Rocky Mountain Governmental Purchasing Association
High Notes
NIGP ©
Chapter
Contents
Issue III, Year 2004
∗ Letter from the President
∗ Education
∗ Letter from the President
∗ Achievements
John Stephen, CPPO
www.frii.com/~rmgpa ∗ Forum Reviews
[email protected]
Where has the summer gone…..? I ask myself that same question every year. Part of the summer was spent in Biloxi, Mississippi with new and old friends attending the 2004 NIGP Forum. I want to congratulate Opal Dick, CPPO, City of Fort Collins, on receiving the “Silent Partner” award from Ron Watkins, our 2004 NIGP President. The silent partner award was a tribute to “running the office” when Jim O’Neill II, CPPO, FNIGP, was representing NIGP in his travels as NIGP President and with various NIGP committees. I want to thank the RMGPA membership for sending Tim Wellman and myself. We spent many hours with other NIGP Chapter officers, talking about how to improve your Chapter. We attended the Chapter Showcase which promoted the top practices from various chapters. Look for Tim’s article here in the newsletter. Strategic Plan Update • While at the Forum, Dirk Banks and I attended a class on how to improve your chapter webpage. We received lots of great ideas and most of all, we learned what not to do. The goal for the webpage enhancement is on track. We have received proposals and are in the process of evaluating them. Our timeframe is to have the new webpage up and running by December. •
One suggestion for the webpage was to use a third party such as a Onvia (Demand Star) or Bidnet. The webpage committee did discuss this and the decision was to proceed with owning our own webpage and employing a webmaster. There was the fear that the third party could close its doors and then RMGPA would be left without any webpage.
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The Board of Directors will be looking at the number of conferences we currently have and the number of days for each. In these tough economic times, we must look at trying to continue to provide educational programs and balance the costs to the membership.
I want to thank Lynn Baca from Adams County for stepping in to replace the RMGPA Treasurer vacancy left by Bruce Hartmetz . Bruce lost his job at the City of Northglenn due to budget cuts. Lynn has accepted the challenge (and all the boxes) of being our Treasurer and did a wonderful job at the Fall conference. Please visit the RMGPA webpage for her contact information if needed. The Fall Conference was a great success with 113 members signing up. The Programs committee has been listening to membership comments and only charged members $30 each for a great location, the Budweiser Events center, outstanding speakers and it even included breakfast and lunch. The outstanding quality continues at a consistent pace. December 1, 2004, is the second annual RMGPA Reverse Vendor Trade Show. If your agency is signed up to participate, a big Thank You in advance. If not, please consider being involved in a growing trend for all governmental purchasing groups. Contact Gina Abbott, at 719-520-6390 for more information. The Winter conference follows December 2 and 3 at the Wyndham Hotel in Colorado Springs. I hope to see all of you there.
John Dedicated to Excellence in Public Purchasing
∗E d u c a t i o n
Nancy Trontell, CPPB
[email protected]
Strategic Planning: An Evolving Role for the Procurement Professional ………………………………………………..Oct 13* * Requires a minimum of 20 students All classes will be held at the Jefferson County Courts and Administration Building in Golden, Colorado. Course descriptions and registration forms are available on the RMGPA website at http://www.frii.com/~rmgpa/ You can also send an email to
[email protected] Be advised that all classes are contingent upon RMGPA attaining established registration minimums. NOTE: Effective July 1, 2004 NIGP course fees are: Three-day course: Chapter Member National Member Non-Member
Two-Day Course Chapter Member National Member Non-Member
$525 $700 $8005
∗ Achievements
$300 $440 $550
One-Day Course Chapter Member National Member Non-Member
$125 $195 $250
through August 2004
New Certifications Daniel Frank, CPPB
Ruth Smith, CPPO
Mesa County
CO Springs School District #11
Patricia Harville, CPPB
Michael Thomas, CPPO
Keith Molholm, CPPB
Linda Trimble, CPPO, CPPB
Adams County School District No. 50 Now in Private Industry
City and County of Broomfield City of Wheat Ridge
Pamela Nelson, CPPB
Thomas Barrell, CPPB
Jenny Olberding, CPPB
Martin Harter, CPPB
Robert Siefken, CPPB
Heather Michaels, CPPB
Sandra Vallario, CPPB
Sterling Price, CPPB
Geraldine Trujillo-Martinez, CPPB University of Southern Colorado
Paul Christman, CPPB Casper College
Adams County School District No. 50 Boulder County
Colorado State Purchasing City of Glenwood Springs
Recertifications Colorado
Jeffrey Coapland, CPPB
Cherry Creek School District #5
Sherry Grams, CPPB
City and County of Denver
Cherry Creek School District #5 Jefferson County
Larimer County
CO Department of Human Resources
Dedicated to Excellence in Public Purchasing
CONGRATULATIONS
FORUM REVIEWS The Forum Experience
Submitted byTim Wellmann, CPPB – RMGPA Vice President
As RMGPA Vice President, I would like to thank the organization and its members for sending me to the 59th Annual NIGP Forum in Biloxi, Mississippi. A record number of delegates attended this year’s forum to participate in a variety of workshops, networking sessions and the products exposition. Additionally, there were exceptional keynote speakers and NIGP launched its new LEAP curriculum (Learning and Education to Advanced Procurement).
