Cronin Awards Deadline  Approaching
Be a part of the exciting 40th Anniversary Celebration!
 
NASPO wants to give your state the national recognition it deserves through the George Cronin Awards for Procurement Excellence. The deadline is fast approaching. Don't miss the chance to submit your nomination.

Share new or improved initiatives for the opportunity to be nationally recognized and be a part of improving the public procurement function nationwide. The deadline for submissions is Friday, July 14, so don't wait. Nominate your state initiative today!


Route Fifty recently published an Op-Ed by NASPO Executive Director, DeLaine Bender featuring last year's Gold Cronin Award Winner Tennessee. This article details Tennessee's Central Procurement Office and their innovative radio equipment and services contract, which has provided the state with significant contract improvements and savings of nearly $2.4 million to date.

Photo caption: Tennessee helped their employees celebrate winning the Gold Cronin Award by decorating the office.

For more information check out the article published by Route Fifty, as well as the webinar presented by Tennessee earlier this year on NASPO's YouTube channel.
Registration for the 2017 NASPO Annual Conference is now open! The event will be an excellent opportunity to reflect on the 70 years of dedication to procurement excellence embodied by NASPO members. More importantly, the 2017 Annual Conference will challenge you to innovate new approaches - not only to prepare for the future of state government, but to shape it.

Join your fellow members September 10-13, in Tampa, Florida, to interact, network and conduct the business of the organization as we look ahead to another 70 years of excellence in state procurement. 
Tech-Next: Procuring UAVs
UAVs, or "drones", are so much more than just last year's hot Christmas toy! Find out how UAVs can improve public services, and what state procurement officials need to know when procuring UAVs in this first installment of "Tech-Next," NASPO's new series on procuring emerging technologies.

In this work product developed by the Emerging Issues Committee, you will learn about the basics of UAVs, developing applications for their use, legal perspectives, and suggested considerations for the procurement process.
NASPO-NASCA Roundtable on Procurement Leadership
NASPO is committed to exploring new opportunities for collaboration with our state partner associations, including the development of joint programs that educate and promote a deeper understanding of procurement and administrative functions in state government.

This fall, NASPO will join the National Association of State Chief Administrators (NASCA) in a 1½ day topical Roundtable on Procurement Leadership. This Roundtable will take place October 10-11, 2017, at the Emory Conference Center in Atlanta, Georgia, in conjunction with the NASCA Institute on Management and Leadership.

This invitation-only event will be attended by chief administrators and chief procurement officials from across the U.S. Attendance will be limited to approximately 25 states on a first-come, first-served basis. Ideally, the chief administrator and CPO from the same state will attend as a pair; however, those unable to attend with a state partner are welcome.

Invited NASPO members have the option of attending only the Roundtable or the Roundtable and the Institute. Registration for NASPO members for one or both events is complimentary. To register, invited NASPO members should contact Mary Hope Kramer to request the required special registration credentials.

Click here for more information about this exciting opportunity.
New Course Offerings from Procurement U
Millennials and the State Government Workforce

"Millennials" are becoming one of the more recognizable generations thanks to the prevalence of media attention they have received. This has created a sense that we often understand the typical characteristics of this particular generation, but what hasn't been explored in depth is how this generation interacts with the world of state procurement.

This is an advanced level course. The target audience includes, but not necessarily limited to, CPOs and director level executive managers, assistant directors, program managers, supervisors, and training coordinators.


UPPCC CPPO and CPPB Prep Courses

Registration is now open for the fall CPPO and CPPB exam prep courses through Procurement U!

The CPPO and CPPB 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, open discussion, case studies, and assessment tools that allow participants to gauge their individual exam readiness. Course participants are expected to have acquired knowledge in each of the domain areas, through training, professional experience, and understanding of the application to practice.

For more information regarding these courses and registration information, click on the corresponding course image below.


     
Congrats New CPPO, CPPB Certificants
NASPO would like to extend our congratulations to those in state procurement who have successfully completed the Universal Public Procurement Certification Council's (UPPCC) certification exams and have recently been granted the designations of Certified Public Procurement Officer (CPPO) and Certified Public Procurement Buyer (CPPB).

Newly granted CPPB's
Mr. Scott Kinsell, CPPB, State of Illinois-Executive Ethics Commission
Mrs. Jennifer A. Klein, CPPB, State of Illinois-Executive Ethics Commission
Mr. Geno H. Marchizza, CPPB, State of Illinois-Executive Ethics Commission
Mr. David P. Papp, CPPB, State of Illinois-Executive Ethics Commission
Ms. Nancy B. Wheelock, CPPB, Iowa Department of Administrative Services
Ms. Stephanie J. Wildman, CPPB, State of Idaho

Newly granted CPPO's
Mr. Brett Boutin, CPPO, State of Montana
Mrs. Jennifer Salts, CPPO, CPPB, State Of Utah

Congratulations on all your hard work to become the UPPCC's new class of CPPBs and CPPOs! NASPO is proud to be one of the founding partners of UPPCC, the widely recognized certifying entity for public procurement employees. A complete list of all the newly certified individuals can be found on the UPPCC website.

For more information on the examination process visit the UPPCC website.
For helpful exam preparation tools check out the Certification webpage on the NASPO website.

If you are planning on working toward your certification this fall, please keep in mind that UPPCC has announced a new schedule of fees that will go into effect July 1, 2017. 
In Case You Missed It: Webinar Recaps

For those of you who were unable to attend our May 24th Best Practices Webinar: Agency Relations and Communications, or would like a review, we have provided a webinar recap for your convenience.

The recap includes a short summary of the main points of the May 24th webinar, as well as a link to the full-length recording!




Also in May the Emerging Issues Committee held a webinar on Agile Procurement in Practice.

For your convenience, you can find a recording of this webinar and a recap on the NASPO website. 
NASPO Financial Submission Date Change 
NASPO will process reimbursements received by the close of business on Mondays in the weekly check run. Requests received later in the week will be processed in the following week's check run. 

Please make a note of this change for your future payment response time.

Effective July 1, 2017
Reimbursement Reminders
Please submit your travel expenses within 2 weeks of attending NASPO events!

Use the online reimbursement portals to speed your response time.
TIP: Submit your signed expense report form online as supporting documentation, you only need to fill out one line item with the total amount from the form. 

Check the logo at the top of your online and paper forms to be sure you are submitting reimbursement for the correct organization. NASPO and NASPO ValuePoint are separate entities.

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.