Make Your Vote Count

Vote Now for Cronin Heritage Award

We need your vote! In honor of the 40th Anniversary of the George Cronin Awards for Procurement Excellence, the Cronin Awards Committee is asking every NASPO member to vote for a special recognition award to be presented this year. This award is being called the Cronin Heritage Award, and it will be a fun way to recognize Cronin Award winners and the legacy they have had throughout NASPO's history of excellence.

We are looking for you to use the link below to vote on which Gold Cronin Award winner you believe is the most innovative procurement initiative in the past decade. This is meant to be a fun exercise, allowing everyone to have a voice in celebrating the history of NASPO and the Cronin Awards Program, which has been such an integral part of NASPO for the last 40 years.

Announcing: Member Access to GovWin IQ

NASPO is happy to announce the rollout of a valuable new market research tool. GovWin IQ will provide you a searchable database of hundreds of thousands of planned federal, state and local government solicitations, as well as historical contracts and their associated documents. It also includes more than 1.9 million profiles of companies that do business in the public sector at the state and local levels.

NASPO is seeking interested and committed members to join the planning committee for the 2018 NASPO Exchange. The work of the committee is critical to building an event that brings partnering, networking and learning together to develop business relationships that support effective, efficient, transparent and fair public procurement.

The committee is responsible for planning educational components of the conference, including session topics, speakers and networking initiatives. The committee will begin meeting in September. For more information about committee activities, expectations and to sign up to participate access the interest form below.

Please respond no later than September 8. The chair will make the final determination of which volunteers are placed on the committee to achieve the best balance of participation. All volunteers will be notified. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to NASPO staff.

NCMA Magazine Interviews DC CPO, George Schutter

NASPO member George Schutter, Chief Procurement Officer of the District of Columbia was interviewed by NCMA Magazine. Check out the full article to read more on his views of transparency in contracting, procurement reform, workforce training, and what's in store for the District of Columbia's Office of Contracting and Procurement in the near future.

Read more....

We look forward to seeing you in Tampa, Florida for Annual Conference in just two weeks! The role of state procurement has changed a lot since NASPO's members came together at the first Annual Conference 70 years ago. We look forward to celebrating this legacy of excellence with the state members, life and honorary members, staff and partners who have all worked so hard to support state procurement over the years. The event will be a chance to interact, network and conduct the business of the organization as we look ahead to another 70 years of excellence in state procurement. We can't wait to see you there! Below are a few reminders regarding your travel to Annual Conference.

Member Services Booth

This year's conference will feature a Member Services Booth located in the atrium of the conference area. The booth will open at noon on Monday, and will be staffed between sessions throughout the conference. We encourage you to visit the booth to learn more about your NASPO benefits, including:

* NASPO conferences and expense reimbursements
* NASPO Network
* Professional Development Funds
* Procurement U
* IBIS World
* GovWin IQ

In honor of the 70th Anniversary, "NASPO Through the Decades," a booklet capturing 70 years of NASPO history, will be available to members as a keepsake. Please pick up your copy at the Member Services Booth.

Remember to wear your 70th Anniversary lapel pin! If you don't have a pin, please be sure to pick one up at the Member Services Booth.

Submitting Travel Reimbursements

Be sure to use the Online Reimbursement Portal to submit your upcoming travel expense reports and supporting documents directly into our accounting system. Access the portal for both NASPO and NASPO ValuePoint related travel expenses, including your travel to Tampa for Annual Conference.

Procurement U Needs Your Expertise

NASPO relies on its membership to fill a variety of roles throughout the year. Oftentimes, Procurement U has many available opportunities and we would like to match those opportunities with your interests.

These roles may include:

* Serving as a subject matter expert for the development of our online courses
* Session facilitator
* Course reviewer
* UPPCC prep question writer

Would you be willing to assist Procurement U in any of these capacities? If so, we'd love for you to fill out our Procurement U Volunteer Interest Form so we have a record of your areas of expertise.

After we have received your submission we will add you to our SME database. Next time we need assistance, staff will review your information to see if you may be a good fit.

Requests for assistance will be made as needed for course/training development.
If you have any questions or need assistance please contact Procurement U.

Welcome New NASPO Members!


Meghan Holmlund Chief Procurement Officer State of Montana State Financial Services Division Department of Administration 125 N Roberts St Rm 270 Helena, MT 59601	Marqueta Welton Deputy Secretary-Service Operations State of North Carolina Division of Purchase and Contract 116 W Jones St Raleigh, NC 27603

NASPO's mission is to help our members achieve success as public procurement leaders in their states through promotion of best practices, education, professional development, research, and innovative procurement strategies.