INSIDE THIS ISSUEINSIDE THIS ISSUE

December 2006

News News && Views Views

he Association. actively involved in the purchasing profession and thvement in theThe member should have displayed consistent involveminars and long Association through attendance of conferences and s

time support of the Association.

t to theDavid Dise’s 30 years of dedication and commitmentdistinction. Hepurchasing profession are truly worthy of a lifetime dboth on a stateis a CPPO and has served governmental purchasing bserved VAGP level and national level. On a state level, David has t, has served onas Secretary, Treasurer, Vice President, and PresidentAGP’s Purchasingvarious VAGP committees, and has been awarded VAAGP, he has Manager of the Year. In addition to his service to VAhas served as also served on the NIGP Board of Directors. David hces, workshops an instructor for classes during VAGP state conferencughout theduring NIGP Forums, and purchasing seminars throu

country. He is also an NIGP Certifi ed Instructor.

Jack Pitzer has provided dedicated and steadfast service to the procurement profession throughout his career. He has served theprofession as a mentor and instructor for CPPB and CPPO review

(continued on page 7...)

Tim Moore.Jack Pitzer, left, accepts his award from

Awards presented atFall Conference

T. Gordon Sandridge Lifetime Achievement Award

The T. Gordon Sandridridge Lifetime Achievement Award is VAGP’smost prestigious awward. It is presented to an individual who possesses high ethical and mmoral standards and is recognition of outstandinglifetime contributions and/or service to public procurement. Previous winners of this awward are: Al Elias who received this award in 2002, Curtis L. Waalsh in 2000, Bob Fothergill in 1999, and of course Gordon Sandridgee in 1994. This year’s recipient is Jack, Pitzer,Ph.D., CPPO, Direector of Procurement for the City of Alexandria.

Jack’s numerous aaccomplishments and contributions to the profession are mentioned in aanother article. During the banquet, Tim Moore,VAGP President hhad this to say when presenting this award, “…when I was trying to fi gure out what to say, I found this in thenomination that I tthink sums up why, in addition to all this person has accomplished, theyy should receive this award.” Jack’s contributions to the procuremennt profession are represented by a sustained dedication to public service and unsurpassed standard of excellence,which led to his beeing awarded NIGP’s Distinguished Service Award in August of this yyear. His dedication to the profession is surpassed only by his high etthical standard. Jack’s contributions to the publicprocurement profeession as a VAGP and NIGP member have in no small way helped established the standard of excellence for which VAGP is nationallyy recognized and which have shaped and inspired the careers of manny professionals in public procurement. These contributions are nnot limited to a few years, but rather span a lifetime to the profession.

Regular Life Member Awards

During the Banquet at the Ft the Fall Conference, David Dise, Deputy Director of Purchasing and Supply Management for Fairfax County,and Jack Pitzer, Ph.D., CPPO, Director of Procurement for the Cityof Alexandria were presented with Regular Life Member awards. A Regular Life Member retains voting privileges and should be

December 2006

News & Views BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Offi cers

PresidentTimothy W. Moore, CPPB

President ElectDonald R. Rainey, CPPB, VCO

TreasurerLisa Cumming, C.P.M., CPPB, VCO

SecretaryCathy Hodock, CPPB

First Past PresidentNancy M. Davis, CPPB, CPPO, VCO

Second Past PresidentBarbara J. Layman, CPPB, VCO

First At–Large MemberJames M. Falls, CPPB

Second At–Large MemberKevin Beardsley, CPPO, CPPB

Committee Chairpersons

ConferenceDavid E. Dise, CPPO

EducationSteve Coomer, CPPB

MembershipKelly Shaklee Dixon, CPPB

Professional DevelopmentLinda Wade, CPPB

Public RelationsJennifer Luchard, CPPB, VCO

Public Relations - SalesEunice Lewis, VCO

TechnologyDoug Crenshaw, CPPB, VCO

LegislativePatricia Innocenti, CPPB

Executive ManagerGail S. Phillips, CAE

EditorHeather M. Hall, C.P.M., VCO

Layout, Design and AdvertisingKim Breeding

News & Views is published quarterly and was designed and created for the members of the Virginia Association of Governmental Purchasing, Inc. (VAGP), by Organization Management Group, Inc. Views and advertising expressed in this newsletter are not necessarily those of, or endorsed by, the VAGP. Mail correspondence to 184 Business Park Drive, Suite 200 G, Virginia Beach, VA, 23462; (757) 473-8701; vagp@managegroup.com. Subscriptions are included in the annual dues paid by members. Advertising rates and policies may be obtained by calling (757) 465-0884. Insertion deadline is generally the 15th of the month preceding publication.

Copyright 2006. All rights reserved.

From the Desk of the PresidentBy Timothy W. Moore, CPPB

I have really struggled with how to begin my last article as President. Ididn’t want to say, “Golly, it has been a whole year since I took over asPresident” or “I can’t believe it has been a year already”. Although, I guess Ijust used both of them. I think I will go with the old adage, “time fl ies when you’re having fun”. Believe it or not, I have enjoyed these last 11 months. And I think that is in part to the great Board I have had to work with.

Don Rainey, who will be your next President, has been quick to jump on meabout stuff I have forgotten or provided guidance when I sought it. Lisa Cummings has done a great job keeping our fi nances straight and Cathy Hodock has done a good job in recording the minutes of each meeting. Our future leadership is in good hands.

