Go Pro: Celebrate Your Value During Purchasing Month

Get ready to celebrate Purchasing Month during the month of March!  This is your month to be noticed for the tremendous service you provide to your agency and your community.

To help you achieve the recognition you deserve, complimentary GO PRO pins have been mailed to all NIGP members via their agency representative. NIGP created these unique GO PRO pins to reflect the pride you take in being a member of our profession and your commitment to the professional ideals NIGP represents.  Wear or display your pin to let your co-workers – and the public – learn more about the role you play to support their needs every day of the year.

If you would like to order additional pins for your staff or Chapter members, e-mail purchasingmonth@nigp.org.

Events and  Activities

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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San Diego Unified School District: Professional Development At Its Best

Public sector professional development was something that the San Diego Unified School District had never participated in even though it is the 18th largest school district in the country and is the eighth largest school district in the city.  In 2007, the district did $88 million in purchase orders.

When Art Hanby, Jr., CPPO, C.P.M., CPPB, A.P.P., became the Director, Business Support Services two years ago, things were about to change and change for the better.  As a result of Art's commitment to NIGP's professional development and training, staff members in Procurement and Contracts as well as the Facilities Departments took onsite professional development classes.  The result:  his staff now includes UPPCC Certified Professional Public Buyers (CPPBs). 

Tony Crosby, Director of Purchasing, Fairfax County Schools presented the CPPB Certificates at the San Diego Unified School District on February 6, 2008. 

                         
First row: Eric Schoeppler, CPPB, Senior Buyer; Mike Agrella, CPPB, Supervising Contract Specialist; Liz Gabbard, CPPB, C.P.M., Senior Buyer; Beverlee Tucker Branch, CPPB, Senior Buyer; Peter M. Iverson, Chief Business Officer. 
Second row: Tony Crosby, Director of Purchasing and NIGP Instructor, Fairfax County Schools; Art Hanby, Director, Business Support Services; Graham Champion, CPPB, Labor Compliance Program Supervisor; and John Groll, CPPB, Contract Specialist.  Absent was Kim Abrams, CPPB, Facilities Contract Supervisor.

Congratulations to Art and his certified team on these major accomplishments.
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Upcoming Webinar: Government Purchasers Save The World

How Government Purchasers Are Incorporating Human Health,
Environmental and Social Considerations Into The Routing Purchasing Process

Thursday, March 13
1PM - 2:30PM (Eastern)
Registration Deadline:  Wednesday, March 5

Course Objectives:

•  Learn the hidden human health and environmental impacts of
   every purchasing decision
•  Define responsible purchasing and describe the historic role government
   purchasing has played in shaping our future
•  Understand the ways governments are integrating human health
   and environmental considerations into their purchasing decisions

                                                  Presented by:

                                          

                                                   Scot Case
                        Vice President for TerraChoice Environmental Marketing

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NIGP Curriculum Essential: Logistics and Transportation

A large public school district contracted for direct product shipments to over 100 school sites and saved nearly $300,000 in the first year alone.

A Federal agency achieved millions of dollars in savings when it evaluated its transportation system and contracted for logistics services from a third-party provider.

Logistics and Transportation is a two-day course that explores how your agency can benefit by contracting product transport services independent of the product itself. Having a thorough understanding of transportation terms can also benefit your agency when the product and transport are part of the same contract.  As professionals you can manage transportation costs and transportation performance.

Course Objectives:

•  Focus on the benefits of contracting product
   transport services independent of the product
   itself.

•  Understand the nature of logistics contracting, processes and the competitive market environment of transportation carriers.

For a detailed course description visit Logistics and Transportation.

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

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New U.S. Communities Contract: Synthetic Turf & Other Athletic Surfaces

U.S. Communities Government Purchasing Alliance (“U.S. Communities”) is pleased to announce that Fairfax County Public Schools has awarded General Sports Venue/AstroTurf USA (“GSV/AstroTurf USA”) a contract for Synthetic Turf, Athletic Surfaces and Related Products. The contract became available for use through U.S. Communities on February 1, 2008.

