Executive Director of Business Operations Joins NIGP

NIGP is pleased to announce the appointment of Brent Woods as Executive Director for Business Operations. 

The Executive Director for Business Services is NIGP's senior executive responsible for all internal business operations including financial management, office and building operations, human resources, and contract administration.  He also serves as the primary spokesperson and point of contact for the Institute when Rick Grimm, CPPO, CPPB, Chief Executive Officer of NIGP is not available.

Brent will work with NIGP's directors to define and implement strategies and innovations for increasing value to members.  In this capacity, Brent will ensure that internal infrastructures and resources are sufficient to support the Institute's programs and strategies through adequate staffing, equipment, materials, and supplies.  He will also be responsible for executing sound business practices for the Institute's operations and establishing performance benchmarks and to gain economy and efficiency.  Brent will serve as the staff liaison to the Finance and Budget Review Committee and a key liaison to the NIGP Treasurer. 

Professional Background

Since 1997, Brent has served as the Chief of Staff for three organizations in the San Francisco Bay area that were established to provide public service to the community.  In 2003, he served as co-founder, Chief Operations Officer, and CFO for AltruIT, a not-for-profit organization that was formed as a strategic partnership among a group of IT consultants, developers and Child & Family Services professionals in California.  The company's goal is to provide Tier 1 information technology to non-profit Child and Family Services Agencies in order to improve efficiencies and outcomes in child and family programs that effect social change.

Prior to these three engagements, he was employed by the Pacific Gas and Electric Company's legal department on policy and contractual issues.

Brent holds a JD from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law Licensure and a Bachelor's Degree in English and Creative Writing from Ohio University.

Train-the-Trainer Opportunity: Help Develop 'Generation Next'

NIGP’s Train-the-Trainer Program comes to historic Northern Virginia
January 14-16
Hyatt Dulles
Herndon, Virginia

We’re expanding our highly regarded NIGP instructor team and need certified professionals like you to share their leadership and experience with up-and-coming public procurement professionals.

•  Become a more influential speaker
•  Develop 'Generation Next'
•  Ensure the sustainability of our profession

Train-the-Trainer is three days of practical, interactive exercises designed to elevate your presentation skills and help you more effectively communicate with any audience.  Whether or not you join the ranks of active NIGP Certified Trainers, you will have developed the skills to make you a more influential presenter in front of your department, agency leadership and elected officials.

Complete program details are found at Train-the-Trainer.  

Please join us by registering no later than Monday, January  7. To receive the discounted hotel rate of $109/night, the hotel must receive your registration by Thusday, December 27.

Questions?  Contact Carol Ann Ivory at 800-367-6447 x275 or civory@nigp.org. 
 

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Upcoming Webinar: Does It Really Say That?

The Law and Public Procurement
Thursday, December 20
1PM - 2:30PM (Eastern)
Registration Deadline Today! 

Course Objectives:

•  Identify the issues that need to be considered when a protest arises
•  Distinguish bid irregularities that can be waived from those that cannot
•  Understand the most appropriate course of action when faced with 
   bid irregularities

                                         Presented By:

                         Kirk Buffington, CPPO, MBA, C.P.M. 
                          Director of Procurement Services 
                                        Broward County 
                                  Fort Lauderdale, Florida 

                                 Michael Kolodisner, CPPO 
                                          Unit Manager 
                      Metropolitan Water District of Southern California 

                                 C. Moty Torres, MSPA, J.D. 
                              Manager Professional Services
                      Metropolitan Water District of Southern California   
                                          
                                         Register Today


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Ready To Get Hit With Tremendous Ideas?

Charlotte, North Carolina and the historic Blake Hotel 
play host to this year's TIPPS symposium. 

Register Today for this three-day series of insightful workshops, panel discussions, joint sessions and case studies.  All sessions focus on the issues important to public procurement professionals concerned about eProcurement and purchasing for public schools.

•  Does your school district benefit 
   from a  wellness program?

•  What are next generation p-cards?

•  What are successful ERPstrategies?
 
•  Is your Emergency Management Plan 
   all it should be?

Registration deadline is Friday, February 22, 2008,
but register early to save your space in the classroom
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Roofing Contracts Through U.S. Communities

Roofs are not one of those sexy capital improvement projects that the masses rally behind. On the contrary, they often get pushed to the back burner.

Wichita Public Schools, a U.S. Communities Advisory Board member, acted as lead agency to competitively bid roofing products and related services on a nationwide basis. Wichita Public Schools awarded the bid and a national contract to Hickman Communities Services (HCS) on behalf of the U.S. Communities purchasing program. HCS is a partnership between two of the roofing industry’s leading companies – W.P. Hickman Systems and Aduddell Roofing.

