Greetings Region 8

Hi Region 8!

Begin planning to attend the NIGP Forum in Hartford, Connecticut, August 4-8, 2007. 

Take advantage of the Early Bird discount of $50 by registering before April 30, 2007.  There is another opportunity for a discount if you have never attended a Forum before.  First-time attendees receive an additional $50 discount on top of the Early Bird discount.  General information, fees, housing, registration, and a tentative schedule are available at Forum 2007. 

Education and Training:

View the NIGP Seminar Schedule for training opportunities.

The websites for the four chapters in Region 8 are listed below:

Wisconsin Association of Public Purchasers Chapter of NIGP
www.wapp.org
Minnesota Chapter of NIGP
www.mnnigp.org
Midwest Association of Public Procurement Chapter of NIGP
www.mapp-nigp.org
Illinois Association of Public Procurement Officials
www.iappo.org

Signing off until next time. . .

Patti Huth, CPPO, CPPB
Region 8 Representative
630.271.4134 (voice)
phuth7@comcast.net 

New NIGP Course and Textbook: Capital Acquisitions

How do capital asset acquisitions differ from the purchase of  supplies?

How do you ensure that a long-term best value solution is obtained for your agency?

State and local governments annually allocate one-third of their total expense budget toward capital purchases.  As capital assets represent large, long-term, infrequent, and often high profile government investments, public procurement professionals must give special attention to the unique planning, procurement and contract administration processes exclusive to this product class.

NIGP’s newest offering, Capital Acquisitions, presents a strategic, enterprise view of the capital acquisition process, the organizational environment in which it occurs, and details the critical evaluation tools and contracting best practices public procurement professionals must employ.

The Capital Acquisitions course and text is appropriate for procurement officials, senior buyers, procurement specialists, clients responsible for procuring and maintaining capital acquisitions, and agency contract administrators.

For a detailed course description visit NIGP Educate.

Chapters or agencies that wish to request a class should complete the Seminar Request Form.
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FAU Offers On-Line Courses For NIGP Members

Through a partnership agreement with NIGP,  FAU (Florida Atlantic University) will offer five on-line graduate and undergraduate courses in public procurement for NIGP members. International students are  welcome to participate in these classes as well.

FAU is a comprehensive, accredited, research university. All courses taken by students will be reflected on FAU transcripts and are transferable to academic degree programs for those who wish to pursue their education further. Students completing all five classes will receive a certificate reflecting their academic achievement in this focused course of study.

Course Schedule:  Below is the calendar for graduate and undergraduate courses.  Each on-line course is 10 weeks. 

Graduate Courses

Schedule	Course
Spring 2007
March 19 - May 25, 2007	PAD 6855 Intro. to Public Sector Procurement
Summer 2007
May 28 -  August 3, 2007	PAD 6857 Public Sector Procurement Law and Ethics
Fall 2007
August 6 - October 12, 2007	PAD 6858 Public Sector Contract Formulation
October 15 - December 21, 2007	PAD 6859 Public Sector Contract Administration
Spring 2008
Jan. 7 - March 14, 2008	PAD 6856 Public Procurement and Project Management

Undergraduate Courses

Schedule	Course
Fall 2007
August 6 - October 12, 2007	PAD 4852 Intro. to Public Sector Procurement
October 15 - December 21, 2007	PAD 4880 Administrative Process & Ethics of Public Sector Procurement
Spring 2008
January 7- March 14, 2008	PAD 4853 Public Sector Contract Planning and Analysis
March 17- May 23, 2008	PAD 4854 Public Sector Contract Management
Summer 2008
May 26 - August 1, 2008	PAD 4881 Public Sector Project Management

Special NIGP Member Tuition:

NIGP members taking on-line courses will pay reduced tuition as follows:

Course Level	NIGP Member Tuition	Standard Out-of-State for FAU Students	Net Savings per Course
Graduate Course	$1,100.00	$2,740.00	$1,640.11
Undergraduate Course	$   850.00	$1,639.08	$   789.08

•  Graduate Courses: Each course earns three semester credit hours
   The course will be cancelled if fewer than 10 students enroll; and
•  Undergraduate Courses: Each course earns three credit hours
   The course will be cancelled if fewer than 15 students enroll.

Undergraduate courses are for students without a bachelor degree; and graduate courses are for students holding a bachelor degree or higher.

Registration Information:

For course registration information please contact Marian Williams by e-mail at mwilliam@fau.edu or by phone at 954-762-5140 Monday - Friday from 9AM - 5PM.  
 
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Celebrate Your Value During Purchasing Month!

