Tallahassee Area Chapter of NIGP

September 2010 Newsletter

Thank you to all the volunteers and attendees who made this year’s Reverse Trade Shoe, Vendor Expo and purchasing Conference a success?

The Reverse Trade Show was all the buzz. The agency representatives and vendors alike were

impressed with all aspects of the show this year. The Networking Luncheon was also a hit.

While attendance was down at the Vendor Expo for both vendors and attendees, it still turned a nice

profit that will help promote educational opportunities for the Chapter next year.

Lastly, the Purchasing Conference received great reviews and was well attended.

Whew – three events in two short days! On that note, look forward to some scheduling changes next year…

Several Chapter members attended the national NIGP Forum in San Antonio in August. It was a “hot” opportunity (117 heat index) to learn and network with others in the procurement field. More

information, submitted by the attendees, is contained in this newsletter.

The Chapter provides many opportunities for the membership and I encourage each of you to become

more involved to enhance your professional development. That being said…

What does it mean to be a “professional”? Is it the way you dress? Is it the way you perform your

duties? Is it being certified in your field?

I would venture to say that all these things play a part in perception of professionalism. Being a

professional is more than just working in a profession. Ultimately, being professional means being an

expert. It means being competent and skillful, along with behaving in an ethical way. It means putting your customers first, and acting in the best interests of the public.

As a professional you must be dedicated to your professional development both for yourself and for those people who are affected by your work. It is about being trustworthy, reliable and committed.

One way to achieve this level of Professionalism is through NIGP certification.

A professional association is an organization seeking to further a particular profession, the interests of

the Individuals engaged in that professional and the public interest.

TACNIGP is your professional association dedicated to helping you in becoming the procurement

professional that you aspire to be through certification and recertification assistance and ongoing

professional development opportunities. Be sure to visit the website and take a look at all the opportunities available to you as a TACNIGP member.

On Tuesday, October 12, 2010, the Chapter will sponsor a morning and afternoon seminar at no cost to members. Our

General Monthly Meeting will also take place between the

Two Sessions from 11:30-12:30 and includes a FREE lunch.

The Seminars and Luncheon will be held at DEP in the Carr

Building, Room 170. A big thanks to Janice Pursley for

Securing the room for us again this year!

Message from the President

2010 OFFICERS

Wendi Sellers, President

Robert Threewitts, Vice-President

Don Tobin, Treasurer

Donna Smith, Secretary

Keith Roberts, Immediate Past President

VOLUME 1 ISSUE 9

2010 TACNIGP President

Wendi Sellers, CPPB

Tallahassee Area Chapter of NIGP Post Office Box 922 Tallahassee, Florida 32302 Phone: (850) 414-6148 info@tacnigp.com https://www.tacnigp.com/

2010 BOARD MEMBERS

Vida Addison, City of Tallahassee

Susan Barr, Department of Corrections

Charles Day, Department of Management

Services

Gloria Dixon, Department of Transportation

Ed Valla. Department of Business &

Professional Regulation

Brenda Wells, Department of Management

Services

Bylaws Committee - Vacant

Communications Committee - Diana K. Trahan

Education & Professional Development

Committee – Robert Threewitts

Finance Committee– Mark Lovell

House Committee – Charles Day

Membership Committee – Susan Barr

Nominating Committee – Keith Roberts

Reverse Trade Show Committee – Charles Day

Scholarship Committee – Vida Addison

Tradeshow Committee – Mark Lovell

Volunteer Committee – Ed Valla

2010 COMMITTEE CHAIRS

September 2010 Newsletter

Message from the Vice-President

It’s September already and school is back in session.

It is also time to protect yourself and your loved ones.

Crime is up-robberies, assaults and home break-ins. What

has been in the news lately? Home break-ins and assaults in

Killearn, student robbed on the bike path to school, student

shot, etc. Do you feel safe?

Our speaker this month is Bill Cain from Public Safety

Coalition. He spoke to our group 2 years ago; some of you

might remember him. His presentation was so good I had

him come to the Northwood Center and give his

presentation to the state agencies out there. He will

enlighten you about being safe, how to become more aware

and how to protect yourself. Come to our luncheon

September 14 and become more knowledgeable.

See you there!

