Welcome Desert Southwest Chapter of NIGP

The Desert Southwest Chapter was officially granted its charter on May 1, 2007.

Officiating at the ceremony was William E. Brewer, CPPO, C.P.M., Second Vice President of NIGP Board of Directors.  Mr. Brewer personally welcomed the attending Charter Members into the new Chapter with a membership card and an NIGP lapel pin. Assisting Mr. Brewer was the newly-elected President of the Desert Southwest Chapter, Rocky Brannan, CPPO, CPPB, C.P.M.

The membership consist of public purchasers from many different organizations in the Yuma area, including City of Yuma, Crane Elementary School District, Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Yuma Educational Materials Management Consortium, Arizona Department of Corrections, Arizona Western College, Bureau of Reclamation, Yuma County, Yuma Union High School District, Department of Defense, Department of the Navy and the Somerton School District. (Photo features William Brewer, left and Rocky Brannan with the newly awarded charter).

In conjunction with the Chartering Ceremony, a purchasing training seminar was hosted by the chapter titled “Adding Value to the Procurement Process”.  The seminar was conducted by Michael Bevis of the City of Naperville, Illinois.  A few of the comments from seminar attendees include:

“This was an excellent class!  Every Purchasing Professional should attend it. I highly recommend it to anyone even remotely associated with the procurement field. I look forward to future seminars being offered by the chapter.”
Peggy Hayes, CPPB
City of Yuma

“I thought that Mike did a great job in providing a good foundation for improvement through theory. Additionally there were some practical tips that I will be exploring. Overall I find that this type of class is good for developing measuring tools that are a requirement in purchasing but that can often be overlooked.”
Larry Weeks, CPPO, CPPB
Yuma Educational Materials Management

New NIGP Curriculum Essential: Logistics and Transportation

Your needs are at the forefront of everything we do...NIGP has listened and responded by developing this bold new LEAP text and curriculum with compelling material that will point today's procurement professional in the right direction.

Logistics and Transportation
Two-Day Seminar

Government agencies have now begun to realize the value of evaluating the total cost of procuring goods that may include transportation costs, carrying costs or disposal costs.

Logistics and Transportation provides an understanding of logistics contracting, its processes and legal aspects, and the competitive market environment of transportation carriers.  This course reveals how your agency can benefit by contracting product transport services independent of the product itself.

Course Objectives:

•  Describe the elements of transportation and logistics and
   the potential opportunities for cost savings

•  Define freight and logistics terms and conditions with internal and external clients
   and vendors

•  Analyze project requirements for a project and determine which transportation and
   logistics processes provide the best solutions for the agency

•  Design and develop a cost-effective logistcs and transportation program

The Logistics and Transportation course and text is appropriate for anyone associated with the purchase of goods.

For a detailed course description visit Logistics and Transportation.

Chapters or agencies that wish to request a class should complete the Seminar Request Form.
[ return to top ]

Webinar: Ten Characteristics of Effective Managers

Tuesday, June 19, 2007
1PM - 2:30PM (Eastern)
Registration Deadline:  June 13

                                             Presenter: 
                           

Cooperative Electricity Purchasing Saves BMC $10 Million

BMC announces $10 million in savings on cooperative electricity purchases and expanding this strategy to the purchase of natural gas in a press release dated May 7, 2007.

Since deregulation in 1999, the Baltimore Regional Cooperative Purchasing Committee (BRCPC), a standing committee of the Baltimore Metropolitan Council (BMC), has explored ways to reduce energy costs through cooperative purchasing. Between 2001 and early 2006, BRCPC solicited bids and awarded competitive contracts wherever it identified rates that were lower than “Provider of Last Resort” (POLR)/ Standard Offer Service (SOS) rates prices offered by utility companies.  By purchasing electricity through fixed rate contracts, rather than paying SOS rates, BRCPC saved several million dollars.

BRCPC determined that even lower rates and greater price stability could be achieved by making direct purchases of electricity on the wholesale market.  This strategy starts with the real cost of energy and works up, rather than starting at retail pricing and working down, and eliminates middleman costs.  The BMC Board retained South River Consulting for advice in implementing the new strategy.  Baltimore County acted as the lead jurisdiction and solicited proposals from over forty suppliers licensed to sell power in the State of Maryland to establish a contract with a supplier to act as an agent to purchase power in the PJM markets. PJM is the largest regional transmission organization in the U.S. electric system.  PEPCO was selected to act as the agent.  South River also agreed to furnish independent advice throughout administration of the new contract.