General Sports Venue is an American owned, Minority Business Enterprise that specializes in providing comprehensive and custom solutions to successfully plan, design, build, and finance synthetic sports fields and athletic venues including AstroTurf branded sports turf products and services. The new contract provides broad access to GSV/AstroTurf’s complete line of synthetic turf athletic field products as well as state-of-the-art track surfaces and Sports Antimicrobial System (SAS) treatments for athletic facilities and locker rooms.

For more information visit General Sports Venue.  For a list of all of the U.S. Communities contract offerings please go to www.uscommunities.org.

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Welcome New Members: January 2008

Agency Members

Catawba County
Debbie Anderson, CLGPO
Newton, NC

City of Merced
Pamela Whala, C.P.M., A.P.P.
Merced, CA

Commonwealth of Virginia - Military Affairs
Judith Wallace, VCO
Blackstone, VA

Department of Juvenile Justice
Shannon Jenkins, CPPB, VCO
Richmond, VA

Duncanville Independent School District
Richard Morgan
Duncanville, TX

Gallup-McKinley County Schools
Marco Abeita, CPPB
Gallup, NM

Hillsborough County Aviation Authority
Timothy Shoby, CPPO, CPPB
Tampa, FL

Jackson County Government
Leonard Bernat
Jefferson, GA

Marion County Finance Department
Peggy Mitchell, CPPB
Salem, OR

Maryland Stadium Authority
John Samoryk
Baltimore, MD

Miami Dade Juvenile Services Department
La Tosha Tarver
Miami, FL

North Carolina Center for Advancement of Teaching
Cindy Nicholson
Cullowhee, NC

University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Betty Foster
Little Rock, AR

Virginia State Corporation Commission
Deloris Ann Sells, CPPB, VCO
Richmond, VA

Washington State Department of Information Services
Jolena Missildine
Olympia, WA


Individual Members

Rick Ashby
Clearfield, UT

Frederic Aupont
Miami, FL

Tommy Caudillo
Los Angeles, CA

Maternst Isoff
Port Saint Lucie, FL

Joseph Morency
Douglasville, GA

Mary Pignatelli
Staten Island, NY

Cynthia Russo
Inverness, FL


Student Members

Michael Broens
Wuerzburg, Germany

Paul Connell
Boynton Beach, FL

Krista Cromwell
Palm City, FL

Julie DeMar
Lantana, FL

Joshua Harmon-Schaefer
Tallahassee, FL

Kingdom Iweajunwa
Crawfordville, FL

Gibao KaniGoba
Raleigh, NC

Bawa Marita CTPM
Austin, TX

Christy Smith
Tallahassee, FL


Retired Members

Kassaundra Anderson, CPPB
Dayton, OH

Cathy Bartolotti
Tampa, FL

Archibald Black
Charlotte, NC

Andrea Roitman, CPPB
Shoreham, NY

Bennie Shivers, CPPO, CPPB
Overland Park, KS

Marjorie Sims, CPPB
Lithonia, GA

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UPPC Certifications: January 2008

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

New CPPOs   

 

Massachusetts
Richard Mordaunt, CPPO, CPPB
Director, IT & Office Procurements
Commonwealth of Massachusetts


New CPPBs 

Florida
Donald Raney, CPPB
Warehouse Assistant
City of Venice

Wendy Russell, CPPB
Budget Specialist
City of Port St Lucie

Georgia
Cynthia Richardson, CPPB
Buyer
Fulton County - Department of Purchasing

Aziz Tashbulatov, CPPB
Buyer
City of Atlanta, Department of Aviation

Idaho
Clarke Camenga, CPPB
Purchasing/Contracts Agent
State of Idaho, Department of Lands

Mississippi
Amy Reeves, CPPB
Purchasing Specialist
Hinds Community College

Ontario
Carol-Anne Lyon, CPPB
Buyer
Town of Ajax

Tennessee
Karen Whaley, CPPB
Purchasing Assistant
Anderson County Government

Virginia
Mary Pennington, CPPB
Buyer I
Fairfax Water

Wyoming
Rose Morgan, CPPB
Buyer
Wyoming Department of Transportation

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

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