Author: Lori Denhart

Day in the Life

A Day in the Life: Louise Terry

This week, NASPO’s own ProcurementU is providing another professional development opportunity by hosting  the State Training Training Coordinators Conference (STCC) in Madison, Wisconsin! The goal of STCC is to facilitate the sharing of materials and best practices between state trainers. During the three day conference, ProcurementU has an agenda full of opportunities to learn how to best leverage the training and education provided at the conference to advance state government in participants’ home states. Networking sessions, interactive general sessions, a keynote speaker, an emphasis on collaborative learning efforts and the sharing of resources are just a few things participants will engage in! To highlight the great work state training coordinators across the country do this week Pulse is highlighting the state training coordinator from Oklahoma and an active NASPO member, Louise Terry. 

Read more “A Day in the Life: Louise Terry” →

Cronin Awards

The George Cronin Awards: Highlighting Public Procurement Excellence

Public procurement professionals across the nation are tasked with looking for new and innovative ways to modernize and streamline their processes, ensure transparency and provide best value; all while being mindful of cost reduction. Procurement professionals support every branch of government down to the smallest twig. At NASPO, we believe in recognizing outstanding state procurement initiatives across the country with the George Cronin Awards for Procurement Excellence.

Read more “The George Cronin Awards: Highlighting Public Procurement Excellence” →

Public Procurement

Another Resource for your Procurement Toolbox: PTAC

 Like most problem-solvers, procurement professionals have a metaphorical toolbox that they reach into from time to time to assist in acquiring best value. In this article, we discuss one of the tools in the public procurement toolbox, the Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC). In case you haven’t utilized this tool before, let’s get you familiar with it! A guiding principle of public procurement is the maximization of competition. PTACs help to increase bid participation by working one-on-one with small businesses and assist them in competing for government contracts.

Read more “Another Resource for your Procurement Toolbox: PTAC” →

Conference Recap

My First NASPO Exchange—Denver, Suppliers and Buyers, Oh My!

NASPO Exchange 2019 was an eye-opening experience. Some of you may or may not know, I have only been a part of the NASPO team since January 2019, so this was not only my first Exchange, but my first NASPO conference. My coworkers have been trying to prepare me for what exactly to expect. I’ve heard a lot of, “It’s going to be like no other professional conference you’ve been to!” and “Girl, you better pack at least three pairs of shoes.” I quickly found out that all of the above were true, and then some. Keep reading to hear about my first Exchange! Read more “My First NASPO Exchange—Denver, Suppliers and Buyers, Oh My!” →
Customer Service

3 Ways to Simultaneously Improve Employee and Customer Satisfaction

In the world of modern procurement, your office is constantly doing business with citizens, vendors, and government agencies. Leaving a lasting positive impression on your customers is a key component of your central procurement office’s ability to conduct its mission. Happier employees will help you accomplish those customer service goals.  Customer service and agency relations  is number one on the 2019 NASPO Top 10 Priorities, cementing that customer satisfaction is important to CPOs across the country. When the ultimate end user in every procurement transaction is the taxpayer, each step in the procurement process is important, including customer service.  In 2003, two Canadian policy analysts conducted a study concerning public employee’s job satisfaction and customer satisfaction with government goods and services. They discovered the relationship between employee and customer satisfaction is reciprocal in nature. By investing in employee satisfaction, you will simultaneously see improvement in your customer satisfaction and agency relations. That’s two improvements with one action – two satisfactions with one procurement stone. Read more “3 Ways to Simultaneously Improve Employee and Customer Satisfaction” →