Get ready to celebrate Purchasing Month during the month of March! This is your month to get noticed for all your hard work. Your efforts to get the word out on why your professional services are critical to your agency, helps not only to promote you, but your profession as well. Let’s get the public and your co-workers aware of what public purchasing is all about!

The events and activities we produce during the month accomplish the goal to promote the importance of the profession. Please take this opportunity to plan and implement activities in your area. Plan events that involve your whole department, agency and community. Partner with other agencies or pool your resources with a chapter event. Be creative in finding sponsors to help offset costs.

Members can obtain information, sample documents and activity resources at the NIGP Web links on this page. Below are just a few ideas to get the brainstorming started in your department or local NIGP Chapter.

Get involved and plan for some fun and important activities:

•  Encourage your county, township, city, etc., to proclaim March as
   Purchasing Month.

•  If you’ve already obtained a proclamation, see if you can get it renewed
   and/or announced again.

•  Try making a presentation in your community colleges or universities
    on Purchasing as a profession.

•  Send a press release to your local press on all the activities
   happening in your area.

•  Partner with other agencies, or your chapter to generate a public event.
   See if you can find sponsors to offset costs.

•  Make sure your agency knows that March is Purchasing Month by announcing
   it at your staff meetings; sending a notice of events to your HR office and
   to your boss.

•  Generate a fundraising activity for a local charity or scholarship fund
   that lets the public know who you are and why you care.

•  Hold events in your department every week. They can be as simple as having
   a “P” day where you have popcorn and purchasing bingo in the afternoon,
   a pizza party, and Peach or Pistachio ice-cream to something more
   complex like a scavenger hunt.

If you need any assistance, your National staff is here to help. Please contact NIGP at PurchasingMonth@nigp.org for more information.

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NIGP Instructor Spotlight: Barb Johnson, CPPO, CPPB

NIGP AND INSTRUCTING – A SPECIAL OPPORTUNITY

By Barbara Johnson, CPPO, CPPB
Manager, Contract & Procurement Administration,
Columbus, Ohio Regional Airport Authority

Becoming an Instructor with NIGP is a journey.  First, you invest in yourself, and that knowledge is the basis of tremendous personal and professional growth.  It is continuously refreshed by the resources of colleagues, students and professional networking including the latest information – it is ever-green.  I hope that if this article resonates with you, you will follow-up and consider pursing becoming a certified NIGP instructor.

My original motivation was simply to become a good trainer.  It seemed as if things were rapidly changing at work and I was continuously creating training programs and presenting them to internal and external staff; stakeholders, potential bidders and management.

My path to the Procurement Manager position did not include coursework in education.  Already a National Member of NIGP with professional certifications, I learned of a class being held in conjunction with an NIGP Forum that could help me become a better trainer, the Train-the-Trainer course.  To this day, I still feel a special affinity with my fellow TTT classmates, and maintain professional ties with several of them.  Further, I became aware of the planned LEAP (Learning and Education Advancing Procurement) curriculum and was provided the opportunity to become involved in the practitioner and academic efforts to collect, compile, communicate and deliver the “body of knowledge” that comprises our profession.

During the last eight years, I’ve learned that every classroom experience is different, every group of students has their own cadence, character and community.  We share terrific stories and teach each other through information exchange, case studies and great humor.  Some of the greatest rewards are seeing the names of former students listed in the Newly Certified or Recertified section of the NIGP news; not to mention a former student sharing a newly minted “success story” related to something learned in our class.

Barb will be teaching "Legal Aspects of Public Purchasing" on Monday, January 29 in Columbia, South Carolina and on Wednesday, February 21 in Jackson, Mississippi. Register Today.   [ return to top ]

Performance Based Contracting Course Supports Key Trend

Performance-Based Contracting (PBC) provides that all aspects of service acquisiton are based on desired outcomes rather than prescriptive specifications.  In this contracting environment, price is usually a minor factor in the award criteria.

Beginning fiscal year 2002, Office of Management and Budget established a goal that 20 percent of all eligible service contract dollars over $25,000 would be structured as performance-based contracts. A recent PriceWaterhouseCoopers study indicates that state and local governments are quickly embracing performance-based service contracting.  Yet, as governments move toward performance-based contracting, most public procurement organizations are not adequately trained or equipped to effectively compete these contracts.