2010 TACNIGP Vice-President

Robert Threewitts, CPPB, FCPM

Upcoming Events for 2010

September 3, 2010 Labor Day

September 14, 2010 TACNIGP Meeting

October 12, 2010 TACNIGP Meeting

October 31, 2010 Halloween

November 9, 2010 TACNIGP Meeting

November 18, 2010 Thanksgiving Day

December 14, 2010 TACNIGP Holiday Meeting

December 24, 2010 Christmas Eve

December 25, 2010 Christmas Day

September 2010 Newsletter

Public Safety Coalition Presents Bill Cain

September 14, 2010

Public Safety Coalition is an independent task force of present, former and retired law enforcement officers who are specialists in crime prevention procedures. They travel the country educating the public on the most recent crimes, cons and scams used on the police today. We are happy to present Bill Cain. Bill is a former law enforcement officer who served on both the Macon Police Department and the Bibb County Police Department for over 9 years. He graduated first in his class at the Georgia Police Academy and served on both the Rat Patrol and First Response Swat Team. Bill has specialized in gang intelligence, crime prevention procedures, crimes targeted against travelers, home invasions and random acts of violence for the last fourteen years. He is considered by many law enforcement professionals as one of the top authorities in these fields. Bill is also the author of the book, “What you need to know about the most recent road crimes, cons and scams used on motorists today”. Bill has been invited to present crime prevention programs for hundreds of Fortune 500 companies, federal and state government agencies, NORAD, NASA and over 50 Air Force bases. Bill hopes that the information he gives you today will help you or a loved one from becoming a victim of a violent crime and how to react if you are. Your safety is his goal.

September Speaker

Congratulations to Susan Barr on becoming a Grandmother. Kinsley Addison Barr was born on August 15, 2010 at 7lbs. 15 oz. 20“ long. Proud parents are Brian and Kathryn.

Congratulations to Martha Fletcher from the Department of Business

and Professional Regulation who will be retiring on October 31, 2010

after 35 years with the State of Florida.

September 2010 Birthdays

Barbara Carter 4-Sep

Nikitra King 5-Sep

Dwight Williams 9-Sep

Tillis DeVaughn 9-Sep

Martha Fletcher 14-Sep

Elizabeth Bennett 15-Sep

Valerie Stanley 15-Sep

Steve Updike 16-Sep

Mary Quinsey 19-Sep

Julyn Hussey 20-Sep

Stacy Arias 20-Sep

Cindy Riggins 21-Sep

Diana Blue 25-Sep

William Klay 25-Sep

Caprecia Murphy 27-Sep

David Shufflebotham 27-Sep

Amy Johnson 28-Sep

Barbie Levins 29-Sep

Bunny Stafford 29-Sep

The 18th Annual Government Purchasing Conference, Vendor Expo

and Reverse Tradeshow – August 3rd & 4th

Money market - $ 107,971.79

Checking - $ 34,981.47 Total - $ 142,953.26

Newsletter Articles Needed!

Do you have something you would like to add to the newsletter? Is

there a writer in you just itching to get out? Please consider preparing

an article for the newsletter! You may choose any topic you wish

(almost!). Writing an article for a professional association newsletter

brings many great returns; among them are personal satisfaction and

recognition, but most of all you have an opportunity to share your

accumulated experience, knowledge and wisdom with other TACNIGP

members. CPPO’s and CPPB’s may even be eligible for a

recertification point from NIGP for published articles. Please e-mail me

at newsletter@tacnigp.com before the first Thursday of the month.

Thank you.

Diana K. Trahan, Communications Committee Chair

TACNIGP BUDGET

Morning Session – October 12 Greet your day with enthusiasm!

Kaye Kendrick, Kaye Kendrick and Associates

“...Enthusiasm is the greatest asset in the world. It beats money and power and influence. It is no more or less than faith in action...”

What is Validation? - a video

What is your Motivational Style?

The Formula For Success – what they never taught you in school

Creating a Success Attitude

A simple 7 step process to goals

How you can learn and teach for maximum retention

Afternoon Session – October 12 Tom Blaine, Public Procurement Resource Center, Florida Atlantic University

Best Value Procurements

This solicitation and award process takes factors other than price into consideration and can be used when Request for Proposals (RFP) are not allowed or when not desired.

