Procurement Pulse: A Blog by NASPO

NASPO's Research & Innovation Team has launched Procurement Pulse - a blog that monitors state issues in procurement. Procurement Pulse wants to be your go-to source for news, best practices and emerging issues in state procurement. Bookmark the blog and be sure check back regularly for more articles on the issues that matter to NASPO members.

Right now on Procurement Pulse, we are featuring the following posts:
  • "Welcome to Procurement Pulse!" - an introduction to the blog, the NASPO Top Ten Priorities for State Procurement, and the 2018 Horizon Issues.
  • "A Skillset for the Future" - Jason Soza, CPO, State of Alaska, NASPO Director at Large, and Research and Innovation Champion, shares his projections for what's needed in the procurement hard skillset of the future.
  • "Top Five Ways to Make Modular Procurement Work" - Looking for the right tool at the right time to help you tackle a big and scary procurement? Look no further than the principles of modular or iterative procurement. Get the top five tips for making these methods work for your team.
Survey of State Procurement Practices - 2018 Data Collection Coming Soon!

State Directors,

It is Spring and almost time for the 2018 Survey of State Procurement Practices! This is NASPO's most comprehensive data collection, including a wide range of questions regarding the strategic role of state central procurement, procurement authority, contracting practices and much more.

An email will be sent out the week of March 26th , which will include your unique survey link tied to your email address. The survey will remain open until April 10th.

As always, our goal is to have 100 percent response rate. Please ensure you, or your designee, provide your state's input to this important NASPO biennial survey. 

We appreciate your participation! If you have any questions about the 2018 survey, please contact Elena Moreland at emoreland@naspo.org .
2018 Exchange Breaks Records!

We look forward to welcoming you to New York City for the 2018 NASPO Exchange to learn, network and partner with more than 640 procurement peers and supplier representatives.
Academic Forum
April 10-12, 2018

Final preparations continue for the 2018 Academic Forum, where more than 60 participants representing 27 states and 10 academic institutions will have a meeting of the minds at Michigan State University. The Academic Forum will bring together academic institutions and state member perspectives on recruitment and retainment, current issues facing public procurement and strategies to elevate the public procurement profession. We look forward to hosting this great event for the second year and supporting growth and the future of public procurement!

NASPO on the Road: Higher Education Events

Arizona State University

On February 28, NASPO CEO, Lindle Hatton, and Academic Coordinator, Olivia Hook Frey, traveled to Tempe, Arizona to meet with NASPO academic partner, Arizona State University. They met with faculty from ASU's Supply Chain Management Department to discuss the current Memorandum of Understanding. The current MOU is valid through September 2019, so the teams discussed progress since its initiation in 2016, as well as goals for the remaining 18 months of the agreement. Lindle and Olivia then gave a guest lecture at ASU's public procurement class that evening. They talked about the NASPO Top 10 Priorities and Top 3 Horizon Issues, as well as higher education initiatives. There was robust conversation surrounding marketing NASPO and state procurement to millennials and other emerging talent. The NASPO team benefitted from the ideas the ASU students shared.
March is Procurement Month!

Let us know ways your state celebrates procurement by using  CelebrateProcurement on Twitter or LinkedIn. You can follow  @NASPOnews  on Twitter or  join the NASPO LinkedIn group.



SPLC Summit 2018
NASPO is pleased to be an official partner of the Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council's (SPLC) 2018 Summit, to be held May 14-16, 2018, at the Renaissance Minneapolis Hotel in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
 
The SPLC Summit brings together leading sustainable purchasing experts and practitioners from a wide variety of sectors and regions to share best practices, building valuable relationships and spreading the best sustainable purchasing practices across the whole economy.
 
Early registration for the 2018 SPLC Summit ends March 16. NASPO members can use P1NASPO to receive a 10 percent discount off the cost of registration. To register, visit https://www.regonline.com/registration/Checkin.aspx?EventID=2034397.
 
For more details visit SPLC Summit 2018.

Advancing public procurement through leadership, excellence and integrity.