The two at large members, Jimmy Falls and Kevin Beardsley, have handled several projects I havethrown their way. I appreciate their hard work.

The two past presidents I have had the pleasure of serving with, Barb Layman and Nancy Davis, have provided good sound advice when I sought it and even when I didn’t seek it. Barb is leaving the Board after this year and to her we say, “Thanks for a job well done”.

But I guess the biggest thanks needs to go to the committee chairs. I think any past president will agree that the heart of VAGP is the committees. They don’t get the appreciation they deserve.

Steve Coomer, Education Chair, and his committee have done an excellent job of providing seminarsand educational opportunities for the membership. Also in the area of education, Linda Wade, Pro-DChair, has worked with her committee to offer low fee seminars and increased the number of CPPOs and CPPBs we have in our chapter.

Patti Innocenti, Legislative Chair, has really moved forward with our legislative action plan. We havehired a lobbyist, sent literature to all of the state legislatures, had a legislative symposium, and haveplanned a “day on the hill” where VAGP will go and meet with legislatures. Thanks to Patti, VAGP isgetting its name in front of the legislatures.

Kelly Shaklee, Membership Chair, and her committee have worked on getting email addresses corrected so that you, the members get information in a timely manner. She has also sent out a letter to more than400 individuals that hopefully will become new members of VAGP.

Jennifer Luchard, Public Relations Chair, took over half way through the year after Kimberly Bateshad to go back home to Indiana. Both Jennifer and Kimberly worked hard to keep things on track with this committee. And both would not want me to forget Heather Hall who has done a great job with the News & Views and Eunice Lewis who has taken care of Sales.

Doug Crenshaw, Technology Chair has done a great job with OMG and done a terrifi c job with our website. He and Linda Wade are working on bringing Webinars to VAGP.

David Dise, Conference Advisory Chair, is working on getting the CAC more involved in conferences,especially the content. David has taken an active role in improving the content of our conferences.

I want to thank Mike Bacile, our Regional Representative on the NIGP Board. Mike is not really a board member but I invited him to our meetings so he could lend an NIGP perspective to our discussions. I have appreciated his willingness to provide me with guidance when I asked for it.

Finally, I need to think Elisa Wills and Gail Phillips at OMG. They have been most helpful. I have said many times that I would have never agreed to run for offi ce without OMG being a part of VAGP.

So again, thanks to all that supported me throughout the year and I appreciate the confi dence themembership showed in allowing me to serve as your President.

December 2006

News & Views

The City of Newport News promised that the 2006 Fall Conference would provide attendees with valuable insight into variousprocurement issues and give each individual a true “take away” that would immediately prepare them to “Work Smarter”. According tothe conference evaluations, this objective appears to have been met and over 200 attendees were able to avail themselves to a fast-paced multitude of workshops and seminars on October 11-13, 2006 inNewport News. With a program that offered as many as twentyprocurement based educational opportunities, a large Vendor Expo,and the ability for all attendees to network and hear from high ranking leaders in Virginia’s government, VAGP stepped forward with one of the most comprehensive and theme driven conferences in the nation. According to Conference Director Bill Lindsey, when we began our

Fall 2006 VAGP Conference Wrap-UpBy Bill Lindsey, CPPO, C.P.M., City of Newport News

planning for the program we wanted to provide an agenda that waseducational, procurement based and would give attendees information that they could take back to their offi ces and immediately begin to use on Monday morning. After identifying these objectives, Newport News Procurement Director Sheri Chapman quickly stated that in other words, we wanted attendees to be able to “Work Smarter” after attending the Conference. According to Lindsey, this really hit home and we immediately adopted “Working Smarter” as our conference theme and encouraged all workshops and seminars to also include thisin their presentations.

A number of state and local leaders also lent their time and support

(continued on page 4...)

Enjoy these photos from the event - if you don’t see yourself here, then plan to join us next year!

December 2006

News & Views (Fall Wrap-Up, continued from page 3...)

to the success of the Fall Conference. Highlights for the programincluded a welcome by Newport News City Manager Randy Hildebrandt, followed by an address by the Governor’s Chief of Staff Bill Leighty, on the fi rst day. The next day, Newport News Mayor Joe Frank spoke to the group which was followed by DelegateGlenn Oder who attended the Presidential Banquet and welcomed Attorney General Robert McDonnell as the keynote speaker. General McDonnell brought a message to the group that acknowledged theAssociation’s professionalism and thanked the membership for their steadfastness and uncompromising integrity in the conduct of their jobs as procurement experts. He recognized the challengesof administering the VPPA in a fair and impartial manner and for working in an occupation that deals with change and technologicaladvances on a daily basis. The Attorney General welcomed suggestions for continuing improvement in governmental purchasingand engaged the group in questions and answers at the end of his

address.

As for Newport News representatives SheriChapman, Mike Coburn and BillLindsey, we were honored to host the Fall Conference for VAGP. We believethe program provided attendees with the tools and techniques to immediately enhance their productivity. Best yet, we trust they are“Working Smarter”!

Virginia’s Attorney General, Bob McDonnell, was the keynote

speaker.