Objectives

• Expose participants to the difference between traditional lowest responsible and responsive bid process to acquiring goods and services in state and local government and best value (lowest and best) based contracting

• Identify methods and processes used to award contracts based on best value

• Provide hands-on experience in preparing specifications to support best value awards

• Address critical success factors needed in awarding best value

contracts

On Tuesday, October 12, 2010, the Chapter will sponsor a morning and an afternoon seminar at no cost to members. Our General Monthly Meeting will also take place between the Two Sessions from 11:30-12:30 and includes a FREE lunch. The Seminars and Luncheon will be held at DEP in the Carr Building, Room 170. A big thanks to Janice Pursley for Securing the room for us again this year!

I would like to begin by thanking the Chapter for sending me to the Forum & Expo in San Antonio. This was my fourth time attending a national forum and they are always very interesting and informative. This year I took annual leave and attended the forum as part of my vacation and my husband accompanied me. While I attended classes he got to do a lot of sightseeing. I met people from Ireland, Canada, Australia and the Netherlands and also a lot of people from other Florida chapters and listened to the issues they are all facing in this tough economy of doing more with less. It seems like everyone is dealing with more vendors now in these trying times who are trying to get business with their entities than ever before. This seems to be creating more of a workload for agencies who have to come up with more creative ways (or working longer hours) to accomplish everything that has to be done from start to finish. Two of the workshops that I attended were presented by Dean R. Kashiwagi, director of the Performance Based Studies Research Group at Arizona State University (ASU). These workshops were based on the Performance Information Procurement System (PIPS) and it was all about Best Value Contracting. “Using logic instead of “best practices”, this model creates an environment where higher-skilled firms have a competitive advantage – the exact opposite of price-based bidding,” he says. “It requires trained, experienced people who can minimize risk that they do not control and address problems before a project begins.” Why does it work? According to Kashiwagi, best value increases efficiencies, allowing contractors to maximize their profits while delivering to owners the best value for the lowest price. The workshops just weren’t long enough to cover all of the information that is required to truly understanding this new way (ASU has been using this method for the past 15 years) of procuring services. They do have a very interesting website http://www.pbsrg.com/ that does help you understand the process better. Be sure to check out the PIPS tab. These are entities that have used this method with much success. San Antonio’s River Walk was beautiful and very busy. There were lots of restaurants and little shops and lots of walking. There was great Mexican food and friendly local people and we had a really great time. Diana K. Trahan, CPPB, FCCN, FCPM, FCPA Newsletter Editor/Communications Chair

The Best Value Contracting seminar, given Monday, Aug 16, 2010 at 9:45 AM, was very

detailed and specific, reflecting extensive hands-on experience and good insights into the problems and solutions in modern solicitations. It was presented by John W. Morrison of the Oklahoma Department of Central Services, and drew on his experience in the Construction and Properties Division, but many of the concepts apply to broader situations.

He first identified some of the problems in traditional Low Bid procurement

methodologies. Specifically, he proposed that even though vendors have evolved, the procurement process has not. Purchasing professionals are driven to low price, and must devote copious resources to management, direction and control of projects after award. These resources are often misapplied or entirely lacking, resulting in an ultimately unsuccessful procurement. Many government entities, he claims, respond to this by making contracts more stringent, which reduces competition, fosters conflict, and drives up costs.

Mr. Morrison pointed out that solicitations and the resulting contracts often set the

lowest acceptable quality in commodities and services to minimize costs. Vendors see this parameter as the highest possible value from successful delivery. This results in a very narrow range of quality, and any variation in expectations or delivery results in conflict.

One of the solutions proposed, applicable at least to construction projects, is to follow

the example of private industries and hire an expert whose success is contingent on the success of the contracted project. The presenter went into considerable detail about this, best summarized in his slides which, while busy and sometimes hard to read, were logically constructed and well explained.

Overall, it was a very good presentation that reflected extensive thought and

experience. The details were in many cases specific to construction projects in Oklahoma, but were thought-provoking about broader issues. Well worth the time and effort.

Ed Valla Chief, Bureau of Purchasing, Contracts and Leasing Division of Administration Department of Business & Professional Regulation

AUGUST MINUTES - BOARD MEETING

TALLAHASSEE AREA CHAPTER OF NIGP, INC.

