Author: Lori Denhart

NASPO Events & Education

A Day on the Team: NASPO ValuePoint

For 2020, we are expanding our Day in the Life series, interviewing different NASPO/NASPO ValuePoint teams. This series will give you an inside look at the work of a NASPO/NASPO ValuePoint team.  This week we caught up with some of the staff of NASPO ValuePoint including: Chief Operations Officer (COO), Sarah Hilderbrand; Cooperative Contract Lead Coordinator (CCLC), Ted Fosket; Cooperative Contract Coordinator (CCC) , Jeff Holden; Cooperative Contract Coordinator III (CCC III), Voight Shealy; and Director of Administrative Services, Lee Ann Pope
NASPO ValuePoint is the cooperative contracting division of NASPO and facilitates administration of the NASPO cooperative group contracting of state Chief Procurement Officials (CPOs) for the benefit of state departments, institutions, agencies, and political subdivisions; as well as other eligible entities including cities, counties, special districts community colleges, universities and some quasi-governmental and nonprofit organizations.
Keep reading to get to learn more about NASPO ValuePoint and what a day on their team looks like!

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Emergency Procurement & Risk Management

CORONAVIRUS and Supply Chain Risk

The World Health Organization has declared a global state of emergency due to the outbreak of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). The ramifications of the travel bans relating to the outbreak and slowed manufacturing due to shortages of labor and raw materials means vendors in your supply chain may be affected.
To learn more on what to expect and recommendations on managing risk in the supply chain, keep reading.

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Market Research

Back to the Value

Thirty-Five years ago, when the Value Chain Model was first introduced, procurement was viewed  narrowly as cut and dry cost savings. But as suppliers become more citizen-centric, central procurement officers (CPOs) need to become more value-aware of procurement’s unique position. Public procurement should no longer be viewed narrowly for cut and dry cost savings, but for the additional value the procurement process can add as a strategic partner.   Read more “Back to the Value” →

Technology & IT Procurement

The State of Cybersecurity: 3 Bold Plays for Change

In March 2018, the city of Atlanta suffered a ransomware attack that compromised the data of their employees and anyone who conducted business with the state and ended costing $2.6 million in emergency contract efforts[1]. When Louisiana was attacked in November of 2019, 10% of the state’s servers were infiltrated and some 1,500 computers were damaged.  These examples demonstrate cybersecurity should be a top priority for procurement officers to protect the sensitive information of both vendors and staff. Understanding the issues and goals of your state Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) can pave the road toward a more productive working relationship and allow procurement officers to address increasing cybersecurity threats as partners.

Read more “The State of Cybersecurity: 3 Bold Plays for Change” →

Ethics & Value of Competition

Create Your Road Map to Transparency!

Imagine having to justify every decision you’ve ever made, to anyone who asks.  Transparency is the cornerstone of the entire procurement process and is necessary throughout the contracting lifecycle, from the definition of need to the expiration of the contract. Recently, the OECD, an international nonprofit, created a “Transparency Checklist” to assist public procurement professionals in reaching their transparency goals. Procurement Pulse breaks down the three founding principles listed in the checklist and highlights what to include in your office’s transparency checklist.

Read more “Create Your Road Map to Transparency!” →

NASPO Events & Education

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. 

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Market Research

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 assisting them in competing for government contracts.

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