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Highlights in the March Issue:
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Upcoming Events and Webinars
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Conferences
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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Colleagues and NASPO Members,
Happy Procurement Month! As I'm sure you know by now, March is indeed Procurement Month and NASPO has been celebrating with special Network posts and tweets. I hope you've had a chance to celebrate with your staff and if not, there are still a few weeks remaining.
The first few months of 2015 have been bursting with deliverables from NASPO. Fact Sheets, the strategic sourcing research paper, the sole source procurement resource, and Bills and Regulations Tracker are just a few of the new tools NASPO has released. Our thanks to the NASPO staff and Emerging Issues Committee for their leadership and work. Our goal with each new product is to assist you in your daily challenges and we welcome your feedback.
Thank you to all those who submitted feedback on the inaugural Top 10 Focus Areas for State Procurement. These priority areas will help guide NASPO's strategic intent and greatly assist our research efforts and presentation planning for the year. I look forward to making this an annual work product.
I'm pleased to report that the substantial undertaking of the Procurement University project is moving right along. The Procurement U Executive Strategy Team and Professional Development Committee work groups report being 'On Time, On Task, and On Budget' which is truly commendable.
The National Association of State Chief Administrators (NASCA) and NASPO are hosting a joint topical roundtable program on shared services and eprocurement in May in Washington, D.C. This invitation-only event is designed for pairs of Chief Administrators and Chief Procurement Officers to attend the program together and work side-by-side. This is a unique networking opportunity that promises robust interactions between NASCA and NASPO members. Leadership for a Networked World (LNW) at Harvard University developed and will facilitate the programmatic elements of the event.
Other projects, including our joint study with NASCIO on the IT cloud, as well as the Green Purchasing Committee's state green purchasing profiles online are on the horizon, so stay tuned for more from NASPO.
If you're able to attend this year's How to Market to State Governments Meeting, I'll see you soon in Philadelphia!
Deb Damore
NASPO President
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Tales from the Trenches: Evolution of Strategic Sourcing Research Paper Released
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 NASPO just released a new resource:
Tales from the Trenches: Evolution of Strategic Sourcing. The research paper was developed under the Emerging Issues Committee's guidance. It addresses definitions, common misconceptions, how strategic sourcing differs from traditional procurement and where it can add value. Also discussed are benefits and challenges to state governments, most successful and challenging spend categories and an assessment of how strategic sourcing has evolved over the past decade and where it is headed, based upon information obtained through phone interviews with 15 states.
Also included in the paper are recommended steps when conducting an opportunity assessment to identify strategic sourcing opportunities, an example of a multi-dimensional matrix to use for wave prioritization, and a simple four-step strategic sourcing process which can be followed for each category of spend identified.
Tales from the Trenches: Evolution of Strategic Sourcing is available on the NASPO web site under the Research and Publications tab:
http://www.naspo.org/dnn/ResearchPublications/WhitePapersIssueBriefs.aspx
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Cronin Spotlight: Tennessee Makes History with Innovation in Procurement
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By Elena Moreland, NASPO Senior Policy Analyst
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Tennessee is well known for Graceland, beautiful Smoky Mountains and country music. Among other wonderful cultural and historical landmarks, Tennessee's Music City also has great people. Nashville is home to the Department of General Services, Central Procurement Office whose professionals are tirelessly at work every day finding innovative procurement solutions that save taxpayers' dollars.
In 2012, the State of Tennessee assessed the management and operation of its aging state-run facilities as well as its dispatch rental fleet and identified areas of improvement. This article showcases two innovative solutions that helped the state operate its facilities and fleet more efficiently and leverage new technologies and approaches.
Innovations in Facilities Management
Faced with ongoing high facility-related operating expenses, the state turned to the private sector to procure a statewide comprehensive facilities management contract and provide high quality service standards at a competitive cost. The assessment conducted in 2012 identified the need to reduce the high operating and maintenance costs, identify and prioritize short and long term maintenance projects, as well as to plan and operate more efficiently.