"Performance Based RFPs" provides the requisite skills and tools needed to understand and manage this procurement methodology. Classroom activities incorporate case studies to evaluate the use and effectiveness of the process.  During this two-day course, you will learn how to:    

•  Judge when performance based RFPs are appropriate
•  Incorporate the six components of performance based RFPs
•  Structure acquisitions around purpose and desired outcome
•  Effectively compete service contracts
•  Achieve best value with performance based RFPs    
                                         
                                              Presented By:              
                                             
                                    John R. Miller, CPPO, M.G.A.      
                                         Procurement Services     
                                Harford County Public School System     
                                                   Maryland

John Miller is the author of two NIGP textbooks, "Contracting for Services" (1996) and co-authored "Contracting for Public Sector Services" (2006).  Prior to joining Harford County Schools in 2000, Mr. Miller was the Purchasing Agent for the City of Baltimore, and served as an adjunct faculty member for Harford Community College and the University of Virginia.

John will be presenting this course on March 29-30 in Fredericksburg, Virginia, hosted by the Virginia Association of Governmental Purchasing, Inc. Chapter of NIGP.  To register contact Ellie Drew, CPPB, VCO at edrew@umw.edu.  Any chapter or agency that wishes to request this course should complete the Seminar Request Form.

Call For LES Scholarship Recipients

The LES Foundation Scholarship Program’s Mission Statement is to

        “provide financial resources through grants and scholarships that
         support the ongoing development of the public procurement profession
         and its practitioners.” 

To support and promote this mission, the Foundation will award three
scholarships at the NIGP 62nd Annual Forum and Products Exposition,
August 4-8, 2007, in Hartford, Connecticut.

There are three scholarships available to NIGP members:

•  Large Scholarship Award ($1,000).  This scholarship is awarded to students
   enrolled in a full-time program leading to a college degree or a part-time
   program of purchasing related courses to improve their skills.

•  Small Scholarship Award ($500).  Same as above.

•  NIGP National/Chapter Seminar Scholarship Award
   (TBD – based on cost of training).  This scholarship is awarded to individuals
   interested in enhancing their professional development training by taking NIGP
   National and/or NIGP Chapter seminar courses or workshops.

Deadline for submittal is May 30, 2007.  A LES Scholarship Review Panel will review all applications and make award recommendations to the LES Foundation Board.  Winners will be notified prior to the Forum.

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to obtain financial support as you continue to advance and improve your public purchasing professional career. Complete your LES Foundation Application today.

The Lewis E. Spangler (LES) and Professional Development Foundation does not discriminate against applicants on the basis of race, sex, handicap, age, veterans status, national origin, religion or political affiliation.
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New P-Card Webinar Series

Brought to you by NIGP’s ePro Knowledge Community

Procurement Cards Level I: Plastic with a Purpose
- A Beginner’s Guide to P-Cards
Tuesday, February 13, 2007 (1PM – 2:30 PM EST)
Registration Deadline: Wednesday, February 7
Register Today

Course Objectives:

•  Acquire a basic/ general understanding of the functionality of
   a procurement card program
•  Communicate clearly on the topic and participate in planning and
    implementing new programs
•  Avoid critical errors in developing card programs

Procurement Cards Level II: Best Business Practices and Beyond - An Intermediate Discussion of P-Cards
Thursday, March 1, 2007 (1PM – 2:30 PM EST)
Registration Deadline: Wednesday, February 21
Register Today 

Course Objectives:

•  Apply best business practices to a developing or existing
   procurement card program
•  Manage risk with applicable controls
•  Develop an effective training program
•  Establish procedures for basic reporting and monitoring. 

Please note: This Webinar is designed to compliment the Procurement Cards Level I:  Plastic with a Purpose – A Beginner’s Guide to P-Cards Webinar presented on February 13.  A basic understanding of Procurement cards is expected but not required.

Procurement Cards Level III: Advanced Applications and Future Functions
Tuesday, March 27, 2007 (1PM – 2:30 PM EST)
Registration Deadline: Wednesday, March 21
Register Today

Course Objectives:

•  Identify and evaluate potential applications for Procurement Cards
   beyond traditional uses
•  Maximize records accessibility
•  Apply basic understanding of data integration concepts
•  Track market trends
•  Strategically approach cooperative advancements

Please note: This Webinar is designed to compliment the Procurement Cards Level I and Level II Webinars presented on February 13 and March 1.  An intermediate understanding of Procurement cards is expected (but not required).

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Free Webinar!

How To Apply for the 12th Annual Achievement of Excellence in Procurement Award
Tuesday, February 27, 2007 (1PM – 2:30 PM EST)
Registration Deadline:  Wednesday, February 21
Register Today! 