New for 2004, NIGP introduced its first annual Chapter Showcase. I found it to be valuable and would recommend it to current board members and future chapter leaders. The Chapter Showcase displayed a variety of innovative ideas and programs initiated by other NIGP Chapters. Some of these were the Reverse Vendor Trade Show (implemented by RMGPA last year), Electronic Voting for Election of Chapter Officers, Strategies to Increase Membership and a Scholarship/Education Voucher Program. Some or all of these may be applicable to our organization, but the Scholarship and Voucher program is what inspired the thought, “How can RMGPA implement a program within our organization?” This thought comes to mind because agencies are challenged in a time of tight budgets and reduced travel and training dollars. I believe RMGPA can provide agencies aid and its members additional educational opportunities with the implementation of such a program. It is possible that a program funded directly from Reverse Vendor Trade Show revenues could be established and funds be directed to agencies or members who actively participate in RMGPA sponsored activities. Agencies or members could then apply the funds towards RMGPA conferences, NIGP sponsored workshops, seminars, or even certification classes (LEAP). It is essential that our organization finds a way to directly assist its agencies and members. With this in mind, I plan to develop a program and present it to the board for consideration. Some members have seen results from last year's trade show with a reduced registration fee, an additional speaker and lunch provided at the Fall Conference. To implement a reward program and for agencies to recognize future savings it is essential that agencies continue to support this program. In addition to the showcase, I also attended a NIGP Chapter Leadership session. There were numerous topics discussed, some that our board has addressed successfully and others that have proved to be a challenge. Please feel free to contact me directly if you would like any further details. Overall, the Forum was quite the experience! Thank you! Tim
“The NIGP Forum was a great time both professionally and personally,” says Joe Pucci, Lifetime Member. "Lauri and I had a great time with the social events and celebrating with Capt. Ron to bring the ship to port. One thing I learned about Capt. Ron is that he has a "huge" following of NIGP members who are his social friends. Great to see an RMGPA "boy" makes good. Most of my professional time was spent teaching the three-day class for the new NIGP Procurement Management Assistance Program (PMAP) consultants. We trained 11 new consultants for the program. Karen Devereaux and D. J. Goodhue from our RMGPA chapter are now trained and certified NIGP/PMAP consultants. Twelve other consultants were trained to be PMAP Project Leaders. I also presented a seminar for about 200 attendees on "How to Keep Your Procurement Card out of the Headlines." What I learned from my Forum experience is that NIGP remains a strong professional and expanding organization providing support to all members. I also learned that most organizations use the Procurement Card Programs, but have significant concerns regarding effective and efficient internal controls and methods to audit the program. NIGP is available to assist with special reviews of Procurement Card Programs through its PMAP consulting assistance services."
Dedicated to Excellence in Public Purchasing
F O R U M R E V I E W S…Continued What I Learned at the 2004 NIGP Forum (just some of the things that “stuck”): Submitted by Pete Toth, CPPB City of Arvada
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NIGP announced a certificate program for government contractors, Government Contractor Certificate (GCC), derived from the notion that “an educated supplier is our best customer.” NIGP members could
facilitate vendor participation by referring interested vendors to www.nigp.org/gcc . Arvada Purchasing is considering a reference to this program in our formal solicitation documents. •
An effective meeting facilitator (among other things) – Uses “active” listening Tolerates conflict Asks questions Encourages decision making Remains neutral Communicates clearly Obtains resources Links people to each other
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I always take in the Presidential Citations for Best Practices session of the Forum in which a number of the awarded NIGP member agencies present their particular winning programs from the past year. The efforts and the creativity behind them can be a source of ideas, even if the application doesn’t have much of a prospect for, in my case, the City of Arvada. This year the two presented programs were for an On-Line Surplus Property Management System (Volusia County, FL), and a purchasing training and certification program for decentralized/delegated procurement in Plano, TX. Representatives from those entities can be contacted for info and even free copies of their “systems.”
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The decision to lease or buy equipment needs to include consideration for – o Useful life o Availability of funds o Required service levels & source/provider o Your “political environment” o Surplus/disposal o Current state of technology and availability
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Some of the significant facts related to workforce issues and the hiring and managing of staff – o By 2006 the number of retirement eligible workers will rise by 40%, while the number of workers entering the workforce (age 25-35) will decrease by 3 million. o More than any other reason, people leave jobs because of immediate supervisors (recent Gallup survey of over 1 million employees). o #1 issue/requirement for younger workers is an “explicit awareness of life beyond the office.” It’s not primarily the money anymore.