December 2006

News & Views

The NIGP Board of Directors and committees met in Phoenix, Arizona October 19 – 21. The weather in Phoenix waswonderful with highs in the mid-80’s and clear blue skies. TheBoard’s work schedule, however, did not allow much timefor us to enjoy the beautiful days as we worked in our studysession through lunch until adjournment at 7 p.m. Here are just a few of the highlights of what was accomplished:

• Committees and Board members developed a new strategic plan that will carry us forward until 2010 and align us with our mission to develop, support and promote the profession

• Resolved to obtain accreditation from the American Councilon Education by 2009 so that members can earn college credit for NIGP training and experience

• We will establish a Government Pricing Index (GPI) by 2007 as a market basket benchmark for the public sector

• Work to develop ANSI standards through public procurement best practices

• Provide enhanced partnership opportunities with NIGP chapters through online registration options, online resource kits, web site support, and chapter leadership mentoring

• Approved changes to the bylaws that will provide voting

rights to individual and retired members of the Institute

• Waived national membership fees for students and faculty to stimulate a strengthening of NIGP’s presence in colleges and universities

The next meeting of the Board will take place in April inCharlotte, North Carolina where, among other things, the Board will develop a budget to effect delivery of these and other initiatives.

By the time you read this, you should already be aware of the upcoming election for a new director to represent Region 4 (Virginia) on the NIGP Board of Directors. My fi nal termas your director will come to an end on June 30, 2007. Thisposition is extremely important in representing the interests of all of Virginia’s NIGP membership, and our chapters; VAGP and CAPA. Any of you who are thinking of running for election, feel free to call me or Rick Grimm, NIGP’s CEO, to discuss the duties of the position. After the fi rst of the year, anelection will be conducted and I urge all of you to take the timeto exercise your right to vote.

As I mentioned, I’ll still be here to serve you through June of next year so don’t hesitate to contact me if I can help you with any NIGP issue!

NIGP NotesBy Mike Bacile, CPPO, CPPB, C.P.M., VCO, Region 4 Representative (Virginia), NIGP Board of Directors

2007 CONFERENCES

SPRING Dates: March 21 - 24, 2007 (Purchasing Month) Location: Holiday Inn Select, Lynchburg, Virginia Host: City of Lynchburg Contact: V. Eloise Bowling, CPPB, Stephanie Suter

FALL Dates: October (TBD), 2007 Location: Sheraton/Cavalier, Virginia Beach, Virginia Host: Old Dominion University, City of Virginia Beach, Virginia Beach Public Schoo Contacts: Rick Berry, CPPO Bill Davis, CPPO, VCO Kevin Beardsley, CPPO, CPPB

2008 CONFERENCES

FALL Location: Richmond Host: DGS/DPS Contact: Ron Bell

VAGP Conference Schedule

December 2006

News & Views

A few weeks ago I attended the NIGP Board meeting in Phoenix, Arizona as Advocacy Committee. It was a fun and productive time, and I met many inteparticipating in committee work, listening to the various reports, and engaginwas struck by a common theme that seemed to run throughout this event. Thfuture of the public purchasing profession.

It also struck me that many of the people involved in these discussions were from the profession or in the last stages of their careers. These people were iand energy into improving and shaping a profession for a time when they wopractitioners. For that to happen, their affection for the public purchasing probeyond their love for what they do, and become a love for the profession.

Loving what you do means working to improve your skills and understandinpromotion and advancement. It means networking and getting involved withkeep abreast of trends and directions. Loving what you do brings immediatethose around you. On the other hand, loving your profession means workinglevel of professionalism within the profession and establishing standards andup individuals and organizations as exemplars for others to emulate. It meanprofession to embrace and even drive change within their organization and re

Loving What You Do vs. Loving Your ProfessionBy J. Kevin Beardsley, CPPB, CPPO, 2nd At Large Member

that purchasing professionals bring to an organization. Immediate benefi ts are not always readily apparent with loving your profession, but these benefi ts will be realized by future generations

There are two quotes, both dealing with trees, which I believe sum up the motivation of these people:

“He plants trees to benefi t another generation.” Caecilius Statius, Synephebi(220 BC - 168 BC)

I feel blessed to have been present with this group of people who are working to plant trees whose fruit they might never pick or even see. They are shaping the future by tapping their knowledge, wisdom, experience, talents, and abilities and pouring them into the forces that will shape the public purchasing profession for years to come. Such men and women are often forgotten with time but it has been, and will continue to be, their selfl ess efforts that build the foundations for the future.