Presenters:

Wayne A. Casper, C.P.M., CPPO
City of Tucson, Arizona
Beth Fleming, C.P.M., A.P.P.
Denton County, Texas
Cheryl L. Olson, C.P.M., CPM
Volusia County, Florida

Upon completion, each participant in the Webinar should be able to:

•  Apply for the Achievement of Excellence in Procurement Award
•  Encourage development of excellence
•  Provide benchmarks for continued excellence
•  Increase awareness of public procurement as a profession

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Welcome New Members - December 2006

Agency Members

Atlanta Fire and Rescue
Representative:  Catrese Lott
Atlanta, GA

Arizona Superior Court in Pima County
Representative:  Nancy Page, CPPB
Tucson, AZ

Calhoun County South Carolina
Representative:  Emmett Kirwan
St. Matthews, SC

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UPPCC Certifications - December 2006

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


New CPPOs  

Arizona
Denise Finn, CPPO, CPPB, C.P.M.
Director of Purchasing & Contracting
Yavapai College

California
Gene Clark, CPPO, C.P.M.
Purchasing Agent
County of Sonoma

Maryland
Tony Reed, CPPO
Assistant Secretary
Maryland Department of General Services

Utah
Gregory Maynard, CPPO, C.P.M., MBA
Purchasing Supervisor
Salt Lake City School District

New CPPBs 

Alaska
Gary Yee, CPPB
Contracting Officer
University of Alaska at Anchorage

Alabama
Wanda Brantley, CPPB
Procurement Officer
City of Gulf Shores

Arizona
Nicholas Grund, CPPB
Contract Officer
City of Tucson

Daniel Longanecker, CPPB
Senior Contract Offier
City of Tucson

Jennifer Moore, CPPB
Contract & Commodity Manager
Pima County Government - Procurement

Christina Schipansky, CPPB
Senior Contract Officer
City of Tucson

California
Dreama Howard, CPPB
Buyer
City of Sunnyvale

Florida
Inho Abdich, CPPB
Buyer
Sarasota Manatee Airport Authority

Edward Rader, CPPB
Buyer
Marion County Public Schools

Diane Reed, CPPB
Senior Contracts Analyst
Seminole County

Constance Rozier, CPPB
Procurement Professional
St. Johns River Water Management District

Donna Sapp, CPPB
Purchasing Specialist
School District of St. Lucie County

Sharlene Solis, CPPB
Purchasing Agent
Central Florida Community College

Georgia
Djuana Herron, CPPB
Administrative Services Manager- Procurement
City of Atlanta

Terrence Reese, CPPB
Senior Buyer
Fulton County - Department of Purchasing

Darlene West, CPPB
Contract Admin
Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA)

Staci Wilbon, CPPB
Contracting Officer, Senior
City of Atlanta

Louisiana
Cynthia Armstrong, CPPB
Director of Purchasing
Louisiana State University in Shreveport

Anthony Mitchell, CPPB
Senior Buyer
City of Shreveport

Mary Preslar, CPPB
Procurement Specialist II
Louisiana State University in Shreveport

Pamela Sanchez, CPPB
Senior Buyer
City of Shreveport

Doris Sanders, CPPB
Procurement Professional
City of Natchitoches

Richard Wilkinson, CPPB, CLSBO
Purchasing Agent
DeSoto Parish School Board

Maryland
Helen Ashley, CPPB
Senior Buyer
Howard County Purchasing

Missouri
Erin Moritz, CPPB
General Services Specialist
Missouri Department of Transportation

Mississippi
Lisa Hancock, CPPB
Procurement Director
Mississippi Department of Transportation

Ontario
Nancy Dunbar, CPPB
Senior Buyer
Town of Oakville

Michelle Rasiulis, CPPB
Senior Buyer
Town of Oakville

Oregon
Patrick Boyd, CPPB
Assistant Procurement Specialist
City of Portland

Gerald Jelusich, CPPB
Procurement Officer
Multnomah County

Margaret Marriott, CPPB
Purchasing Agent/Buyer III
Port of Portland

Nathan Mosley, CPPB
Purchasing Agent
Port of Portland

Karen Slusarenko, CPPB
Purchasing/Contracts Analyst
METRO

Cinna'Mon Williams, CPPB, MCA
Procurement  Analyst
METRO

Diane Wood, CPPB
Purchasing Coordinator
City of Albany Oregon

South Carolina
Regina Middleton, CPPB
Purchasing Agent
Town of Mount Pleasant

Virginia
Barbara Jo Hanlin, CPPB
Buyer
Prince William County Public Schools

All certified and recertified CPPOs and CPPBs may be found at www.uppcc.org. 

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