Greetings Region 2

Hi All,
 
(Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland and District of Columbia) 

Congratulations to the the Delaware Public Purchasing Association (DPPA) Chapter of NIGP for their tremendous efforts and the huge success of the 2006 NIGP Region 2^nd Annual Conference held in Dover, Delaware on October 26 - 27.   

Attendance was robust with 115 conference attendees and over 40 participants in the October 25^th seminar "Adding Value to the Procurement Process".  The event hosted 112 vendors along with gold and hospitality suite sponsors.

Again, congratulations on a great job and a great networking event.

Regards,

Ed Grant, CPPO, CPPB, RPPO
Region 2 Representative
(609) 465-1181 
grante@co.cape-may.nj.us

U.S. Communities Adds Tech Depot as Partner to Technology Contract

The U.S. Communities Government Purchasing Alliance (U.S. Communities) recently announced the expansion of their technology contract to include Tech Depot, Office Depot’s technology division, as vendor/partner to GTSI Corp.  Office Depot has been offered under the U.S. Communities program since 1996, and has produced greater efficiencies, time savings and a high level of service for U.S. Communities participating public agencies. Based upon Office Depot's 10-year history of producing great efficiencies, time savings and high level of service as a U.S. Communities supplier, U.S. Communities, GTSI, Office Depot and Tech Depot worked together to develop a plan to bring their partners a more enhanced technology contract. The new partnership leverages the core competencies of each organization combining GTSI’s strength and expertise in technology solutions with the advantage of Tech Depot’s unique, customer-focused delivery model for technology products. Through this arrangement, the broad product and service offering of the existing technology contract will remain intact and continue to be available to all state and local government agencies.

Fairfax County, Virginia acted as lead public agency for the technology contract, and issued Amendment No. 23 which added Tech Depot as a vendor and also extended the existing contract  through April, 2009.

Tech Depot has offered technology products and services online since 1998 formerly under the Computers4Sure and Solutions4Sure brand names. 4Sure.com was acquired by Office Depot in 2001, as a strategic addition to its e-commerce technology products and service offerings.

The new partnership provides state and local government agencies the following additional benefits through Tech Depot:

•  Nationwide distribution of over 100,000 technology products from hundreds
   of manufacturers
•  Low prices driven by Office Depot’s significant buying power
•  Same-day shipment if order is processed by 4pm EST
•  Most major metropolitan areas are within a 2 day delivery window via
   ground service, but Next Day Air and 2nd Day Air services are also available
•  Dedicated, extensively trained Account Management Team with experience
   in the State and Local Government and Education sectors
•  In-house Customer Care Team
•  Customized Online Extranet
•  Special Offerings which include software licensing, equipment leasing, online
   configure-to-order, supplies finder, memory configurator and rebate tools

In addition, technology customers will now also have access to the following benefits already available to office supplies customers through its parent company Office Depot:

•  Industry recognized environmental program – leading retailer of recycled
   paper products
•  Committed to environmental stewardship and the conservation of
   natural resources
•  Nationally recognized supplier diversity program

U.S. Communities is co-sponsored by the National Association of Counties, the National League of Cities, the National Institute of Governmental Purchasing, the United States Conference of Mayors, and the Association of School Business Officials International.  Over 70 state associations sponsor the program.

The program presently offers 13 other contracts including office and school supplies, office and classroom furniture, electrical & data communications, MRO (maintenance repair and operations), roofing supplies and related services, parks and playground equipment, flooring, physical education equipment, business machines, auto parts and homeland security/ first responder solutions.    U.S. Communities contracts are accessible to all local and state public agencies and non-profits in the United States. The program charges no fees to pubic agencies or nonprofits, requires no minimum spending and provides oversight by professional public procurement officials from across the country.
 

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NIGP Announces Cooperative Partnership With NAPSM

The National Institute of Governmental Purchasing, Inc. (NIGP) and the Nevada Association of Purchasing and Supply Management (NAPSM) have entered into a formal, collaborative agreement that benefits the respective association members while influencing and promoting the value and recognition of the public procurement profession.  

