At NASPO, connections are the lifeblood of our organization. We are truly grateful to have had so many wonderful connections with you this past year and look forward to building stronger connections in the year to come.  

As the National Association of State Procurement Officials, we work to elevate the procurement profession, provide learning and professional development opportunities, and drive a network of leaders in state purchasing. Our connections allow the sharing of expertise, best practices, solutions to common problems, and access to goods and services via our cooperative contracting division, NASPO ValuePoint.  

The connections our members have with one another go beyond the professional level. While these relationships provide opportunities to capitalize on collective buying power and peer-to-peer coaching and problem solving, they also provide an emotional connection and a sense of community. We continue to grow our interpersonal connections, interchange of ideas, and purposeful interactions. 

Interpersonal Connections 

Through our robust Conferences and Events programs, Member Network, and monthly regional calls, we connect procurement leaders, suppliers, and subject matter experts and generate meaningful conversations between departments, states, regions and more. We listen to our members, and we facilitate opportunities for them to listen to one another. 

We see our members as people first, so we provide services that impact their job performance, their career development, and their emotional well-being. Our educational content offers a breadth and depth of learning across multiple topic areas, from leadership skills to contract negotiation and more. And we recognize that our members are a valuable source of knowledge not only for one another, but for our association as well. We rely on them to help us identify current challenges, as well as envision what the future of public procurement will be.  

Our award programs, the Giulio Mazzone Distinguished Service Award Program and the George Cronin Awards, recognize excellence in public procurement at the state and individual level. 

Interchange of Ideas 

Innovation drives improvement, and innovation comes from the interchange of ideas. The sharing of ideas is essential for NASPO as we work to improve efficiencies in state purchasing and create alliances and relationships that foster cooperation. We not only support our members and the sharing of their experiences, but we also work with other government associations and organizations, such as NASCIO, NCSL, NGA and, most recently, NAEP.  

To improve and elevate public procurement, we must understand how the big picture of state government works. From the executive branch to the legislators to agency leadership, each stakeholder group has goals and objectives that procurement needs to understand. By understanding each department and group, state procurement can not only meet the needs of those organizations, but also anticipate future needs and collaborate with other departments to find better solutions to current challenges.  

The supplier community also plays a key role in innovation. From supply chain challenges to material shortages, NASPO has worked with our suppliers to find innovative ways to meet demand while balancing limitations in production capacity and product availability, especially with our Emerging Markets Innovative. By working together, sharing challenges, and brainstorming what can be done amid difficulty, we have established new connections that will enable future innovation and better service. Our yearly Exchange Conference where the interchange of ideas is central. 

Purposeful Interactions 

NASPO provides training opportunities and professional certification programs that make a real difference for our members. Not only do we create and manage our educational content, we put our financial resources behind our training programs by offering funds that enable our members and their staff to take advantage of these learning opportunities and those available for free on Procurement U. We’re serious about education, and our commitment to member development is a top priority.  

NASPO also works with our state members to create cooperative contracts that are available for use by all states and eligible public entities. By facilitating the solicitation process and serving as support for a multi-state sourcing team we save our members time and money. NASPO ValuePoint contracts are competitively sourced and awarded by state procurement professionals, and they offer unmatched value and contracts our members can trust. Additionally, we make funding available to each state and their central procurement office through Professional Development, Technology Asset Improvement, and Instate Cooperative Outreach Funds. 

Connections are essential.

Interpersonal is just that – personal. 

Interchange of ideas drives innovation and continuous improvement. 

Interactions with purpose solve real issues in real time for real people. 

NASPO and NASPO ValuePoint are driving connections, identifying opportunities, and raising the bar for public procurement professionals everywhere. We thank you for all the ways you connected with us throughout 2021, and we are looking forward to what 2022 holds.  

 Happy Holidays!