“He that plants trees loves others beside himself.”Dr. Thomas Fuller, Gnomologia, 1732British physician (1654 - 1734)

VAGP Educational Offerings First Quarter 2007Seminar Title Dates Location Sponsor

Get What You Need Through Successful Negotiations Jan 10 – 11 SOTR Pat Barber, CPPB

Contract Administration Jan 24 – 26 COM Ginger Gordon, CPPB

Developing & Managing RFPs Jan 31 – Feb 2 COA Ann Turner

Effective Contract Writing Feb 8 - 9 HCTC Martin Krebs, CPM

Introduction To Public Procurement Feb 21 – 23 HCTC Ron King, CPPO, CPPB

Customer Service – the Key to Success in Procurement Mar 15 – 16 SPSA Diane Culpepper, CPPB

Creating Performance Based Request For Proposals Mar 29 - 30 UMW Ellie Drew, CPPB

December 2006

News & Views (Awards, continued from Front Cover...)

classes and has inspired countless members of our profession topursue professional certifi cation. Jack is recognized throughout theCommonwealth of Virginia, the Washington, DC national capitalregion, and the United States as an expert in public procurement and consummate professional and asset to VAGP, NIGP, and the profession. He has been a conference host and helped to establish the Virginia Association of Governmental Purchasing’s ProfessionalDevelopment Foundation, serving as its fi rst chairperson and the driving force in formulating its vision. In addition to his serviceto VAGP, he has also served the procurement profession through extensive committee work for NIGP serving on no less than 5committees as well as being an LES Board member. He has served as a Member of the UPPCC Board of Examiners. Jack has also beena member of the Procurement Management Assistance Program (PMAP) since its inception. He even coauthored the book entitled Fundamentals of Leadership and Management in Public Procurement.

In addition, Sue Danielson was presented with a Retired Life Member award. The requirements for this award are the same as a Regular Life member but the individual shall be retired from the professionand shall have no voting rights.

Sue served in a number of capacities with VAGP. She has served as Historian, Parliamentarian, Education and Parliamentarian Chair, an At Large Member, the chair of the Conference Advisory Committee,and has chaired two conferences, the most recent of which was in 2005. Sue is a CPPB. She also is a very recent retiree having retired in July of this year from Chesterfi eld County.

Distinguished Service Awards

Michael Coburn, Deputy Director of the Newport News PurchasingDepartment and Michael Bacile, Assistant Purchasing Director for Chesterfi eld County were presented with Distinguished Service Awards. This award goes to a member that has displayed distinguished service to the organization. Such distinguished service may include, but need not be limited to:1. Service to VAGP or NIGP which results in state and/or national recognition that positively refl ects on the purchasing profession.2. Recognized for providing active leadership in purchasingorganizations and community affairs.3. Recognized contributions to education and professional development at the state and/or national level.4. Activities that result in promoting the good name of purchasing organizations and/or the purchasing profession.

Michael Coburn, CPPO, has served as the Sales Committee Chairperson, was the Public Relations Chairperson and Editor of the News & Views, was Chairperson of the Conference Advisory Committee, and has been involved in serving on the host committee of several conferences. In addition, Mike has served as Secretary,Treasurer, Vice President, and President of VAGP. During his tenure as president, VAGP met their goal for the fi rst time of havingover 1,000 members. VAGP’s accomplishments during his term aspresident did not go unnoticed by NIGP – VAGP was awarded the large chapter of year in 1999 which was for the term of 1998. Mike

Mike Coburn, left, accepts his awardfrom Tim Moore.

was awarded VAGP’s Purchaser of the Year Award in 1999, and wasawarded a life membership in VAGP in 2004.

Mike Bacile is a CPPO, CPPB, C. P. M., and a VCO. He has served VAGP as a chair person of several committees as well as, an at-largemember, Secretary, Treasurer, Vice President and President. Mike is also a past President of the Capital Area Purchasing Association. Asa result of his leadership as President, VAGP was awarded NIGP’sChapter of the Year award in 2000 for the accomplishments in 1999. Mike is a past recipient of VAGP’s Professional Purchaser of the Year. He has also served NIGP as a committee chair and as Region 4’srepresentative on NIGP’s Board of Directors.

Each of these individuals has had a commitment to VAGP that wasnot limited to their time as a member of the VAGP Board of Directors,but rather has spanned their career. Congratulations to each of you.

Congratulations Congratulations to each to each of you! of you!

December 2006

News & Views

The Commonwealth of Virginia has been actively pursuingtransformation of its information technology processes through consolidation initiatives designed to achieve economies of scale,effi ciency and transparency. In January 2006 a new process for IT staff augmentation joined the growing list of such initiatives. Dubbed Supplier Managed Staff Augmentatiotion (SMSA), this initiative has in 10 months already yielded measurable benefi ts.

Through its SMSA system, the Virginia Infformation Technologies Agency (VITA) now provides enterprise-wwide staff augmentation for IT staffi ng resources under contract with mmanaged service provider Computer Aid, Inc. (CAI). This newly cenntralized process providesbest practices in staff augmentation manageement and an easy-to-useWeb interface.

Time consuming, manually intensive hiringg processes are replaced byintuitive, streamlined tools. Management rreports ensure satisfactory performance of resources, simplify accountting and provide transparency. Pricing is standardized and ddetermined by job title and location; rates are published on the VITA WWeb site. Any public entitymay use the SMSA contract for temporary IT staff. Complete SMSA information is available at http://www.vita.virginia.gov/procurement/smsa/index.cfm.“VITA implemented SMSA for cost savinggs, productivity improvements and better process managemment in hiring contract ITstaff,” reports Commonwealth Chief Informmation Offi cer Lemuel C. Stewart Jr. “We want ready access to IT prrofessionals with high-demand skills, and we want to be good stewwards of taxpayer dollars.”