Under the new statewide facilities management contract, facilities that were previously managed internally, through over 400 contracts, are now handled through a single vendor. At the time, Tennessee's public real estate portfolio included state-owned facilities of approximately 6,813,600 gross square feet and leased facilities of approximately 3,609,903 gross square feet. A Request for Qualifications with a three-tier approach was employed as the procurement method to ensure that only qualified vendors who met the needs of the state made it through to the cost proposal negotiations.
Communication with the vendor was also employed as an additional innovative feature to address the lack of industry knowledge regarding cost details, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), and specifications related to facilities management. Through collaboration and communication with the industry, via the pre-response conference, input from responding vendors was used to improve the final scope of services, cost proposal, and terms of the pro forma contract. Finally, a strategic partnership was formed with the successful vendor who met prevailing industry standards.
Read the full article 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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NASPO Fact Sheets Released
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NASPO is excited to announce the release of a new resource for members, the NASPO Fact Sheets. The fact sheets are created by staff and are a compilation of information previously developed by NASPO via research briefs, white papers, surveys, the Practical Guide and other publications, simply honed down into one-page documents for your convenience. You might utilize them for a variety of purposes, including as a quick reference tool or as an outline for a speaking engagement or presentation.
Two Fact Sheets are currently available for use, "The Strategic Role of Procurement" and "Retention and Recruitment." NASPO staff will be releasing several additional fact sheets over the coming months, each will be focused upon an important issue in state procurement. Please watch the NASPO Bulletin and NASPO Website for the announcement of new fact sheets.
If you have any questions or would like to recommend a topic, please contact Matt Oyer, moyer@naspo.org.
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March is Procurement Month!
The National Association of State Procurement Officials invites you to join us in celebrating March as Procurement Month. This is a great time to honor the hard work of state's central procurement offices.
Please follow NASPO on Twitter and watch the NASPO Network and website for Procurement Month celebration ideas and special posts. Please use #celebrateprocurement on LinkedIn and Twitter to share pictures and your state's celebration of Procurement Month. NASPO will conclude the month with a special celebration at the 2015 How to Market to State Governments Meeting.
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New Certification Resources Available
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As part of Procurement University (Procurement U) NASPO has recently developed a webpage on the NASPO website to promote and support professional certification. The webpage includes information on UPPCC certification, a list of NASPO members that are certified and test preparation materials to help navigate the process. We have also included a list of academic institutions that offer degrees, programs and courses related to procurement.
These resources were developed by NASPO members and staff through Procurement U. Promotion of the UPPCC and its partnership with NASPO is an important component of this initiative. Certification allows public procurement professionals to demonstrate their abilities and commitment to furthering the profession. This aligns with the mission of Procurement U to provide professional development resources to state procurement offices.
Additional resources will be added soon. View the Certification Webpage here.
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UPPCC Application Deadlines and Exam Dates
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Committee and Work Group News
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NASPO 2015 Procurement University Survey
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 NASPO recently asked each state to complete a survey, the results of which will be used in the development of NASPO Procurement University, a multi-faceted professional development platform that will launch later this year. We would like to thank everyone that completed the survey. The results will be essential in creating Procurement University to serve our members.
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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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Matt Oyer, NASPO Policy Analyst
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Name: Matt Oyer
Title: NASPO Policy Analyst
Year started at NASPO: October, 2014
Brief description of current role: I am responsible for supporting members through research, work product development and committee coordination. I am currently the staff lead for the Green Purchasing Committee, State Contract Repository, and Certification Work group for Procurement University.
Education: BS in Criminal Justice and a Master's in Public Administration from Eastern Kentucky University
Fun Facts: I know how to be a good loser because I'm a Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Reds Fan.
Most memorable NASPO event so far: Western Regional Conference in San Francisco. I got to ride around the city on the trolley.
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