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a monthly newsletter for employees Vol 2 | Issue 3 | September 2012

Colleagues,

As a state agency, we are charged with not only the maintenance of critical services but also with tackling the unscheduled and often unexpected issues that arise throughout the year, as evidenced by recent events related to Hurricane Isaac. While we must stay focused on our primary initiatives, we must also be flexible enough to handle the additional responsibilities that the citizens of Florida count on us to manage. I am proud of your recent contributions to both the mission of the agency, as well as recent successes in carrying out the important task of protecting the state’s employees and its facilities.

September is National Preparedness Month, and over the next few weeks, there will be activities across the country to promote emergency preparedness. More than 3,000 organizations – national, regional, and local public and private organizations – are supporting emergency preparedness efforts, and I encourage you to think about what you can do for your co-workers

and your families to prepare for emergencies, so that we can be ready for emergencies before they happen.

In spite of last month’s weather-related challenges, we continue to achieve successes as an agency, such as the recent contract award securing a tenant broker to develop a comprehensive strategy for managing a significant portion of the state’s owned and leased real estate assets. This project will target 23 million square feet of state-owned or privately leased office and warehouse space. This strategy is focused on restructuring private leases, streamlining agency oversight, reducing energy consumption, standardizing operations and maintenance, identifying opportunities to reduce space, and the timely disposal of assets that are underutilized or inefficient.

I am excited about the future of the agency and look forward to spotlighting more of your successes – within the pages of this newsletter, with the Governor, with our legislators, and with the citizens of Florida. Congratulations on your role in fulfilling the needs of our sister agencies, despite the storm, and for continuing to push DMS to become the most customer-focused agency possible.

September 17 Governor’s Mansion Commission Meeting

September 28 Davis Productivity Awards Nominations due to Communications

October 8 Annual Open Enrollment Begins

October 15 Legislative Budget Request Due

Craig J. Nichols, Secretary

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(Continued on page 5)

In July, DMS Maintenance Mechanic Ramon Chavez earned his U.S. Citizenship at a naturalization ceremony in Jacksonville.

Q: How long have you worked at DMS?

A: Fifteen years!

Q: What do you do for your division?

A: I maintain the buildings and keep a good relation with the tenants because I’m the DMS face.

Q: What would people be surprised to know

about you?

A: I came to the U.S. in 1988 for a better future and a better lifestyle, and ever since I have strived for the best. Recently I achieved one of my biggest goals: I became a U.S. citizen. Thanks to this agency, I have achieved many goals, and I expect to achieve many more. I also like to fish, hunt, and have a good time with my family.

Q: Do you have any hidden talents?

A: Sorry no hidden talents (only Superman!!)

Q: What do you like best about working for DMS?

A: I like the way DMS treats me; it is like I am at home. People here are like family. Thank you, DMS, for all you have done for me!

Employee Spotlight

DMS Hosts Purchasing Officials From South KoreaKorean Delegates Meet with DMS Leadership, State Purchasing Staff

DMS welcomed government procurement officials from the Republic of South Korea today to share ideas about public procurement processes and technology and to compare purchasing policies and practices with South Korea.

The delegation included representatives from South Korea’s ministries of Public Administration and Security, Strategy and Finance, and Knowledge Economy and from the Public Procurement Service of Korea (PPS), Korea’s central procuring agency. Previous representatives of the PPS visited DMS in November of 2011 and shared an overview of the PPS, which is similar to the U.S. General Services Administration, with DMS staff.

DMS staff demonstrated Florida’s eProcurement system, MyFloridaMarketPlace, for the delegates, and the state’s Information Technology procurement process. Byeong Chul Im of the PPS will be staying on with the agency for several months to learn about performance-based contracting for the procurement of services, in addition to overall government contracting. Im is currently at FSU studying under a Korean

Ramon Chavez Maintenance Mechanic

Real Estate Development & Management Tallahassee, Fla.

Ramon, pictured here with his daughter, recently earned his US Citizenship.

Representatives of the PPS visit DMS agency’s headquarters in Southwood.

Profiles in Customer Service

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The Division of Emergency Management (DEM) plans for and responds to both natural and man-made disasters, which can range from floods and hurricanes to incidents involving hazardous materials or nuclear power. It ensures that Florida is prepared to respond to emergencies, recover from them, and mitigate against their impacts.

The Division is the state’s liaison with federal and local agencies on emergencies of all kinds, and its staff members provide technical assistance to local governments as they prepare emergency plans and procedures. They also conduct emergency operations training for state and local governmental agencies. After a disaster, the Division conducts damage assessment surveys and advises the Governor on whether to declare an emergency and whether to seek federal relief funds.

DEM also maintains a primary Emergency Operations Center in Tallahassee, which serves as the communications and command center for reporting emergencies and coordinating state response activities, and operates the State Warning Point, a state emergency communications center staffed 24 hours each day.

The Division prepares and implements a statewide Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan and routinely conducts extensive exercises to test state and county emergency response capabilities.

Photo Caption: (left to right) Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Bryan Koon, DMS Emergency Coordinating Officer Jeff Milligan, Governor Rick Scott, and National Guardsman Maj. Tim Potter of the Department of Juvenile Justice discuss preparations for Hurricane Isaac at the state’s Emergency Operations Center.

During the recent severe weather caused by Hurricane Isaac, DMS staff coordinated with the Florida Division of Emergency Management, or DEM, to ensure that the state’s DMS-managed buildings were secured and that employees were prepared for the damaging winds and rain that often occur during this time of year.

