U.S. Senate Productivity and Quality Award
for Virginia, Maryland and D.C.
Our Mission
The U.S. Senate Productivity and Quality Award is a Baldrige Performance Excellence based program serving Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia. Since 1982, SPQA has served organizations of all sizes from all sectors and honored hundreds of organizations with the prestigious Medallion Award in recognition of their achievement of performance excellence. The central program of SPQA is Pathways to Excellence focused on building an organization’s long-term performance excellence.
The Benefits of using the Baldrige Framework
- Resilience and Sustainability: Organizations using the framework were better equipped to navigate crises like COVID-19, showing enhanced adaptability and long-term viability. Strategic Alignment: Leaders reported improved alignment between mission, strategy, and operations, leading to more coherent and effective execution.
- Customer Focus: The framework helped organizations systematically gather and act on customer feedback, improving satisfaction and loyalty.
- Workforce Engagement: Adoption led to stronger employee involvement, clearer communication, and better professional development.
- Performance Measurement: Organizations embraced data-driven decision-making, benchmarking, and continuous improvement practices.
Baldrige Framework to improve process and results performance
Featured Content
Baldrige Advanced Training
Advancing Performance Excellence In this follow-up to the Introduction course, SPQA offers experience-based learning to apply key performance excellence principles. The program is focused on the systems thinking value of the Baldrige Framework and how this creates a differentiation with other improvement models. Content focuses on the learning, integration, and relevance dimensions of organizational maturity…
Read MoreBaldrige Basics Training
Foundations of Performance Excellence In this Introductory course, SPQA offers an opportunity for individuals and organizations to learn the foundations of performance excellence. The program is based on the Baldrige Excellence Framework. The Excellence Framework is a national model for organizational performance improvement. Through questions, the Framework guides organizations to a systemic and integrated perspective of…
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2025 Eastern State Hospital
The Achievement in Performance Excellence Award is one of the highest honors bestowed by the SPQA program, recognizing organizations that demonstrate exemplary leadership, a strong commitment to continuous improvement, and a focus on delivering outstanding results. Congratulations to our 2025 award honoree, Eastern State Hospital (ESH). Their dedication to relentless advancement has set a benchmark…
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2025 Discovery Recognition
The Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board (FRTIB) completed SPQA Discovery in May 2025, a Pathways to Performance Excellence (Tier III) milestone. Pathways milestones include a Tier IV Award Recognition also based on the Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence. Embracing the performance improvement journey signifies a critical leadership commitment and a superior focus on customers, stakeholders,…
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SPQA Chair Letter
How the Baldrige Framework Supports Resource Allocation and Organizational Agility News headlines are constantly filled with stories on layoffs, organizational change, and sweeping changes to the way we work. In this dynamic environment, organizations must balance efficient resource use with the ability to adapt quickly. The Baldrige Excellence Framework provides a structured approach that helps…
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Pathways to Excellence
The Pathways to Excellence Program serves as a valuable resource for organizations seeking to enhance their performance and achieve excellence in their operations. Our structured framework, tiered assessment process, and emphasis on continuous improvement, the program helps organizations at all levels drive positive change and deliver greater value to their stakeholders. Our program is a…
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Kindness at Work Pays Off
Excellence involves many aspects of human interaction. Kindness is a valuable attribute and characteristic in high performance organizations. It may not be an item to check off in a process or task, but it is foundational to positive outcomes for organizations. As this article highlights, “Kindness is good for everyone.” Kindness at work fosters a…
Read More2024 VHHA Award
The Achievement in Performance Excellence Award is one of the highest honors bestowed by the SPQA program, recognizing organizations that demonstrate exemplary leadership, a strong commitment to continuous improvement, and a focus on delivering outstanding results. In the 2024, Pathways to Excellence Award Cycle, Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association (VHHA) is recognized due to its…
Read More2023 Awards
Eastern State Hospital (ESH) & Educational Employee’s Supplementary Retirement System of Fairfax County (ERFC) Thank you to our 2023 award honorees, Eastern State Hospital (ESH) and the Educational Employee’s Supplementary Retirement System of Fairfax County (ERFC). Their dedication to relentless advancement has set a benchmark in delivering superior service to customers, stakeholders, and employees alike….
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