What makes the HCS program different from other U.S. Communities contracts is that it’s the first service contract combining products with labor and installation - it’s a one-stop process. HCS provides engineers, architects, materials and the contractors to provide a complete roofing solution for projects of any size.  Through this consolidation of services, HCS is able to maintain the quality of product and service throughout the life of the project.  Plus, this centralization of coordinated authority and responsibility allows greater efficiencies, resulting in projects that are completed faster and with less cost.  Those are real benefits taxpayers can embrace.

In Prince George’s County, Maryland, HCS has already installed eight roofs with more planned. “HCS has streamlined the design time. Everything is under one roof,” said Mike Davis, facilities manager for the county. “We have saved on costs and time. Typically, going through the design-bidding-procurement-county government approval process takes about a year, now the entire process is done in two to three months."

To date, HCS projects have been completed in 20 states from Maryland to Michigan to California. A large project totaling $450,000 was just completed for Penn State University.

“Once people realize it’s okay to use us, they are seeing a huge change in how they can get things accomplished,” said Mel McGowan, Vice President of National Accounts for Aduddell Roofing.  It’s a matter of educating facilities directors and procurement departments.

“Roofing in and of itself is complex. It’s not just the top part of the roof that is important; proper decking, insulation, redundancy in material layering and attention to installation details all make up a high performance roof structure,” said Todd Lewers, national program manager for HCS. “There are 1,200 to 1,500 different types of systems.” 

HCS takes into consideration what the roof is covering during the design phase as well as budget constraints. For instance, an old warehouse might not require a premium roof, whereas, the top floor of a county office that houses the mainframe computer and critical county records better have the best roof system available.

Energy efficiency can also be a major consideration in deciding what type of roofing system to install. To that end, U.S. Communities sponsors a Green Government Initiative, which promotes the advantages of using Energy Star and environmentally friendly products. HCS uses the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards.

“Roofing is not historically a clean business with its petroleum based products, but new products used for green and cool roofs have led to environmentally friendly improvements. This trend is spreading across the country,” Lewers said. He also points to Europe’s use of green roofs for centuries and added that the sun’s rays absorb and penetrate more easily through manmade products.

Green roofing, like most green products, often cost more initially. The cost advantage is in the long-term energy savings as well as the fact that green roofs last longer than many other roofing systems. The company proved their point by installing The Living Roof at Carnegie Mellon University, which won a national design award from the National Roofing Contractors Association. Ongoing test results have measured reductions in energy usage and water retention rate benefits.

For more information about roofing systems, visit hcsroofing or uscommunities.    [ return to top ]

Welcome New Members: November 2007

Agency Members 

City of Campbell River
Bernd Guderjahn, C.P.P.
Campbell River, BC

City of Shelton
Louis Marusic
Shelton, CT

County of Monterey
Michael Derr
Salinas, CA

Frankfort Plant Board
Leigh Darnaby
Frankfort, KY

Georgia Tech Department of Housing
Robert Canada, CPPO, CPPB
Atlanta, GA

Hazelwood School District
Kevin Cross
Florissant, MO

Lamar Consolidated Independent School District
Michele Leach
Rosenberg, TX

Lowndes County Board of Commissioners
Lisa Burton
Valdosta, GA

New York State Office of the Attorney General
Ron Wachenheim
Albany, NY

University of North Carolina at Wilmington
Mary Forsythe
Wilmington, NC


Individual Members

Gregory Brown
Richmond, VA

George Cullen, C.P.M., VCO
Ruckersville, VA

Peter Rigterink, CPPO, CPPB, VCO
Farnham, VA

Tracey Thomas
Paterson, NJ

Jana Thurman
Hammond, LA

Marlon Torres, CPPO, CPPB
New York, NY


Faculty Member

William Klay
Tallahassee, FL

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UPPCC Certifications: November 2007

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

New CPPOs   

 

Alberta
Claire Gratton, CPPO, CPPB
Senior Buyer
City of Edmonton

California
Mark Logan, CPPO, CPPB, C.P.M, A.P.P.
Contracts Manager
Chaffey Community College District

David Louis, CPPO, CPPB, C.P.M.
Director of Purchasing
Modesto City Schools

Florida
Km! Ra, CPPO, CPPB
Senior Procurement Contracting Agent
Miami Dade County Department of Procurement Management

Georgia
Donna Bertrand, CPPO, CPPB
Asst. Director Procurement & Accounts Payable
Kennesaw State University

Virginia
Lakita Ayers, CPPO, CPPB, MBA
Asst. Director of Purchasing and Inventory Management
Arlington County Public Schools


New CPPBs 

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