BRCPC estimated that local governments would collectively save at least $500,000 in the first year, including both dollars saved over the cost of retail rates and savings in administrative costs.  Between June of 2006, when the new purchasing strategy was implemented, and March of 2007, the savings over fixed rate pricing totaled $10 million.  The savings over SOS pricing provided by BGE, the provider of last resort, is $23 million.

“I commend Baltimore County Executive Jim Smith, who during his term as BMC Chair, encouraged BRCPC to explore new options for purchasing electricity, for his farsightedness and his commitment to making the best use of taxpayer dollars,” said Harford County Executive David Craig, the current BMC Chair.  “Having seen BRCPC’s success in implementing wholesale purchases of electricity, the BMC Board is excited about the savings that may be realized by applying the same strategy to the purchase of natural gas.”

BRCPC is currently executing a contract with Constellation New Energy-Gas Division for natural gas supply services, with an anticipated savings of $250,000 annually.

    [ return to top ]

Member Agency King County Saves $640K on Environmental Purchasing Program

Efforts to safeguard the environment when purchasing items such as recycled paper, toner cartridges, biodiesel and hybrid cars are saving Seattle, Washington's King County money, and supporting markets for green products. 

"Every purchase we make – as a government or as individuals – has an impact on human health and the environment, so we have a responsibility to soften these impacts when we can," said King County Executive Ron Sims.  "King County agencies purchased $36 million worth of environmentally-preferable products in 2006, and yet these purchases also brought $640,000 in savings to county agencies. That's just good government." 

King County's Environmental Purchasing Policy reflects a long-term commitment to the purchase of environmentally preferable products. In 1989, King County adopted its original recycled product procurement policy in response to overburdened landfills and the need to create markets for newly collected recyclables.  Environmentally preferable procurement considers multiple product attributes, such as toxicity, durability, recycled content and conservation of resources, in addition to price, performance and availability. 

The county's Environmental Purchasing Program provides county personnel with information and technical assistance to help them identify and evaluate, and ultimately buy, economical and effective environmentally preferable products and services.

Since 1990, the program has earned awards and accolades from many organizations - from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to the National Association of Counties (NACo) - and continues to be a central resource for jurisdictions and other organizations across the nation.

Recycled paper is used for all major government functions, including more than nine million bus schedules annually, tax statements, court forms, pet license notifications, business cards, reports, stationery, and internal printing. Other purchases include: remanufactured toner cartridges; re-refined antifreeze and motor oil; ultra-low sulfur diesel; biodiesel; hybrid vehicles; bio-based oils; low-VOC asphalt cold-patch; plastic lumber, compost, shredded wood-waste and tire retreading services. In addition to their environmental benefits, many of these products are more economical than those they replace.

To learn more about King County's environmental purchasing efforts visit http://www.metrokc.gov/.

       [ return to top ]

Does Your Agency Have an Exemplary Purchasing Division?

Now is the time to apply to receive your Agency Accreditation at the 2007 NIGP Annual Forum in Hartford, Connecticut, August 4-8.  Each year at its Annual Awards Luncheon, NIGP formally recognizes public agencies that truly represent “best-in-class” procurement operations.

NIGP’s Agency Accreditation Programs award two progressive levels of accreditation to agencies achieving premiere levels of excellence in their procurement operations.  The Outstanding Agency Accreditation Achievement Award (OA⁴) and the Pareto Award for Excellence in Public Procurement are achieved upon successful completion of rigorous programs requiring extensive self-evaluation and focused peer review.

NIGP’s Outstanding Agency Accreditation Achievement Award

Accreditation is earned by the best practices your agency demonstrates day to day.  NIGP’s accreditation programs are self-directed tools that measure your processes against the best-practices of our profession.  Whether seeking the OA⁴ or Pareto Accreditation Award, your self-assessment will make clear to you the areas where your agency excels and where it can yet develop.

The criteria are rigorous as these accreditations are awarded only to agencies that truly reflect the achievement of excellence in public procurement. But NIGP wants to make the assessment process easy to understand and undertake.  We offer sample applications for your reference that provide guidance as you complete your own submittal. And we invite you to call us with your questions, or whenever you need clarification on how to best assess your agency’s specific levels of performance.

Accreditation is awarded upon satisfactory completion of a self-review process.  The format for review is provided in the Agency Accreditation Criteria Form and requires the procurement agency to evaluate its performance in the following eight mandatory areas:

•  Mission & Strategy
•  Organization
•  Authority & Responsibility
•  Planning & Scheduling
•  Standards & Specifications
•  Source Selection
•  Sole Source & Limited Competition
•  Personnel & Professional Development

In addition, the agency measures its organization within four optional categories:

•  Property Management
•  Audit & Evaluation
•  Cooperative Purchasing
•  Automated Systems & E-commerce

Agencies meeting the minimum requirements will receive OA⁴ accreditation and become eligible to pursue the highly prestigious Pareto Award.

