NASPO Events & Education NASPO Events & Education NASPO Events & Education 
Professional Development Succession Planning: Don’t Just Plan for Your Future
As a greater proportion of the workforce reaches retirement age each year, the importance of succession planning has never been more apparent. Talent management and succession planning ranked #6 on NASPO’s Top Ten priorities for 2020 . Never fear! Pulse is here to help with some tips and tricks for a successful planning process. Read more “Succession Planning: Don’t Just Plan for Your Future”
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”
Green Purchasing Green Means GO!
NASPO is pleased to announce that we will be accepting applications for the 2020 Green Purchasing Technical Assistance Funds (GPTAF) beginning Monday, February 3, 2020, via the NASPO Network. Read more “Green Means GO!”
NASPO Events & Education NASPO Welcomes New Academic Partner
The National Association of State Procurement Officials (NASPO) and George Washington Law (GW Law) have recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding to foster and promote public procurement education together. Dr. Karen Thornton, the Director of the GW Government Program Law Program, and Dianne Lancaster, NASPO Chief Learning Officer, are the representatives for each organization. Read more “NASPO Welcomes New Academic Partner”
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”
NASPO Events & Education A Day in the Life: Norma Hall
During the Annual Conference we announce that year’s recipient of the Mazzone Award. The prestigious Mazzone Award recognizes the exemplary service of procurement officials to the public purchasing profession. Today we are catching up with Norma Hall, the 2019 Mazzone Award winner who discusses her career accomplishments and the importance of certification and giving back to the public procurement community. Her passion for public procurement was palpable throughout our interview and incredibly inspiring.
Norma Hall’s career in public procurement is the very definition of exemplary service to the state of South Carolina. A NASPO member for 15 years, Norma has served on numerous boards and committees for almost every public procurement association. Norma is a multi-award-winning procurement professional with a dedicated mission of giving back to the profession that she cares for so much. Read more “A Day in the Life: Norma Hall”
Professional Development Keeping Up with Continuous Improvement
No matter how well your office is running, there is always room for improvement! Consistently looking for ways to improve your processes can lead to greater efficiencies and cost savings in the long run. Models like Six Sigma and Kaizen are often used to help identify ways to improve on a day-to-day basis. This process of continuous improvement can help eliminate inefficiencies and wasteful activities or time-consuming steps in the procurement cycle. It’s about taking a critical look at your processes, finding gaps and opportunities for improvement. Read more “Keeping Up with Continuous Improvement”
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.
NASPO Events & Education