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Highlights in the April Issue:
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Upcoming Events and Webinars
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Conferences
May 3-5, 2015 (DC)
May 17-19, 2015 (Williamsburg, VA)
Webinars
Catch yourself up!
Green Purchasing Webinar:
State Green Purchasing
Best Practices
Cronin Finalist Webinars:
Modeling the Path to Award, CA
Copier, Printer & Multifunction Device Resource Mgmt, DE
Vehicle Fleet Mgmt, TN
Innovations in
Facilities
Mgmt, TN
eVA Mobile Apps, VA
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Purpose. Partnerhips. Procurement.
Recap of the NASPO 2015 How to Market to State Governments Meeting
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Last month, nearly 500 participants from the public, private and nonprofit sectors all convened in Philadelphia for NASPO's 2015 How to Market to State Governments Meeting, a unique opportunity for state procurement officials to engage in open dialogue with various members of the supplier community. Perhaps the best way to reflect on the success of the 2015 event is to embrace the 2015 conference theme: Purpose. Partnerships. Procurement.
Purpose. It was striking how many attendees noted a shift in how they understand and think about state procurement processes following the conference. No longer is procurement perceived just as a business transaction, but as a balanced approach to ensuring responsible investment of public resources. The opportunity to educate both public and private sector attendees about the nuances of that goal will pay dividends for all participants throughout the year!
Partnerships. The One-on-One meetings and Regional Roundtable discussions were rated the most valuable elements of the meeting, by far. Not because of particular contracts or financial impacts, but because they allowed for open dialogue that doesn't happen elsewhere. Supplier attendees learned about the broader needs of state governments and, in turn, were able to share their perspective of the challenges and benefits of existing procurement processes.
Procurement. It's listed last, but this key element really served as the thread which tied the event together throughout. Procurement discussions buzzed throughout the meeting rooms and, often more importantly, in the down-time between meetings. In short, Procurement went from being just a series of processes and forms to a collection of people, organizations and companies who all want to work together to ensure excellence and effectiveness in public service!
Did you miss your chance to connect with the procurement community at the 2015 How to Market to State Governments Meeting? Mark your calendars now for the 2016 meeting in Atlanta, GA, March 20-22!
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New Certification Resources Available
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 For additional information about certification and helpful exam preparation resources check out the NASPO Certification Webpage developed as part of Procurement University.
Certification Webapge
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NASPO Board of Directors Meets with Office of Federal Procurement Policy
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During the NASPO Marketing Meeting, the NASPO Board of Directors had a unique opportunity for open a dialogue between state procurement officials and representatives of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy, to exchange information and share ideas. Anne Rung, Administrator of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy, and Lesley Anne Field, Deputy Administrator, joined the NASPO Board of Directors during a luncheon meeting.
NASPO Board Members and Rung specifically discussed Acquisition 360, which is described by her as "the first ever transaction-based feedback tool that allows [federal] agencies to identify strengths and weaknesses in their acquisition processes with the focus on pre-award activities, contract execution, and certain post award activities, such as debriefings."
In a recent memo outlining Acquisition 360, Administrator Rung noted that acquisitions depend on a clear understanding of the market's capabilities and dynamics, and this requires early and meaningful engagement with industry and the application of strong management practices within the agency.
Read more here.
NASPO will continue to work closely with Federal Public Procurement through Mark Lutte, NASPO Board Member and Innovation Champion. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact
Matt Oyer, NASPO Policy Analyst.
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NASPO Participates in Public Policy Challenge
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For the past two years, NASPO has been a top sponsor of the National Invitational Public Policy Challenge hosted by the Fels Institute of Government at the University of Pennsylvania, along with Governing Magazine. This year, Jeff Brownlee, NASPO Board member and Chief Procurement Officer for the State of Michigan, represented NASPO as a judge for this prestigious competition.
Modeled after MBA business plan competitions, the Public Policy Challenge dares student teams to create policy proposals and civic campaigns that will achieve significant change in their communities. Teams are required to determine not only what ought to happen, but also how to build the necessary leadership and political support.
Teams from graduate schools across the nation competed, with the School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Georgia taking the top prize. The winning idea, (fem)me, proposes to increase access to feminine hygiene products among homeless women by implementing a program to disseminate kits throughout Athens, Georgia.
Other finalist ideas included a plan to reduce costly procurement redundancies within the School District of Philadelphia by creating a mobile application to simplify and streamline inventory and asset management, a Barbershop Books campaign aimed to reduce the reading achievement gap among African-American boys by creating child-friendly reading spaces within community barbershops and an urban renewal project to re-frame blight as an opportunity for borough rehabilitation.
The competition sheds light on the future of public service, showcasing competent future leaders presenting practical, real world solutions to pressing issues in our communities. NASPO looks forward to continuing to support this important event!
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NASPO and NASCIO Release New Case Study on Cloud Trend for State Governments
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Case Study Highlights California Cloud Computing Technology
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 In July of last year, the state of California launched a service that marked a dramatic shift in the way that state governments procure and provide cloud services to their consumers. This offering is the subject of a new case study published jointly by the National Association of State Procurement Officials (NASPO) and the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO).