Use of the SMSA system is simple. Hiringg managers provide their specifi c requirements for staff support; a deetailed requisition is then posted online to allow an extensive supplieer network to proposeappropriate candidates. Within three days of posting, the hiringmanager receives resumes of the top candiddates. The SMSA account manager handles the details of scheduling iinterviews, conducting background checks and extending job offerrs to the most qualifi ed candidate.“We’re pleased with initial results,” Stewarrt noted. “SMSA hasincreased the pool of talented IT workers avvailable to public bodies in Virginia and reduced the paperwork required to bring them onboard. d to bring them onboard. Rates for contract staff are competitive.”

As with many VITA initiatives, combined state buying power enablescompetitive rates for all users. The streamlined staffi ng workfl ow shortens time to hire and the Web-based system is easy to use. Just as importantly, its reporting capability is simple yet robust. A broad and diverse vendor base provides appropriate talent for any IT staffi ng need.

SMSA is receiving signifi cant positive feedback from hiringmanagers. In a recent user survey, 96% of respondents reported that

the system’s Peopleclick tool met or exceeded their expectationsin ease of use; 100% rated the SMSA Help Desk as meeting or exceeding their expectations.

The success story of SMSA extends into the overall supplier community and most particularly to small, women-owned and minority-owned (SWaM) suppliers. The network currently consists of 120 active suppliers; to date, 64% of fi lled requisitions have beenfrom suppliers certifi ed as SWaM by the Commonwealth, and the top three suppliers in the network are SWaM fi rms. This has provided afurther benefi t to agencies dedicated to increasing their spend with SWaM fi rms in support of Governor Tim Kaine’s Executive

(continued on page 9...)

IT Staff Augmentation System Joins Growing Listof Virginia IT Effi cienciesBy Cheryl Dunn, VCA, Policy Analyst, VITA Supply Chain Management

December 2006

News & Views

(IT Staff, continued from page 8...)

Order 33 – a goal currently shared by many public bodies in the Commonwealth.

public body may To investigate possible business benefi ts available through use of the Commonwealth’s SMSA system, representatives of any pcontact Cindy Sullivan, SMSA executive account manager, at (804) 343-3840 or cindy_sullivan@compaid.com us, VITA’s SMSA , or Jenny Larusupplier manager, at (804) 371-0920 or jennifer.larus@vita.virginia.gov.

About the author: Cheryl Dunn is a policy analyst for VITA’s Supply Chain Management directorate. Cheryl earned her VCA certifi cation in September 2006.

2007 VAGP President:Donald R. Rainey, Sr., CPPB, VCO

VAGP President Elect:Lisa A. Cumming, CPPB, VCO, C.P.M., City of Hampton

VAGP Treaasurer:Cathy L. Hodock, CPPB, County of York

VAGP Seccretary:Jennifer Luchard, CPPB, VCO, City of Charlottesville

VAGP 2nd At Large Membember:Bill Lindsey, CPPO, C.P.M., City of Newport News

New Offi cers and Professional Development Trustees for 2007By Nancy M. Davis, CPPB, CPPO, VCO, First Past-President

Congratulations to the newly elected VAGP offi cers and Foundation trustees! An announcement was made at the VAGP Fall conference business meeting on the 2007 election results. A record number of members voted in the electronic election. The 2006 President-Elect, Donald R. Rainey, Sr., CPPB, VCO, will take offi ce as your 2007 President in January, along with these new offi cers and trustees:

VAGP Professional Development Foundation

Seat 1: Terri E. Givler, VCO, CPPB, Germanna Community College

Seat 2: Rebecca L. Slayton, CPPB, VCO, Dabney S. Lancaster Community College

Seat 5: Anna M. Yates, CPPB, VCO, Virginia State University

CONGRATULATIONS!2007

December 2006

News & Views

The Professional Development Committee has had a very successful year. Twelve low-fee seminars and three CPPB/CPPO ReviewSessions with group exams were successfully conducted throughout Virginia. This success is directly related to the participation and support of the membership and to our dedicated seminar instructors,review session facilitators, seminar hosts, and Pro D Committee sponsors who volunteered their time and effort to bring these professional development opportunities to the membership. ThePro D Committee looks forward to bringing more professionaldevelopment opportunities to the membership in 2007. Look for the2007 Pro D low-fee seminars scheduled on the VAGP web site soon!

NEW CERTIFIED PROFESSIONALS:

Mary Beavers, CPPB, Town of HerndonKenneth McCullough, CPPB, King George CountyGigie Button, CPPB, City of Chesapeake Steven Meyer, CPPB, City of Newport NewsMarie-Therese Gartner, CPPB, City of Newport News Carla Potter, CPPB, City of HamptonStan Glore, CPPB, Southeastern Public Service Authority Linda Struck, CPPB, Virginia Commonwealth UniversityWillie Limon, CPPB, City of Newport News

UPCOMING CPPB/CPPO REVIEW SESSION & GROUP EXAM

March 21-24 CPPB/CPPO Review Sessions will be offered and exams proctored (to those approved by the UPPCC/NIGP) in conjunction with the VAGP 2007 Spring Conference hosted by the City of Lynchburg. Registration information will be announced at a later date. If you are planning to sit for the CPPB or CPPOwritten exam at the conference, your eligibility must be preapproved by UPPCC which can take up to 6 weeks. Start planning now byvisiting the UPPCC website at http://www.uppcc.org/ for complete/certifi cation information.

WHY SHOULD I CERTIFY?