Through this cooperative agreement, NAPSM is able to offer NIGP’s educational programs to a previously underserved community of public procurement professionals.  In addition, NAPSM offers its members national membership with NIGP providing full access to all of its educational and member benefits.  According to Chris Prather, C.P.M, President of NAPSM, "We are truly excited about the educational opportunities and look forward to the successes this ground breaking partnership has to offer to the affiliates/charters and their members."

NIGP looks forward to serving the needs of Nevada’s public procurement professionals.  The insights and experience gained from this community can be shared by NIGP with the North American and international audiences it serves.  NIGP welcomes NAPSM members and the opportunity to support their professional development, preparation for certification and day-to-day operational needs.

Rick Grimm, NIGP’s Chief Executive Officer concludes, “this collaborative network allows us the opportunity to explore additional areas of cooperation and strengthen our commitment to develop, support and promote the public procurement community.”

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NIGP Commodity Code Licensed Users

As you may know, the NIGP Code is commercially available to both public entities and private sector companies through an annual licensing agreement with Periscope Holdings, Inc., an Austin-based technology company.  Periscope is the sole custodian and marketer of the Code under an ongoing agreement with NIGP, the copyright owner of the Code.  Over 1,400 clients including 33 states are currently using the NIGP Code.

The newest NIGP Code customer is the City of Houston’s Strategic Purchasing Division (SPD) who in partnership with Periscope Holdings, Inc., implemented the NIGP 11-digit Commodity Coding system to ensure proper identification of materials bringing the City of Houston closer to standardization across all city departments.

“We recognized the need for material master descriptions and a unit of measure standardization in order to address the problem of long text descriptions and inconsistencies across city departments,” said Calvin Wells, City Purchasing Agent. “The NIGP Coding system allows us to improve our inventory process and it is a critical component to materials management.”

The Strategic Purchasing Division incorporated the NIGP Coding system into the
SAP R/3™, the citywide software system, materials master implementation. SPD
changed its business process so that each SAP material master code includes an
NIGP Code. This project also included all materials purchased by the City of
Houston, Department of Aviation.

“Periscope has provided SPD with an exceptional 48-hour turn around resolution of naming new products along with support issues on existing products found in the NIGP database,” Wells said.

The implementation of the 11-digit NIGP Commodity Code in the SAP material
master has resulted in the reduction of material master codes from 88,000 used
in the legacy system to approximately 20,000 after SAP “go-live.”

“With the City of Houston’s dynamic inventory, Periscope continues to act in a support roll to help ensure accuracy,” said Brent McNeill, Vice President of Sales and Operations, NIGP Code Services. “Essentially, Periscope has become an extension of the City of Houston’s infrastructure for materials management.”

The following are new NIGP Code customers for the 3rd quarter:

NIGP 5-Digit

Canaveral Port Authority, Florida 
City & County of Honolulu, Hawaii
City of Miami Gardens, Florida
City of Norfolk, Virginia
City of Richmond, California
City of Southgate, Kentucky
City of Springfield, Ohio School District
County of Orange, California
County of Walworth, Wisconsin
Montgomery County Alabama Public Schools
Newport News, Virginia Public Schools
Regional Transport District Denver, Colorado

NIGP 7-Digit

City of Atlanta, Georgia
State of Arkansas
State of Louisiana -DOTD

NIGP 11-Digit

City of Baltimore, Maryland
Commonwealth of Virginia – DOC
County of Cochise, Arizona
County of Jefferson, Alabama

The following are private sector NIGP Code customers:

Achilles Information, Inc.
Anixter
BidNet
CGI-AMS, Inc.
DemandStar by Onvia
E-Bid Systems, Inc.
epipeline, Inc (f.k.a. B2Gsource, Inc.)
ESM Solutions Corporation
InfoLoop
Inter-American Development Bank
Networld Exchange, Inc.
Office Depot, Inc.
Prime-Vendor.Com
RFP Depot
Sentry Chemical Co.
Sicommnet
SMART
Texas Guaranteed Student Loan Corp
Texas Procurement Center
Tier Technologies, Inc.
Tyler Technologies, Inc.

For more information, visit the NIGP Commodity/Service Code Website at www.nigp.com.

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Call For Presentations at 62nd Annual Forum

August 4-8, 2007
Hartford Convention Center

Interested in sharing your compelling thoughts and innovative ideas with an enthusiastic public procurement audience?

