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A Message from the President 

Greetings, fellow NASPO members. 

It is hard to believe the pace at which the first half of 2018 has passed. Already we have traveled to the Big Apple in March to host another successful Exchange conference and visited our academic partners at Michigan State University to hold the second annual Academic Forum in April. Now, as we officially enter summer, I look forward in eager anticipation to our next major event; the first-ever REACH conference, July 16-18, in New Orleans, Louisiana.

If you have not yet registered to attend REACH, I hope you will do so soon. This year, in lieu of the individual regional conferences that NASPO has hosted in years past, REACH will provide us the unique opportunity to bring together in one location up to six procurement staff from the four NASPO regions to learn from and share with our colleagues from all across the nation.
 
So far, the response to our first REACH conference has been strong. We anticipate having robust participation from the Eastern, Midwestern, Western and Southern regions, which will provide NASPO members with a significant number of opportunities for engagement and peer-to-peer interaction that not only benefits us as individuals, but also our home states.

As your president, it is my sincere hope that our members take advantage of all the various in-person and online opportunities for education and professional growth available through NASPO. If you are unable to travel to REACH or other NASPO conferences and events, I hope you bring NASPO to you and take advantage of the myriad of valuable resources produced by the talented NASPO staff that are available from the naspo.org website.
 
From the convenient online, self-paced learning opportunities that Procurement U provides, to the valuable resources and webinars produced by the Research and Innovation team to help procurement staff perform their jobs more effectively and efficiently, NASPO exists to support you and your work as a steward of your state taxpayers' dollars.

Visit naspo.org to learn more about the latest Procurement U offerings and newest NASPO publications. And subscribe to NASPO's new blog, Procurement Pulse to read timely and topical commentary on emerging issues in state procurement.
 
I hope you have wonderful summer and I look forward to seeing many of you in New Orleans!
 

Sincerely,
 

Michael A. Jones
2018 NASPO President
 
Survey of State Procurement Practices Report Coming Soon!

Interested in getting your copy of the Executive Summary of the 2018 Survey of State Procurement Practices? Stay tuned for the release of the survey results on Thursday, June 14th. Thanks again to all state CPOs who provided input to this comprehensive data collection! We appreciate your participation. If you have any questions about the 2018 Survey, please contact Elena Moreland .
REACH Registration 

Registration for NASPO REACH closes Thursday, June 14. NASPO funds participation up to six individuals from each state. Register now to participate in this inaugural event and take advantage of the nationwide platform for state procurement staff networking, connection and peer-to-peer learning
Cronin Award Webinar Series Presents FINALIST: State of Georgia, Amazon Business in Team Georgia Marketplace™


Thursday, June 14th (3:00 pm - 4:00 pm EDT)
Presenter: Kristine Splieth

Please join us for the fifth webinar of the Cronin Finalist Webinar Series. Our presenter will be Kristine Splieth, Director, State of Georgia Deputy CIO Business Integration State Purchasing Division

Georgia's spend analytics data showed that millions of dollars were being spent each year to procure needed items through Amazon. The Department of Administrative Services, State Purchasing Division recognized the efficiencies to be gained by eliminating the Amazon Prime accounts that went along with these purchases. Additionally, they saw the need to establish controls while also maintaining flexibility. To allow for these controls to be in place, they implemented an Amazon for Business catalog within the Team Georgia Marketplace™, the state's virtual catalog application integrated within the State's ERP system.

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,  CLICK HERE

A recording of our most recent Cronin Finalist Webinars have been posted. If you missed out on these great and informative webinar, please feel free to  watch them online .
NASPO Annual Conference Registration opens June 26th!


Registration Open for Fall CPPB and CPPO Exam Prep Courses
Registration is open for Procurement U's Fall Prep Courses for the UPPCC CPPB and CPPO Exams. These prep courses are designed as a facilitated review of the UPPCC Body of Knowledge, and are intended to assist any public procurement professional that is preparing to take the certification exams. Each course will provide resources, discussion with CPPB and CPPO certified instructors, case studies, and assessment tools that allow participants to gauge their individual exam readiness, including exam practice questions designed to mirror the question writing processed by the UPPCC. Course participants are expected to have acquired knowledge in each of the domain areas, through training, professional experience, and understanding of the practical application of the procurement process, so that these courses can help take that knowledge and prepare you for the exam.For more information regarding these courses and to get registered, click here.

Reach out to [email protected] if you have questions regarding these courses.

        
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  Stephanie Schlueter .

Advancing public procurement through leadership, excellence and integrity.