Obtaining a Certifi ed Professional Public Buyer (CPPB) or Certifi ed Public Purchasing Offi cer (CPPO) designation demonstrates astandard of competency in the public purchasing profession.*

A CPPB and CPPO designation indicates to the public that, havingmastered a body of knowledge, one can make sound decisions that refl ect maximum value for the taxpayer’s dollar.*

The Universal Public Purchasing Certifi cation Council (UPPCC),the issuer of the CPPB and CPPO designations, is accredited by the International Federation of Purchasing and Materials Management.*

Many local and state governments formally recognize the CPPB and CPPO designations as meaningful standards for employment and advancement of public procurement personnel.*

*Source: uppcc.org

Have Questions About CPPB or CPPO Certifi cations? The Universal Public Purchasing Certifi cation Council’s website is an excellent resource. Their website contains detailed information about thebenefi ts of certifi cation, eligibility requirements, the applicationprocess, the current version of the “Handbook for ProfessionalCertifi cation in Public Procurement” and MUCH, MUCH MORE! Visit the UPPCC at http://www.uppcc.org/ today!/

IMPORTANT CERTIFICATION NEWS

Bridge Opportunity for Current C.P.M.s: Did you know you can utilize your C.P.M. towards attaining your CPPB or CPPOdesignation? The UPPCC is offering a bridge opportunity for current and valid C.P.M.s. Bridge examinations will be offered through December 31, 2008. Refer to the “Handbook for ProfessionalCertifi cation in Public Procurement” at http://www.uppcc.org/ for /detailed information.

New Certifi cation Exams to Be Introduced in 2008 and Phase Out of Delayed Eligibility: On September 22, 2006, the UPPCC announced plans to introduce new examinations for its public sector procurement certifi cation offerings; Certifi ed Professional Public Buyer (CPPB)and Certifi ed Public Procurement Offi cer (CPPO) in 2008. In addition, the practice of applying under delayed eligibility is being phased out of the UPPCC application process. Please visit http://www.uppcc.org/about_UPPCC/news_pr09_22_06.aspx for complete details.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Eloise Bowling, CPPB, City of Lynchburg434-455-3961 eloise.bowling@lynchburgva.gov

Linda Ketter, CPPB, Williamsburg-JCC Public Schools757-253-6754 ketterl@wjcc.k12.va.us

Kelly Okken, CPPB, City of Charlottesville434-970-3860 kokken@charlottesville.org

John McConnell, CPPO, City of Virginia Beach 757-427-8272 jmcconne@vbgov.com

Joe Parr, CPPB, CPPO, VCO, VITA 804-371-5900 joe.parr@vita.virginia.gov

Kelly Shaklee Dixon, CPPB, Spotsylvania County Schools540-834-2500 kshaklee@spotsylvania.k12.va.us

Linda Wade, CPPB, Chair, HRSD757-460-7311 lwade@hrsd.com

ProD exists exclusively to serve the VAGP membership. Pleasecontact any of the above committee members to host or instruct a low-fee seminar, join our team, share your ideas for new seminar topics, and to offer suggestions for continuous improvement of the certifi cation review sessions.

Professional Development CommitteeBy Linda Wade, CPPB, Professional Development Committee Chair

December 2006

News & Views Membership Committee

By Kelly Shaklee Dixon, CPPB, Membership Committee Chair

A large recruitment effort was conducted the week of 11/06/06. Thisentailed cross referencing NIGP rolls with those of VAGP and sending recruitment letters to the 400+ NIGP members who were not also VAGP members. A few VAGP member names and addresses were missed during this process and received recruitment letters in error. I apologize for any inconvenience this oversight may have caused some of the membership.

VAGP continues to grow! 42 New Members joined the VAGP membership rolls since October 2005.

As a reminder: You can update your VAGP member profi le onlineusing the Internet Member Services (IMS) link on the VAGP website. If you do not have an IMS log on ID, please contact OMG(757.473.8701) and they will provide one.

Legislative CommitteeBy Patti Innocenti, CPPB, Legislative Committee Chairperson

The Legislative Committee hosted a workshop at the VAGP Fall Conference. Mr. Rob Bradham, our lobbyist (OMG) and Kathy Elgin (Town of Leesburg) presented an overview of legislative themes that occurred during the 2006 General Assembly session and alsoprovided an outlook on issues expected to arise in the 2007 General Assembly session. As your jurisdiction prepares its legislativeagenda for the upcoming General Assembly session, remember that your professional association has established a list of priorities that represent our collective policy positions. Consistency with thefollowing legislative priority list will allow our chapter to speak witha unifi ed voice to the General Assembly.

Immigration: VAGP supports Federal immigration laws; however,public contracts are an inadequate instrument for enforcement of theselaws. Institution of enforcement requirements in public contracts is an unfunded mandate that is practically unenforceable absent appropriate authority to audit and enforce such regulations.

Living Wage: VAGP supports the Virginia Attorney General opinionstating that living wage is a matter of general social or economicpolicy that is unrelated to goods or services sought to be procured under the Virginia Public Procurement Act (December 10, 2002).

Professional services threshold: VAGP support amendment of the Virginia Public Procurement Act to establish a uniformthreshold of $50,000 for formal procurement actions for all goods, non-professional, and professional services. The amendment willincrease contracting opportunities for small businesses and improveprocurement effi ciency.

