Welcoming Our First Chief Executive Officer

Directors and NASPO members, it's my pleasure to announce the hiring of Lindle Hatton , Ph.D., as our association's first Chief Executive Officer. The position will become effective July 31.

Lindle is a familiar face within NASPO, having served as a consultant and advisor to the NASPO Board of Directors and NASPO ValuePoint Management Board since 2013. During 
that time, he has been instrumental by providing valuable guidance for our strategic programs, including the formation of our Procurement U and higher education initiatives. He has attended several NASPO conferences, so many of you have already had the pleasure of meeting him.

He joins Dianne Lancaster, our first-ever Chief Learning Officer, as a NASPO employee effective July 31. The addition of these new roles does not change the existing relationship with AMR, our long-time association management company, and the team led there by DeLaine Bender.
Check out NASPO's Contract Administration Best Practices Guide. We included best practices, helpful steps for each contract administration phase, as well as tips and solutions from state central procurement professionals.

This recently-released Guide is an online resource developed by the Best Practices Committee's Contract Management Work Group. You can download checklists, access our interactive map and learn about what Essential Elements you need to have in place to manage your contracts effectively. 

Contact Elena Moreland if you have any questions about this publication.
SPLC Benchmarking Pilot

The deadline to register your state to participate in the S PLC BENCHMARKSM Pilot has been extended to August 18, 2017. The pilot program is part of a suite of resources developed by our partner, the Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council (SPLC) to support aligned leadership in sustainable purchasing. Once the system is populated, this new online platform will enable states to assess the maturity of their own purchasing activities against the SPLC Maturity Model and against other purchasing organizations participating in the pilot. 
 
Mark your calendars for the SPLC BENCHMARK Info Session hosted on Aug 10, 2017 3:00 PM EDT. The SPLC BENCHMARK SM webinar is an exclusive, no-cost opportunity for NASPO members. This webinar will introduce NASPO members to SPLC BENCHMARK, explain the pilot program, and answer any questions that you may have. The webinar registration link will be distributed to all CPOs this week. 
 
To request participation in the SPLC BENCHMARKSM Pilot Program, please complete a short application survey by August 18, 2017. Click here to apply.
NASPO Members Write Article for NCMA's Magazine
July's Contract Management magazine features' an article titled "Five Pillars of Procurement Excellence," by Richard Pennington (NASPO Life Member) and Jason Soza (NASPO member from Alaska).

"Major procurement associations represent pillars of excellence, each relying on different routes. In 2013, Richard Pennington wrote the article, "Seeing Excellence: Learning from Great Procurement Teams." Curiously, no one ever asked him, "What is 'excellence'?" Jason Soza has written many articles about the procurement profession, and in his latest, "10 Tips: Professionalism in Public Procurement," he details the value of always looking for ways to improve yourself and learning from your interactions with others.

The professional associations that represent procurement each offer incredible insight into defining excellence and professionalism, as well as providing an instant network of peers whom you can interact with, observe, and learn from. This article discusses the beacons of excellence and professionalism that those associations have become for public procurement through their various award programs."...

Check out full article online.
Haven't yet registered for the Annual Conference? What are you waiting for? The conference program is designed to address the issues and trends most important to state procurement leaders. Future focus areas like agile procurement, IT relationships, new sourcing methodologies are showcased, along with proven methods to enhance efficiency, support staff and drive cost savings.

Join your fellow members, September 10-13 in Tampa, Florida, to engage with and learn from your peers in state procurement.

Announcing.....NASPO REACH!
You spoke, we listened. NASPO's pilot joint regional conference will be NASPO REACH (Regional Education and Networking Hub). Save the date for July 16-18, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NASPO will welcome six state procurement staff members from each state to join us for this new event which supports practical education, sharing of solutions and establishing a national network of procurement professionals, at all levels. Contact NASPO Staff with any initial questions!
In Case You Missed It: Recent Conference Recaps
State Training Professionals Gather for Conference

Procurement U hosted the State Training Coordinator's Conference in Asheville, North Carolina July 14th-16th. The event is designed for the members in each state's central procurement office that provide or coordinate training. There were over sixty participants in attendance, representing 32 states. 

The conference agenda was developed based off feedback from last year's event, as well as the input of a planning workgroup. The conference was designed to provide educational and interactive sessions on the topics that are most important to the training community. This included demonstrating multiple session formats and instructional elements, to provide the participants with tools that they could incorporate into their own professional development offerings. E-Learning, UPPCC Certification, Instructional Methodologies and SME Management were just a few of the topics covered.

There were also multiple opportunities for participants to engage in discussion and network with their peers. To facilitate these types of conversations a "Discussion Deck" session was utilized, where participants were each dealt playing cards that included questions related to professional development. Participants then took turns asking questions from their cards for the group to discuss. This allowed for engaging discussions around a variety of topics.

Based on the ideas generated from the conference the NASPO Professional Development Committee and Procurement U staff will be exploring additional opportunities to provide supportive resources to the training community.

Southern Regional Conference

Procurement staff from the Southern region gathered last week in Asheville, North Carolina, for education, networking and sharing. The conference agenda included many of the topics from NASPO's Top Ten, including eProcurement, performance metrics, strategic role of state central procurement and agency   
relations. Staff development and retention were also discussed in more than one session, including the keynote address by Jason Young, "Culturetopia - The Ultimate High Performance Workplace," and the "What's Your Solution" roundtable session.
 
Regional conference participants will have the opportunity to engage with state procurement staff from all regions at the inaugural NASPO REACH Conference, July 16-18, 2018, in New Orleans!
Last Call to Register: CPPO and CPPB Prep Courses
Registration is open through July 26!

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.


     
Welcome New NASPO Members!





Acting Director
State of West Virginia
Department of Administration
Purchasing Division
2019 Washington St E
Charleston, WV 25305

Chief Procurement Officer
State of Oregon
DAS Procurement Services
1225 Ferry Street SE
Salem, OR 97301

Administrator
State of Montana
State Financial Services Division
Department of Administration
125 N Roberts St Rm 270
Helena, MT 59601
Director
State of Mississippi
Office of Purchasing, Travel & Fleet Management
701 Woolfolk Bldg Ste A
501 N West St, Ste 701A
Jackson, MS 39201


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.