Academic Forum Synopsis  

The 2018 Academic Forum, hosted April 10-12 by  Michigan State University (MSU), was a great success! More than 27 states were represented, with 12 academic partners and four students representing both Arizona State University and MSU participating. Attendees discussed topics such as partnering with higher education institutions, the Supply Chain Management student perspective of the public sector, elevating the public procurement profession, and more. We look forward to working with our partners at Oregon State University to host the 2019 Academic Forum next spring.

Cronin Award Webinar Series Presents Utah's ValuePoint Cloud Solutions Procurement

Wednesday, May 23rd (3:00 pm -4:00 pm EDT) 
Presenter: Christopher Hughes 

Please join us for the forth webinar of the Cronin Finalist Webinar Series. Our presenter will be Christopher Hughes, Director of the State of Utah's Division of Purchasing & General Services. 

Utah led a multi-state effort for its Cloud Solutions Procurement, which was presented to local governments moving away from a hosted information technology infrastructure to one where software, infrastructure and other sophisticated platforms are accessible with browsers. This process for acquiring IT resources turns the traditional method of acquisition on its head, providing key benefits in cost savings and efficiency, and addressing critical issues like data integrity, ownership and security.
All Cronin Finalist Webinar Series attendees are eligible to receive a certificate of completion credit. To receive credit, one must be present for the entire duration of the webinar. To participate in this webinar,   REGISTER   now. 
A recording of our most recent Cronin Finalist Webinars has been posted online. 
If you missed out on these great and informative webinars, please feel free to 

NASPO REACH - Enhance your experience as a NASPO member! 

The NASPO Regional Education and Connection Hub (REACH) will enhance the member experience for state central procurement staff by leveraging the collective knowledge across all four regions to expand the sharing of education, best practices and innovative approaches to state procurement. 

We look forward to welcoming you to the inaugural REACH Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana, July 16-18, 2018. Register now to reserve your spot and share best practices that have led to successful procurement in your state. Take advantage of the widespread program driven by the common challenges state procurement professionals face in areas like -  technology and data, vendor relations and training and support. Learn from a top business leader about cutting edge strategies to develop your own legendary customer service brand and revolutionize your customer service results. Sign up to participate in the half-day Procurement U training featuring procurement ethics. Consider sending your state training coordinator to the half-day Procurement U State Training Coordinators Workshop to gain training tools and takeaways to elevate your own state's training.

NASPO will fully fund up to six participants for every state. What are you waiting for? Register now
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Now Accepting Cronin Nominations

NASPO is excited to announce that nominations for the 2018 Cronin Awards are now being accepted! 
 
With a criterion focusin g on innovation, transferability, service improvement, and cost reduction, the Cronin Awards recognize outstanding state procurement initiatives, providing well-deserved appreciation to state procurement personnel who have undertaken, and accomplished projects that result in distinct benefits to their state.
Last year the Cronin Awards saw a record number of submissions, and NASPO encourages our members to continue that tradition by submitting even more this year! 

The deadline for nominations is Monday, August 6, 2018. CLICK HERE to review the submissions guidelines and download the 2018 submission form. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Kevin Minor .
Continuous Improvement Webinar Series - 
Save the Date

Mark your calendars to join us on June 6th at 3:00 p.m. EDT for the first installment in the Continuous Improvement Webinar Series! 

NASPO members, Jason Soza (CPO, Alaska) and Richard Pennington (Life Member) will share their insight on methods of continuous improvement that can help you identify opportunities for streamlining work and improving procurement processes. They will also discuss some hands-on examples and tips on how you can use Lean Six Sigma methodologies to integrate continuous improvement into your procurement organizations.

A webinar registration link will be provided soon.
ProcurementIQ

We are excited to announce that IBISWorld Procurement is changing its name to ProcurementIQ! Why are they changing their name? When IBISWorld Procurement first began, it leveraged IBISWorld as a trusted name in research. Since 2013, its procurement division has grown to become the largest provider of market intelligence to the procurement community. The change to ProcurementIQ recognizes the customers and products by incorporating them into the brand.  What does this change mean for NASPO members? The core product will remain the same: there is no change in your access to more than 1,000 procurement research reports available by accessing your ProcurementIQ subscription. Please visit ProcurementIQ.com to log in and access your ProcurementIQ subscription. Usernames and passwords will remain the same. If you have any questions please contact Kevin Minor at [email protected]. 



Welcome New NASPO Members!



Procurement Office 
State of Wyoming
Chief Procurement Officer 
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania


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