Call for Board Nominations Begins Today
Members of 2016 Board
We are currently seeking state members willing to lead the association's strategies, policies and fiscal direction through service on the Board of Directors. There are four at-large director positions available, as well as the President-Elect position, with terms beginning January 2017. Elections will take place during the 2016 Annual Conference in September.

Please note the deadline for nominations is  Wednesday, July 20 . For more information contact Ron Bell, the chair of the Nominations Committee or DeLaine Bender, Executive Director.
 NASPO Releases New Publication on eProcurement
Check out this very informative NASPO publication on eProcurement and ERP systems.  The paper includes seven case studies highlighting key issues of eProcurement/ERP implementations such as efficiencies gained, increased transparency of spend and procurement processes as well as success stories and challenges.

NASPO recognize the prevalence and clear return on investment from implementing eProcurement/ERP Solutions and identified this as one of its top five priorities in 2016.

This paper was written as a collaborative effort by the Best Practices Committee's eProcurement Work Group led by Peter Korolyk. Thanks again to all state members who participated in this research and shared insight regarding your state's solutions!

Read the eProcurement paper  HERE.
 
Contact Elena Moreland, NASPO Senior Policy Analyst, if you have any questions about thi s publication.
Eastern and Southern Kick Off 2016 Regional Conferences
May was a big month for NASPO state members, with both the Eastern and Southern Regions holding their 2016 Regional Conferences. Between the two events, over 160 NASPO members took advantage of the opportunity for targeted procurement education, training on job aids and tools and - most notably - networking with procurement professionals in nearby states.

Eastern Regional Conference, What's Your Solution Session
All twelve states in the Eastern Region joined together May 15-17 in Providence, Rhode Island for their regional conference which highlighted topics requested by members in the Eastern Region. The agenda included effective communication and customer service, technology in the procurement process and the difference between commodities and services contracts.

Robert J. Bentley, Governor of Alabama, welcomed the Southern Regional Conference to Birmingham May 22-24. The Southern conference agenda captured leadership lessons from the Keynote Speaker, discussion of procurement ethics and transparency and standards for considering sole source procurement.

Participants in both conferences appreciated changes to the traditional agenda format which provided more opportunity for information sharing and peer-to-peer learning. An interactive session specific to RFP Evaluation, roundtables discussing the 2016 Top Ten Priorities and
Michael Jones, AL with Governor Bentley
 concrete training on the IBISWorld  Reports market research tool each brought new experiences and increased engagement to the conference program. One of the highlights was the new "Fishbowl" format for the What's Your Solution session, providing an energized platform for states to share their experiences, solutions and challenges related to common procurement issues. Procurement U's Negotiation Strategies training concluded the conferences with a hands-on exercise to help participants tune-up their negotiation skills. 

Look for additional growth opportunities and interactive education through NASPO's upcoming Conferences throughout 2016!
Join us for the first of a two-part Webinar Series on Procurement Reform presented by the Emerging Issues Committee! State members will be sharing their successes and challenges, advice, and future goals concerning the varied aspects of procurement reform. The Roundtable will allow for open discussion and a sharing of ideas among members. Let's help each other take on the rewarding challenges of procurement reform! You can register for the Procurement Reform Roundtable here:

Please contact Megan Smyth, Senior Policy Analyst with any questions.
This is your state's chance to share new or improved initiatives for the opportunity to be nationally recognized and be a part of improving the public procurement function nationwide. The deadline for submissions is  Wednesday, July 27 , so don't wait. Nominate your state initiative today!

 Tennessee's Procurement for Marketing and  Advertisement 
 Sets a New Standard
Route Fifty published another Op-Ed by NASPO Executive Director, DeLaine Bender titled "Tennessee's Procurement for Marketing and Advertising Sets a New Standard." NASPO first learned about Tennessee's four-tiered procurement method that helped bring in an estimated $1 billion in increased tourism spending, through their submission to the 2015 George Cronin Award for Procurement Excellence. They won the Gold Award that year for their innovative submission.

For more information on Tennessee's program, check out the article published by Route Fifty, or listen to the webinar presented by Tennessee to the NASPO membership on NASPO's Youtube channel.

This month marks the five year anniversary of our membership being connected through the NASPO Network. It  has become an invaluable way for not only state directors to communicate with each other but has also become a beneficial resource among procurement staff members. To read more about how the NASPO Network has benefited our membership for the last 5 years, check out this post.
NASPO Members featured at the Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council's Annual Summit
By Jonathan Rifkin

Several NASPO members were featured in presentations, speaking engagements, or received awards during the Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council (SPLC) 2016 Annual Summit in Washington DC, from May 24-26. 

The sustainable purchasing programs for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (MA) and the District of Columbia (DC) were given special recognition during the SPLC Awards ceremony, when DC received SPLC's top honor, the "Leadership Award for Overall Sustainable Purchasing Program." Massachusetts was also recognized when it took home two awards including the SPLC "Leadership Award for a Special Sustainable Purchasing Initiative" and the "Sustainable Purchasing Business Case Leadership Award." Leadership recognition awards were also given to the states of Minnesota and California.

SPLC awards recognized a wide range of sustainable purchasing strategies and documented the resulting environmental, social, and/or economic benefits in a series of case studies that SPLC maintains on its webpage. Awardee's actions embody the SPLC Principles for Leadership, and elements of SPLC sustainable purchasing guidance.

Also of note, Jim Butler, Deputy CPO for the State of California, was featured as a "Keynote" panelist during the morning kick-off " Keynote Conversation: The Chief Procurement Officer Perspective."

The conference was attended by approximately 350 participants from about 150 states, cities, federal agencies, universities, manufacturers, and Fortune 500 companies. The theme of the conference was "Sustainable Purchasing: Making the Business Case." The conference featured a Buyer-supplier Matchmaking Event, two keynote speaking engagements, a Chief-Procurement-Officer (CPO) Roundtable, and nearly 60 learning sessions spread throughout the event.

NASPO is a founding member of the SPLC and numerous states enjoy SPLC membership. The non-profit organization's mission is to support and recognize purchasing leadership that accelerates the transition to a prosperous and sustainable future. The Council aims to help its membership prioritize opportunities, identify existing leaderships standards and strategies, benchmark progress, and recognize those who advance the field.

Jonathan Rifkin is the Sustainable Purchasing Program Manager for the Office of Contracting and Procurement, Procurement Division in the District of Columbia. He also serves as NASPO's liaison to the Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council.

District of Columbia took home SPLC's top honor, the Leadership Award for an Overall Sustainable Purchasing Program. From left to right: Holly Evans of Microsoft (2016 Summit's Presenting Sponsor), Jonathan Rifkin and George Schutter of the District of Columbia, Jason Pearson of SPLC, and SPLC Board Chair Dr. Anastasia O'Rourke of IEc.
NASPO hosts P3 Summit with NASCA, NASFA and Governing Magazine
Governing Publisher Mark Funkhouser (center) leads a discussion with NASCA, NASPO and NASFA representatives. 
Leaders from NASPO, the National Association of State
Chief  Administrators,  the National  Association of State Facilities Administrators and facilitators from Governing Magazine came together in May for a Public-Private Partnership (P3) Summit.  Representatives from each organization shared experiences and developed principles that our respective memberships - as well as other policymakers - can consider when evaluating, developing and maintaining P3s. Governing Magazine is writing the joint report on P3 considerations that captures these elements. The report is expected to be released in early July. 
NASPO's mission is to help our members achieve success as public procurement leaders in their states through promotion of best practices, education, professional development, research, and innovative procurement strategies.