Starting four to five days out from a major weather occurrence, DMS staff begin locating critical resources, such as generators, potable water, food, and ice; working with vendors and contractors to arrange the logistics of distribution; and coordinating with state building managers to assess their preparation measures.

DEM entrusts DMS staff, such as Emergency Coordinating Officer Jeff Milligan, to send out warning orders to solicit goods and services, to pre-stage equipment out of harm’s way, and set up base camps on behalf of the state prior to an emergency.

Emergency Coordinating Officers Danette McBride and Doug Dickinson, who are responsible for facilitating the reactivation of critical communications, including cell phones, satellites, and hand-held radios, help to keep emergency responders connected and help the public get access to their loved ones and to insurance and financial services. During this most recent activation, the pair helped to troubleshoot connectivity issues and served as on-site technical support for DEM.

Florida is nationally known for its emergency preparations, said Milligan, due in part to the pre-planning and tabletop exercises and support from state agencies like DMS.

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DMS Secretary Craig Nichols recently spent a morning touring the Bay Correctional Facility in Panama City, one of the seven private prisons for which DMS manages contracts. Assistant Warden Elizabeth Keyes led the Secretary, Florida Department of Corrections Deputy Secretary Mike Crews, and a few DMS staff on a tour of the prison, which included a visit to the dog training program that teaches inmates how to train their pups to become bomb- and explosive-sniffing dogs.

The facility, which is contracted to house minimum- and medium-custody adult male prisoners, currently houses roughly 960 inmates. DMS contracts for the operations and management of the facility with the Corrections Corporation of America. The prison’s vocational programs include training for inmates in air conditioning, refrigeration, and heating technology; building construction technology; architectural drafting; commercial driving; commercial foods and culinary arts, landscape management; PC support services; and plumbing. There are also several substance abuse programs, transitional programs for when inmates are released, and library programs.

In addition to Bay, the DMS Bureau of Private Prison Monitoring oversees the operational contracts of Blackwater River, Gadsden, Graceville, Lake City, Moore Haven, and South Bay correctional facilities. The Bureau, which has 14 employees, is responsible for the oversight and contractual compliance for the private prison system within the State of Florida.

Secretary Nichols Visits Bay Correctional Facility

Bureau of Private Prison Monitoring (PPM) Quick Facts:• PPM contracts for the

management of roughly 10,000 beds, or 10% of the state’s incarcerated population

• PPM has 14 full-time staffers, including an on-site monitor at each of the seven privatized facilities

• PPM recently negotiated contract amendments to capture savings of over $9 million over the next three fiscal years

• PPM managed the oversight of the construction of the Blackwater River Correctional Facility, which took 15 months to build.

• Blackwater River is a LEED Gold – or “green” – prison, the only one in the State of Florida.

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(Continued from page 2, DMS Hosts Purchasing Officials From South Korea)

ofThe Hat

Tip

Recent HiresBrandon Hoffman, Real EstateTerry Sprinkle, Real EstateEdwin Harris, Real EstateAshley King, DivTel

RetireesCarol Ship, DivTel - 33 years

DMS Releases Second Issue of ‘News & Views’Newsletter for State Procurement Officials, Buyers Now Available and OnlineThe sophomore issue of the Division of State Purchasing’s newsletter, My Florida Procurement News & Views, was issued last month and is available for download at www.dms.myflorida.com/newsandviews or by requesting a copy from DMS Communications.

In this issue, State Purchasing provides an update on the Procurement Process Improvement Project, a look inside the Division of State Purchasing, and some important information about state term contracts. Read about MyFloridaMarketPlace (MFMP) electronic invoicing, the Florida Emergency Supplier Network (FESN), and the Office of Supplier Diversity recap of the successful 2012 Tallahassee MatchMaker.

To be added to the distribution list or to send feedback and questions, e-mail MyFloridaMarketPlace@dms.MyFlorida.com.

Hats off to DMS employees Danette McBride, Doug Dickinson, and Jeff Milligan, who were activated for Emergency Support Functions in the Emergency Operations Center and contributed to the overall coordination of the State Emergency Response Team, and to Florida Emergency Information (FEIL) volunteers, Barbara Crosier, Erin Rock, Jan Duprey, Jason Dimitris, Joe Wright, Jonathan Rakestraw, Kris Purcell, Mary Bushman, Mindy Rudd, and Sarah Hamilton, who also assisted in activating the FEIL and took on the first shift to answer inquiries from our fellow Floridians.

Kudos to the Division of Human Resources Management staff for successfully negotiating a three-year contract with Solix, Inc., to serve as the new Florida State Employees Charitable Campaign fiscal agent, which provides greater services at a lower cost. Lower operational costs utimately beneftit all the campaign’s charitable causes.

government employee development program and will focus his graduate research on procurement while at DMS starting this December.

The DMS Division of State Purchasing recently initiated its Procurement Process Improvement Project (PPIP), a multi-phase, cross-functional, and collaborative project to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of Florida’s State Purchasing Division based on a seven-stage sourcing methodology. The primary goal of the PPIP is to standardize the state government procurement process to create efficiencies and foster better understanding of how Florida’s government buys goods and services. State Term Contracts and State Purchasing Agreements awarded by the Division of State Purchasing account for more than $1 billion in purchases annually.

Changes, Additions to DMS Style GuideThe Communications Office has updated its Style Guide! Please note some important changes to business cards and formal letters and the addition of several logos.

To download just the changes and additions (11 printed pages – PDF, 1.94MB), click here.

To download the full DMS Style Guide (41 printed pages – PDF, 4.01MB), click here.