NIGP’s Pareto Award of Excellence in Public Procurement

Named for famed political sociologist and economist  Vilfredo Pareto (1848-1923), the father of scientific procurement and the 80/20 Rule.  The Pareto Award recognizes and honors those public procurement operations that are truly best in class. It is the highest form of peer recognition, making it the pinnacle award bestowed on an agency for outstanding achievements in public procurement.

Established by NIGP in 2003, the Pareto Award is attained only by public procurement agencies holding current OA⁴ accreditation.  The award is garnered following successful completion of three phases:

1. Self-study
2. Written Responses to 60 Questions Relating to:
        •  Leadership
        •  Strategic Planning
        •  Customer Focus
        •  Process Management
        •  Technology & Information Management
        •  Performance Review
3. On-site Peer Review

For more information on NIGP’s accreditation programs, download our Accreditation brochure, visit award criteria, or contact accreditation@nigp.org. 



[ return to top ]

Welcome New Members - April 2007

Agency Members

Arkansas Department of Information Systems
Marecia Griffin 
Little Rock, AR

Brazos River Authority
Jose Diaz 
Waco, TX

City of Atlanta - Drinking Water
Sabrina Watts, CPPB
Atlanta, GA

City of East St. Louis
James Tyus 
East Saint Louis, IL

City of Manchester
Melinda Salomone-Abood 
Manchester, NH

City of Schenectady
Lisa Adamyk 
Schenectady, NY

DeKalb County Board of Health
Selethia Smith 
Decatur, GA

Eleventh Circuit AOC State of Florida
Amarillys Negrin 
Miami, FL

Florida Department of Legal Affairs
Steve Copeland 
Tallahassee, FL

Hillsborough County Department of Aging Services
Deborah Heckaman 
Tampa, FL

UPPCC Certifications - April 2007

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

New CPPOs   

 

Arizona
Lari Staples, CPPO
Purchasing Manager
Glendale Elementary School Distict #40

Maryland
Papia Jones, CPPO, CPPB
Senior Procurement Specialist
Montgomery County Government

Oregon
Amha Hazen, CPPO
Contract Administrator
Housing Authority of Portland

Eileen  Miller, CPPO, C.P.M.
Purchasing Management Analyst
Chemeketa Community College

New CPPBs 

Arkansas
Amy Stoddard, CPPB
Information Technology Buyer
Arkansas Dept of Finance & Administration

Beverly Webb, CPPB
Buyer
Arkansas Dept of Finance & Administration

California
James Boggan, CPPB
Senior Buyer
Placer County

April  (AJ) Nunez, CPPB
Buyer II
Placer County

Florida
Lucille Anken, CPPB
Human Services Program Manager
Florida Department of Health

Georgia
Delores Hill, CPPB
Purchasing
Atlanta Public Schools

Illinois
Michael Knauer, CPPB
Contract Manager
State of Illinois Procurement

Kentucky
Amanda Greer, CPPB
Sealed Bid Purchasing Officer
Kentucky Division of Engineering and Contract Administration

Lindsay Jackson, CPPB
Purchasing Associate
Kentucky Transportation Cabinet

Melissa Jeffers, CPPB
Procurement Associate
Commonwealth of Kentucky

Autumn Perry, CPPB
Internal Policy Analyst II
Kentucky Department of Agriculture

Maryland
Brandi Naugle, CPPB
Procurement Specialist II
Washington County

Missouri
John Hall, CPPB
Buyer
Missouri Office of Administration

Montana
Alisa Mathews, CPPB
IT Procurement Specialist
City of Missoula

North Carolina
Garey Graham, CPPB
Buyer
North Carolina State Ports Authority

Nova Scotia
Anne Feist, CPPB
Operations Manager Procurement
Halifax Regional Municipality

Ohio
Lorraine Bells, CPPB
Procurement Specialist
City of Columbus

Ontario
Katharine Parker, CPPB
Buyer
York Region District School Board

Nicole Spicer, CPPB
Buyer
City of Brampton

Tennesee
Teresa Johnson, CPPB
Contract Administrator
Blount County

Texas
Terrence Freiburg, CPPB
Purchasing Manager
City of El Paso

Pheby Ramsey, CPPB
Buyer
City of Dallas

Virginia
Keith Gordon, CPPB, VCA
Buyer
City of Hampton

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

  [ return to top ]