Surplus property sale: VAGP supports the intent to redistribute quality items to qualifi ed organizations with the Commonwealth.

VAGP supports amendment of the current legislation to establish auniversal advertisement portal to reach potential recipients of surplusgovernment material.

SWAM: VAGP supports supplier diversity and programs that enhance competitive opportunities. VAGP opposes reciprocitylegislation – such policies mitigate competition, negatively impact the business community and are inconsistent with the stated goals of the Virginia Public Procurement Act. VAGP supports a policy that encourages localities to adopt SWAM procedures providing for mutually recognized certifi cation and / or utilizes DMBE certifi cation.

If you are interested in serving on the Legislative Committee, contact Patti Innocenti at patricia.innocenti@fairfaxcounty.gov.

Education CommitteeBy Steve Coomer, CPPB, Education Committee Chair

Can you believe another year has come and gone? The year 2006 has been a very successful year for your Education Committee and I hopefor yourselves. Thanks to all 415 participates who attended the 25 seminars held so far this year. There is still an Introduction to PublicProcurement seminar scheduled for December 6 – 8, 2006 in Fairfax. We only had to cancel 6 seminars due to lack of participation.

We hope we have another challenging year set up for you in 2007. In 2006 we concentrated on the basic LEAP courses, which are themain stay, but in 2007 we want to offer different classes, ones to make you think a little more, and expand your horizons. For this wewill really need your help, a lot of these seminars are twenty (20) minimum participates. They are one (1) or two (2) day seminars that have a specifi c instructor. We will need you to look at these and start planning early. We will need to make our decision as to whether or not the seminar will be held at lest three (3) weeks prior to thescheduled date.

As you know the VAGP website was modifi ed in 2006 and the IMS section was added. You can go on line and register for all Education Committee seminars through that site if you are paying by credit card. There is one thing to warn you about right now. The system is set todefault to the price a VAGP member would pay to attend. If you are also a member of NIGP then it does not give you an option to changeto that price. We are aware of that problem and working with OMG to get that changed as soon as possible.

For a full list of the seminars to be offered in 2007, and a list of themembers of your Education Committee, please see the VAGP website. The NIGP website provides a list of the courses that NIGP offersand course descriptions under Education and training, then course descriptions. Any questions or comments please feel free to direct them to me at scoomer@spsa.com. Please help us help you in your search for knowledge and certifi cation. Thank you for letting me beyour education chair for 2006.

December 2006

News & Views From the President ElectBy Donald R. Rainey, Sr. CPPB, VCO

As your upcoming 2007 VAGP President, I want to say how excited and delighted I am about the upcoming year. The ConferenceAdvisory Committee and the staff from the City of Lynchburg arewell under way of fi nalizing their plans for the upcoming SpringConference as is the committee for the Fall Conference to be held in Virginia Beach. You can read more about these conferences on theVAGP website (www.VAGP.org).

VAGP has a long and proud history as a chapter of NIGP. We have set the pace for other chapters to immulate and a standard that servesas a model for new chapters. As your President, I vow to carry on inthe tradition of past VAGP Presidents and keep VAGP moving ahead and recognized on the national level. However, I can not do this by myself. With the help of the Board of Directors, the membership and our Organizational Management Group, I hope to achieve severalgoals this upcoming year. These goals are as follows:

1) Hold a one-day regional conference.2) Establish a new position on the board for a Chapter Historian.3) Establish a Diversity Committee.4) Discuss the idea of developing a procurement curriculum with theState Council for Higher Education in Virginia.5) Continue to increase membership, conference attendance,certifi cation and scholarship offerings.6) Have the VAGP Professional Development Foundation play a more active role in VAGP.7) Continue to grow our Mentor-Protégé Program.

I am confi dent that these goals will be accomplished with positive results at the end of 2007.

I want to encourage all new and senior members of VAGP to get involved in VAGP. Therefore, I extend an invitation to all members to become active on one of the many committees or if you areinterested in becoming a leader in VAGP, please consider joining theMentor-Protégé program. More information about the committees and program can be found on the VAGP website.

Again, I would like to thank you the membership for having the trust and confi dence in me to become your President for 2007. I will domy very best to be the President/Leader of this great organization.

Be sure to checkwww.VAGP.org

for upcoming events and other announcements!

Chapter Relations Committee

By Barb Layman, CPPB, VCO, Committee Chairperson

Earlier this year, the NIGP Board of Directors decided to give newlife to a previously established committee, Chapter Relations. In doing so, the Board defi nitely gave a shout-out to the 73 professionalpurchasing associations that are the backbone and lifeblood of NIGP – it’s chartered Chapters! Those of you that have served VAGP or CAPA or other NIGP Chapter in a leadership capacity - elected or appointed - know just how hard the committees and board members work and how important the work of a chapter is to the overallsuccess of NIGP.

NIGP President Darin Matthews, with input from each member of the NIGP Board of Directors, appointed a very talented and dedicated team of 11 professionals to this important strategic committee…then he asked me to serve as the committee’s chairperson. What could hehave been thinking?! I was thrilled to have been asked and with the continued support of my employer, VDACS, I accepted the challenge.