This just may be the opportunity for you.  NIGP announces a Call for Presentations for next year's annual forum and products exposition.  This is a once-a-year event that engages over 1,200 public procurement professionals from all around the world. 

To apply, please complete a speaker application at  2007 Call For Presentations or call 800.FOR.NIGP x253.

Application Deadline:  December 15, 2006.

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Two New Upcoming Webinars

Cooperative Purchasing Benefits - U.S. Communities Program
Thursday, December 7

1 PM EST  l 12 PM CST  l  11 AM MST  l  10 AM PST 
                                             
      Darren C. Muci, CPPO                          Arthur S. Hanby, Jr., CPPO,
                                                                       CPPB, C.P.M., A.P.P.

Join Darren and Art for an overview and explanation of the benefits of cooperative purchasing and to address the U.S. Communities government purchasing program.

Registration Deadline: Wednesday, November 29

Webinar Highlights

•  Understanding cooperative purchasing
•  Issues regarding legalities of cooperative purchasing
•  The benefits of cooperative purchasing opportunities
•  How the U.S. Communities cooperative purchasing program works.

About the Instructors

Darren C. Muci, CPPO, is the Division Director of Operations for the Wichita (KS) Public Schools.  He is responsible for the management of: Purchasing, Supply, Production Printing, Student Transportation, and Nutrition Services.  Darren serves as an active member of NIGP, the Kansas Association of Public Purchasing Professionals (KAPPP), the U.S. Communities Government Purchasing Advisory Board, and is the Lead Public Agency representative for two national contracts. 

Arthur S. Hanby , Jr., CPPO, CPPB, C.P.M., A.P.P. is the Director of Business Support Services for the San Diego Unified School District where he is responsible for procurement operations and other support departments. He also serves as a Knowledge Coordinator for the NIGP K-12 Knowledge Community and is the Vice-Chairman of the NIGP Research Committee.


Purchase Orders: Terms and Conditions
Tuesday, December 19

1 PM EST  l 12 PM CST  l  11 AM MST  l  10 AM PST
 
Michael Bevis, CPPO, C.P.M.

Join Mike for an informative session developed for procurement professionals involved in the design, issuance or use of purchase orders. This webinar reviews different types of contracts, analyzes the goal and intent of  purchase orders, provides a provision-by-provision review of a standard purchase order terms and conditions, and a discussion of inhouse training opportunities.

Registration Deadline: Wednesday, December 13

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UPPCC Expands Board of Examiners: Representation Extended to CAPPO, FAPPO, NAEP & NPI

The Universal Public Purchasing Certification Council (UPPCC) has invited four collegial public procurement organizations to participate on its Board of Examiners (BOE). The BOE is the UPPCC body responsible for the development of the CPPO and CPPB examinations and for making decisions on matters relating to certification, recertification and revocation.

The California Association of Public Purchasing Officers (CAPPO), Florida Association of Public Purchasing Officers (FAPPO), National Association of Educational Procurement (NAEP) and National Purchasing Institute (NPI) were each offered the opportunity to recommend one representative to serve on the BOE. All four organizations have accepted the Council’s invitation. With these additional seats, the BOE will consist of twelve members; ten voting members and two advisory members. Three representatives each from the two UPPCC founding organizations; – National Institute for Governmental Purchasing (NIGP) and National Association of State Purchasing Officers (NASPO) – and one representative each from CAPPO, FAPPO, NAEP and NPI will make up the voting membership, while two advisory seats are split between the Canadian Federal Government and the Irish Institute of Purchasing & Materials Management. Each member of the BOE serves a three year term and can serve a maximum of three consecutive terms.

“We are so excited by the developments that are taking shape” said Don Buffum, CPPO, Chairman of The Council. “The Council’s desire in expanding the BOE is to allow for broader input in the development of the public sector certification exams through the expansion of the BOE’s intellectual resources. We also ensure the applicability of the UPPCC certifications to the entire public procurement profession.” 

All four organizations are working with their respective Boards and membership to select appropriate representation and hope to have those individuals in place for the January 1, 2007 – December 31, 2009 term. “CAPPO is pleased and honored to accept the UPPCC’s invitation to join the Board of Examiners” said CAPPO’s President Denni Baumer, C.P.M., CPPB. “Our association has a long history of commitment to certification…. the expansion of the BOE is another opportunity to advance our profession through certification and CAPPO is proud to be part of that endeavor.” Echoing CAPPO’s sentiment, NPI’s President Pam Kirkland, CPPO, CPPB, said, “NPI is very excited to become a part of the CPPO/CPPB certification process and we look forward to a long and prosperous relationship.”

