recipients of an MCPPO Designation successfully complete required courses, pass examinations, and meet experience requirements. Local jurisdictions widely recognize this designation in Massachusetts as an indicator of expertise in basic Massachusetts public procurement practices. Municipal job postings often require MCPPO Designation.
A Brief History of the OIG Academy
Robert Cerasoli, former Inspector General of Massachusetts
In 1996 former Inspector General Robert A. Cerasoli received legislative authorization to create a public purchasing official certification program. As a result, the OIG created an education and training program called the Massachusetts Certified Public Purchasing Official (MCPPO) program. IG Cerasoli recognized the growing complexity involved with public procurement and contracting. He also understood the importance of ongoing education about Chapter 30B, also known as the Uniform Procurement Act, and other related laws to the prevention of fraud, waste, and abuse.
IG Cerasoli believed that the Commonwealth would expend far fewer resources on preventing fraud, waste, and abuse by using educational programs teaching about compliance with and best practices in public procurement and contracting than on investigating and prosecuting criminal cases involving the misuse of public money. IG Cerasoli also realized the importance of creating a program that awarded a credential to public purchasing officials as a sign of their training and professionalism.
In June 2023, IG Jeffrey S. Shapiro changed the name of the program to the OIG Academy to recognize that the curriculum had expanded beyond procurement.
Additionally, he launched the One Free Designee program to encourage every city and town in the Commonwealth to have at least one employee with an MCPPO Designation.
Jeffrey S. Shapiro, Inspector General of Massachusetts
“I believe that increasing the number of new Massachusetts Certified Public Purchasing Officials (MCPPO) designees is core to the mission of the OIG to prevent fraud, waste and abuse of public resources,” IG Shapiro said. “The MCPPO designation provides public employees with a better understanding of the complexities of Massachusetts procurement law and best practices. This foundational knowledge increases the proficiency of public employees tasked with procuring good and services, and, therefore, decreases the probability of fraud, waste or abuse of public resources. I am doing everything I can to remove barriers to training and to position the Office of the Inspector General as a resource and a partner in good government.”
Contact for About the OIG Academy
| Last updated: | January 21, 2025 |
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