California's Cloud Infrastructure initiative is an on premise, private cloud service, procured through a competitive solicitation process, hosted by a third party solution partner and managed and housed at OTech (California Department of Technology) data centers. The initiative offers a virtual environment to OTech's customers and features on-demand self-service, broad network access, resource pooling, rapid elasticity and measured service. California's Cloud Infrastructure has received widespread attention in the state community because of its scope, stature, potential value and procurement approach.
Capitals in the Clouds: California's Cloud Infrastructure Case Study includes information and advice from the trenches from Neeraj Chauhan, California's Cloud Infrastructure Project Director, OTech, California Department of Technology; Carlos Ramos, Chief Information Officer, State of California; and Jim Butler, Chief Procurement Officer, State of California. It is the first in a series of planned publications to be released by NASPO and NASCIO that will examine information technology procurement projects in states.
"As the leading authorities on state procurement and information technology in state government, our respective associations were able to work together to highlight how different areas of state government can collaborate to respond to emerging trends in infrastructure," said Krista Ferrell, director of strategic programs at NASPO. "Our aim with this new case study is to provide practical information on successful procurement tactics that can help other state officials who are considering major information technology undertakings."
"We are delighted to be working with NASPO on this case study series and believe the lessons learned and advice from the trenches will be invaluable to state CIOs as they procure services for their customers," said Doug Robinson, NASCIO executive director.
The case study can be viewed here.
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Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council 2015 Summit
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 The Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council's Annual Summit provides an opportunity to learn sustainable purchasing best practices, share knowledge, build valuable relationships with like-minded professionals, and influence the development of SPLC's programs for guiding and benchmarking leadership in institutional sustainable purchasing. 2015 Summit Site
Summit Information
* What: 2015 Summit of the Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council
* Theme: Share expertise. Find solutions. Build relationships. Shape the future.
* When: Tuesday, May 26 - Thursday, May 28, 2015
* Where: Bell Harbor International Conference Center, Seattle, WA, 2211 Alaskan Way, Seattle, WA 98121
* Registration: https://www.sustainablepurchasing.org/summit15/ Use the custom promotional code "NASPO", it is valid for 10% discount on non-member tickets to the Summit.
* Who Attends: Senior leaders in procurement and supply chain, sustainability, marketing and business development, policy, standards and certifications, consulting, and public interest advocacy.
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Volume Discount Available for "State and Local Government Procurement: A Practical Guide"
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 Since the launch of the "State and Local Government Procurement: A Practical Guide" in February, we have received multiple inquiries about discounts for large volume orders. We are pleased to announce that we are able to meet this need.
For NASPO member orders of 100 books or more shipping to the same location and in the same order, we will be offering the books at $40 (Member price) which is a $5 discount per book or a savings of $500.00 per order of 100.
When ordering, please use discount code 2015PG-100. Our records coordinator will also be on the lookout for orders that meet the criteria.
Should you have any questions, please call Susan Frank, NASPO Records Coordinator at 859-514-9835.
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For pointers on how to better use the NASPO Network to network with your peers, check out our latest infographic for a few tips and tricks. Then access the Network to connect today!
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UPPCC Application Deadlines and Exam Dates
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Committee and Work Group News
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2015 Green Purchasing State Profile Survey
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As part of the NASPO Green Purchasing Committee's mission to identify and share best practices in environmentally preferable (green) purchasing, the Green Purchasing State Profile Survey was recently sent out to each state. The results of this short survey will be used to create comprehensive profiles of each state's central procurement office green purchasing practices. These profiles will be made available to the public on the NASPO website and will provide an excellent resource to procurement offices.
Please ensure that your state has completed the survey by the deadline, May 4th, 2015. If you have any questions about the survey please contact Matt Oyer, NASPO Policy Analyst, at 859-514-9176 or moyer@naspo.org.
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 NASPO wants to give your state the recognition is deserves for a job well done. What better way to spread the news of the new and innovative programs your state has put into place then to share it with your peers. Nominations to the 2015 Cronin Awards are now being accepted, and we want to encourage every state to share what they have been working on to streamline processes and improve best practices. Over the next four months we are accepting nominations, so mark your calendar to submit your nomination before July 28th. We look forward to hearing about the creative solutions that your state has recently implemented.
Every state/territory is permitted to submit up to three entries per year. The top five finalists will be invited to participate in the NASPO Annual Conference, September 27-30 in Norfolk, VA to present on their submission at the Cronin Luncheon.
Deadline to submit a nomination is Tuesday, July 28th. Submission guidelines and nomination form can be found online at www.naspo.org/2015Cronin. Please direct questions regarding the NASPO Cronin Awards to Kristy Howard at khoward@naspo.org.
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Get to Know the NASPO Staff
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Courtney McCarty, NASPO Services Coordinator
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Name: Courtney McCarty
Title: NASPO Services Coordinator
Year started at NASPO: December 2014
Brief description of current role: I support the Board and Executive Director, administrate Professional Development Funds and oversee performance tracking and reports. I also work closely with all NASPO staff on various initiatives to achieve our strategic plan.
Education: BS in Economics & BBA in Management from the University of Kentucky
Fun Facts: My husband and I love playing with our two little boys, watching movies and vacationing on 30-A in Florida.
Most memorable NASPO event so far: Marketing Meeting 2015 because it was my first NASPO event and gave me the chance to visit Philly, which I hadn't been to since I was in elementary school.
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