Mr. Buffum added that “The UPPCC has made tremendous strides over the last few years in enhancing the CPPO and CPPB programs. These are four great organizations, committed to professionalism within the industry and we are certain that their input will help to pave the way for truly universal public purchasing certification offerings.”

The Universal Public Purchasing Certification Council (UPPCC) is an independent entity formed to govern and administer the Certified Public Purchasing Officer (CPPO) and Certified Professional Public Buyer (CPPB) certification programs.

The CPPO and CPPB programs are highly regarded and respected among procurement professionals and employers involved in the public sector. To date, the UPPCC has certified over 10,000 professionals in the US, Canada and other nations around the globe. [ return to top ]

UPPCC Certifications - October 2006

Congratulations to the following individuals for successfully completing the Universal Public Purchasing Certification Council (UPPCC) certification requirements!


New CPPOs  

  

Georgia
Quintonia Darden, CPPO
Contracting Officer, Senior
City of Atlanta Bureau of Management

Joyce Foster, CPPO, CPPB
Contract Adminstrator
Individual Member - Joyce Foster

New York
Edith Polhamus, CPPO
Purchasing Agent
City of Oneonta


New CPPBs 

 

Arizona
Kathleen Bender, C.P.M., CPPB
Contract Administrator
City of Tucson

Brian Garrity, C.P.M., CPPB
Management Coordinator
City of Tucson

Melissa Hala'ufia, CPPB
Commodities Contracts Officer
Pima County Government - Procurement

Loran Moritz, CPPB
Senior Contract Officer
City of Tucson

Brenda Stopani, C.P.M., CPPB
Principal Contract Officer
City of Tucson

Sarah Vavra, C.P.M., CPPB
Principal Contract Officer
City of Tucson

California
Gretchen Bullock, CPPB
Purchasing Agent
Individual Member - Gretchen Bullock

Florida
Brenda Brilhart, CPPB
Purchasing Agent
Collier County Board of Commissioners

Rosa Costanzo, CPPB
Director
Jackson Health System

Beau Mitchell, CPPB
Contract Coordinator
Broward Community College

Illinois
Thomas Powers, CPPB
Assistant Purchasing Agent
Kane County Purchasing Department

Michigan
Jackie Katz, CPPB
Buyer
City of Battle Creek

Missouri
Brent Dixon, CPPB
Buyer II
State of Missouri

Clayton Hanks, CPPO, C.P.M., CPPB
Senior General Services Specialist
Missouri Department of Transportation

Stacy Jones, CPPB
Senior Buyer
University of Missouri System

Marsha Lovan, CPPB
Senior General Services Technician
Missouri Department of Transportation

Salima Paschal, CPPB
Contract Specialist
Metro

Mississippi
Robert Fulcher, CPPB
Buyer
Mississippi State University

Shirley Goodson, CPPB
Purchasing Agent
Leland School District

Gary Martin, CPPB
Purchasing Agent III
Mississippi Department of Health

New York
Victoria Lewis, CPPB
Manager, Bid Administration
Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority

South Carolina
Heather Trapp, CPPB
Procurement Specialist II
South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles

Texas
Richard DeLeon, CPPB
Senior Procurement Officer
University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

Virginia
Mary Beavers, CPPB
Office Assistant III/Admin Clerk
Town of Herndon

Marie-Therese Gartner, CPPB
Buyer II
City of Newport News

Stan Glore, CPPB
Buyer
Southeastern Public Service Authority

Willie Limon, CPPB
Warehouse Coordinator
City of Newport News

Kenneth McCullough, CPPB
Procurement Manager
King George County

Steven Meyer, CPPB
Senior Procurement Tech
City of Newport News

Carla Potter, CPPB
Senior Buyer
City of Hampton

Linda Struck, CPPB
VCU-VISSTA Contract Manager
Virginia Commonwealth University

All certified and recertified CPPOs and CPPBs may be found on the UPPCC Website at Certification.  [ return to top ]