Date: August 24, 2010 Location: Leon County Purchasing Bid Room, 2284 Miccosukee Road Members Present: Wendi Sellers, President; Keith Roberts, Immediate Past President; Don Tobin, Treasurer; Donna Smith, Secretary; Board Members:, Brenda Wells, Charles Day, Ed Valla and Gloria Dixon. Members Absent: Robert Threewitts, Vice President, Susan Barr and Vida Addison, Board Members. President Wendi Sellers called the meeting to order at 3:31 PM. A motion to approve the Minutes for the June Board meeting was seconded and approved. Officers Reports:

a. President – See “Old Business”. b. Vice President -.Reported by President Sellers - Dave Alba will not be available for

the October Seminar. Robert needs another week or two to finalize the October speaker. Sonny’s has been chosen to cater the event.

c. Treasurer – Provided the P & L statement for July 14 through August 24. d. Secretary -no report

Old Business: President Sellers gave the Board a debriefing on the National NIGP Forum, held in San Antonio, TX. President Sellers also shared the comments collected from participants and attendees at the TACNIGP Annual Trade Show and Reverse Trade Show. “Thank you” e-mails have already been sent to participating vendors and notes (or e-mails) will be sent to the people that manned the tables at the Reverse Trade Show. Mr, Byron Saper’s’ proposal regarding the bylaws: The Board will notice the proposal in the August newsletter and the membership will vote on it in September. Committee Reports: Trade Show – After some discussion, Immediate Past President Roberts motioned that the Board split the Reverse Trade Show (RTS) and the Products Exposition into two separate events. Treasurer Tobin seconded and the motion passed. The RTS will be held in the spring of 2011 and the Vendor Expo will be in the Fall. Treasurer Tobin volunteered to Chair the RTS Committee. Nominating Committee: Chair, Immediate Past President Roberts asked those present to encourage nominations among the membership. New Business: 2011 Vendor Trade Show – the Board needs to select a date and notify the Civic Center as soon as possible. Adjourn Respectfully submitted by Donna Smith, 2010 Secretary – Tallahassee Area Chapter of NIGP

PROPOSED REVISIONS TO THE CONSTITUTION OF THE TALLAHASSEE AREA CHAPTER OF THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF GOVERNMENTAL PURCHASING (NIGP)

ARTICLE III - MEMBERSHIP

Section 1. Regular Membership

A. Membership Qualifications: Regular membership in the Chapter shall be open to full-time,

shared-position, and retired employees of federal, state, or county government, of a municipality, public school system, community college, state university, or political subdivision. The only other qualification for membership is that the full-time or shared-position employee spends a majority of their work time involved in the purchasing or materials management function as professional or paraprofessionals.

B. Classes of Regular Membership There shall be two classes of regular membership: a) individual and b) institutional

1. An individual regular membership is one in which the membership dues are

paid with the individual’s personal funds. An individual membership is not transferable from one person to another and expires on 12/31 of the year for which dues are paid.

2. An institutional regular membership is one in which the membership dues are

paid by the governmental institution on behalf of an individual employed by the entity and which expires 12/31 of the year for which dues are paid. An institutional regular membership is transferable to a person who replaces the prior incumbent. The membership belongs to the governmental institution who shall determine the individual who will occupy the membership position as long as they meet the membership qualifications. To transfer membership from one person to another person, the governmental institution shall provide proper notification to the Membership Committee. Such notification shall consist of the name of the individual that no longer meets the requirements of membership and a completed TAGNIGP membership application for the new person.

C. A “Member in good standing” shall be defined as a member who has attended at least one-half

(1/2) of the regularly scheduled Chapter meetings for the prior administrative year, and has provided some volunteer service to the Chapter during that period.

Section 2. Honorary Membership

Honorary membership may be conferred by unanimous vote of the members present at a scheduled meeting upon non-members who have made distinguished contributions to the purchasing profession or this Chapter. Honorary members shall not be entitled to vote or hold office and shall be exempt from payment of fees and dues. Section 3. Admission

An applicant becomes a member upon acceptance of the application by the Board of Directors and payment of membership fees. Section 4. Termination

Membership in the Chapter is terminated under the following circumstances: A. Failure to pay dues when due within 60 days of the beginning of the calendar year. Member is

placed in suspend status and is not eligible for benefits or rights accruing to members during suspended status.

B. Upon resignation by member. Resignation is required when a member accepts employment with a vendor or an entity not considered "public".

C. When terminated from employment in a public purchasing position.