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There are a number of effective and active public sector cooperative purchasing organizations around the country that have a visible Web presence with useful bid notice and E-Procurement systems. I definitely think that RMGPA should investigate some of these options and operations and their possible benefit/application to the chapter’s members.
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The beaches around the Biloxi area may be invitingly white, but there’s a reason that you don’t see many folks out there. The water’s very shallow and the off shore barrier islands tend to dampen any real wave effects; AND fairly large drainage culverts, apparently from the streets, exit right where the sand meets the water.
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The food in some of New Orleans’ notable eateries is still GREAT (NOLA, Brigsten’s, etc.)!
Dedicated to Excellence in Public Purchasing
F O R U M R E V I E W S…Continued WHAT I LEARNED AT THE 2004 NIPG FORUM. Submitted by Terry Dooley, CPPB Jefferson County I learned that it gets a bit muggy in southern Mississippi in August, and furthermore that it doesn’t just rain down there -it pours! These conditions can be mitigated by staying close to the pool or in the air conditioned confines of the Beau Rivage. I also recognize the amount of hard work that went into putting on an event involving several thousand delegates, speakers and vendors. The sponsoring chapter and NIGP did a great job in selecting the host hotel and coordinating the meeting facilities and events. Finally, and most importantly, I learned that the problems and challenges we face daily in public purchasing are not unique to our agencies, but are shared by many other individuals and agencies across the U.S. and Canada. Learning about the problems that other agencies have faced and the solutions that they have come up with is probably the most important benefit of attending the Forum.
What I learned at the NIGP Forum. Submitted by Ricky Smith, CPPB Denver Public Schools I learned that all purchasing professionals share many of the same struggles in doing our jobs at a high level of professionalism. I learned and I was inspired to be a better leader among my peers. I was encouraged to find out that bid protests are a way of life for the purchasing profession, and they shouldn't be taken personally. I learned first hand that it is good to have wonderful RMGPA friends, and I am totally grateful for my RMGPA friends who kept track of my luggage. THANKS Kathryn and Bree! The NIGP 2004 Forum was quite an experience! Submitted by Terri Kindsfather, CPPB City of Lakewood As a first-timer, I was amazed at all the educational and networking opportunities. One of the key points for me came from the Managing Risk in Contracts: From Threat to Opportunity session, Risk Reflections by Stuart Humby. The statement was ‘your suppliers really know your company better than you do.’ Talk to your vendors; find out what valueadded services they can offer. Realize that you have a multi-dimensional business relationship between your customers, your partners (coworkers), your vendors and the competition. Risk is only part of the equation.
Memories………………….. Pictures courtesy of Tim Wellmann
Dedicated to Excellence in Public Purchasing
Dedicated to Excellence in Public Purchasing
Dedicated to Excellence in Public Purchasing
Dedicated to Excellence in Public Purchasing
QUESTIONS? SUGGESTIONS? CONTACT US! RMGPA BOARD OF DIRECTORS POSITION President Vice President Secretary Treasurer Past President
OFFICER John Stephen, CPPO Tim Wellmann, CPPB Mike Thomas, CPM Lynn Baca Renee Wersch, CPPO
AGENCY City of Fort Collins, Colorado City of Arvada, Colorado City & County of Broomfield, Colorado Adams County, Colorado Adams County School Dist 50, Westminster, CO
PHONE (970) 221-6777 (720) 898-7094 (303) 464-5824 (303) 654-6049 (303) 428-3535
AGENCY Douglas County Schools, Castle Rock, CO Colorado Lottery, Pueblo, CO Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, CO City of Thornton, CO Adams County, Brighton, CO City of Wheat Ridge, CO Jefferson County, Golden, CO Jeffco Public Schools, Golden, CO Northern Colorado Water Conservancy Dist. Colo Divn of Local Government, Denver, CO Garfield County, Gunnison, CO
PHONE (303) 387-0396 (719) 546-5211 (970) 491-6611 (303) 538-7588 (303) 654-6052 (303) 235-2811 (303) 271-8589 (303) 982-6757 (970) 667-2437 (303) 866-3005 (970) 384-5012
STANDING COMMITTEES POSITION Awards Education Elections Historian Legislative Membership Newsletter Programs Public Relations State/Local West Slope
CHAIRPERSON Mary Kirschmer, CPPB Nancy Trontell, CPPB Linda Meserve, CPPB Susan White, CPM Liz Estrada Linda Trimble, CPPB Fran Mueller, CPPO Cindy Joy, CPPB Dirk Banks, CPPO, CPPB Susanna Lienhard Tim Arnett
Website:www.frii.com/~rmgpa
Dedicated to Excellence in Public Purchasing
