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Second step, part 2

• 13th December 2013

In the spring of 2013, NIGP’s strategic partner, Spikes Cavell, developed a Guide to Procurement Savings designed to show public sector procurement teams how they can use spend data to understand, change and measure their procurement function.

Financial integration with purpose-built functionality

• 13th December 2013

A leading technology analyst firm has concluded that integration of e-procurement solutions into an organization’s existing financial systems is not only supported, but also well-known and relatively simple. According to the firm’s report, e-procurement solutions can be configured with practically any financial system. The conclusion confronts concerns by potential clients about integration, highlighting that integration […]

Pondering a real-life procurement dilemma

• 13th December 2013

One of the great things about working in public procurement is that our work – including the decisions and determinations we make, the actions we take or don’t take and our results – are open fully to public review and discussion. And, on more than one occasion for most of us, when a high-profile project […]

Governments spreading kindness

• 13th December 2013

Government programs face tight budgets and dwindling resources. But gifts-in-kind organizations enable municipalities to obtain free merchandise that can benefit recipients in a big way. 
A gifts-in-kind organization such as the National Association for the Exchange of Industrial Resources solicits donations of valuable, new merchandise from American corporations and redistributes the merchandise to their members […]

Government Procurement Dec./Jan.

• 13th December 2013

The future of sustainability

• 19th November 2013

What sets the new Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council (SPLC) apart from other efforts is its focus on the purchasing process itself as a strategic driver to deliver sustainability results rather than focusing on a more limited set of opportunities to “green” specific purchases. In effect, SPLC is attempting to imbed a consistent, structured sustainability approach […]

Unlocking the best value

• 19th November 2013

Since the early 1800s, governments have often relied on the relatively simplistic lowest-bid process of publicly-advertised competition as the primary method to maximize value from its purchases. Today, the drawbacks of over-reliance on the low-bid method are well recognized, particularly potential shortcomings in quality, reliability and service. Alternative procurement methods have evolved to balance multiple issues of costs, service and risk.

Pareto redux

• 19th November 2013

Back in 2008, St. Petersburg, Fla., was among the first handful of procurement departments in the United States to win the Pareto Award of Excellence in Public Procurement. This year it is the first to earn the award for a second time. “We built on what we achieved the first time,” says Louis Moore, director, purchasing and materials management, St. Petersburg, Fla. “We felt more confident the second time, knew what the process was, and felt better about ourselves as a department.”

Nobody does it better

• 19th November 2013

My cousin Greg is the director of public works for Merrill, a Mayberry-ish town in southern Oregon. I was planning to visit him this past year, as I had not seen him in a while. In fact, the last time I stopped by Merrill, his oldest son was playing Little League. So when I called […]

8 new face-to-face courses available from NIGP

• 18th November 2013

IGP: The Institute for Public Procurement announces the addition of eight new face-to-face courses. Each of these courses is designed to provide public procurement professionals the most up-to-date skills and knowledge base to help further their careers.

If your agency is interested in hosting any of these new courses, please contact Faye Jackson, Events Administrator, at 703-736-8900, ext. 276; or email [email protected].

Best Practices in Developing Public Construction Bid Documents
Duration: 1-Day Course | Contact hours: 8 hours