The committee has been hard at work since our initial appointments inJuly, meeting both at the Forum in August and the Fall Board session in Phoenix in October. NIGP realizes the importance of it’s many diverse Chapters and the committee is refl ective of that diversity – we represent chapters of all ages and sizes - chapters both decorated with awards and so new to NIGP that they’re not sure how to submit a Chapter of the Year application. Using the results of the Chapter Offi cer survey conducted several months ago by NIGP, we’ve put forth to the NIGP Board our plan to make available to chapters on-line resources and server and web hosting services.

The committee, of course, is tasked with pinpointing issues and developing goals to benefi t the majority of chapters, based on the needs as stated by current chapter leadership in the survey results. This will not be a one-size fi ts all but we do believe that the large, successful chapters have just as much to learn from the small and even struggling chapters as the new guys can learn from the old dogs. Stay tuned for more growth, development and impact on all NIGP Chapters from this committee!

During my tenure on this VAGP Board of Directors and specifi cally while President in 2004, I constantly preached to you all about theimportance of getting involved with your professional association and I cannot reiterate that enough now. VAGP is a great organization, full of good and wonderful friends, professionals and colleagues. Welove to talk about all the tremendous opportunities we’ve been givendue to our participation in VAGP activities, committees, the board,etc. but we love to show it even more – contact At-Large Member Kevin Beardsley to sign up for VAGP’s Mentor-Protégé Program – it’s a great way to get to learn, network and grow with VAGP. Iam certainly living proof of the power of networking and chapter involvement having a direct and major impact on my career. Thanks for the support and encouragement, I will miss the connection to youall via the VAGP Board of Directors.

December 2006

News & Views

The Day Before Christmas

‘Twas the day before the Christmas holiday, and all through the Purchasing Department, not a creature wasstirring, not even a disgruntled bidder. And I with my brief case and lunch box in hand, was heading out of door for the long holiday weekend. When out in the parking lot there arose such a clatter I sprang to the window to see what was the matter. The sun on the asphalt gave a luster of midday to the objects below. When what tomy wondering eyes should appear an airborne sleigh and eight tiny reindeer with a little old driver so lively and quick, I knew in a moment it must be a late bidder.

More rapid than eagles his reindeers came, and whistled and shouted and called them by name. Now LIFO! Now FIFO! Now, IFB and VCO! On, RFP! On, DPS! On, CPPB and CPPO! To the top of the door, to the topof the building! Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all! So up to the building top the reindeers they fl ew

with their sleigh (that must not have met the specifi cations for gross vehicle weight since it would not stay on the ground) full of procurement manuals and St. Nicholas too.

As I drew my head and was turning around, down the elevator St. Nicholas came with a bound. He was dressed all in fur from his head to his foot, and his hands were all covered with paper cuts and dried ink. With a bundle of manuals he had fl ung on his back, he looked like apurchasing agent just opening his pack. He was ethical and conscientious and a jolly old elf, and I smiled when I saw him in spite of myself.

With a wink of his eye and a twist of his head, soon let me know that I had nothing to dread. He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work, and fi lled all the bookcases then turned with a jerk, and giving a nod up the elevator he rose.

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a shout and away they all fl ew on their specifi ed route. But I heard him exclaim as he drove out of sight “Fair procurements to all and to all a good year!”

Five Reasons It Is Better to be a Purchasing Professional than Santa Claus

1. Under the Virginia Retirement System, you can retire with full benefi ts after 25 years of service. Santa Claus has been working for hundreds of years, with no talk of retirement.

2. Santa Claus must eat and drink everyone’s milk and cookies. We can evaluate the quality level of the milk and cookies that would be in our best interest to consume by utilizing the Request for Proposal method.

3. Santa Claus is very concerned about brand names, and tries his best to fi ll all requests with the brand names specifi ed. Think of the money we save our customers by evaluating bids on a brand name or equal basis.

4. We do not have to worry about parking on a roof of a house when we get to work. We do not have to worry about getting stuck in a chimney going to and from our offi ce.

5. Finally, our deadlines are not quite as unrealistic – getting bids on hundreds of requisitions the last two weeks of the fi scal year is probably not as challenging as visiting millions of homes in one night.

Holiday Tidbits

December 2006

News & Views

2007 Board Meeting ScheduleDate Place Time

January 19, 2007 Virginia Housing Development Authority 9:30 am 601 South Belvidere Street Richmond, VA

February 16, 2007 Teleconference – Complete Board 9:30 am

March 21 – 23, 2007 Spring Conference- City of Lynchburg Lynchburg Holiday Inn & Conference Center

March 21 Pre-Conference Board Meeting 9:00 am

March 21 Spring Conference Business Meeting 1:30 am

April 13, 2007 Teleconference – Complete Board 9:30 am

May 17 – 18, 2007 Strategic Planning Session & BOD Mtg 9:00 am Airfi eld Conference Center, Wakefi eld, VA

June 15, 2007 Teleconference - Complete Board 9:30 am Approval of 2008 Action Plan

July 20, 2007 County of Henrico 9:30 am Training Facility 7701 E. Parham Rd, Richmond, VA Approval of 2008 Budget

August 3 – 9, 2007 NIGP Forum (No Meeting)

September 14, 2007 Teleconference – Complete Board 9:30 am

October 9 – 12, 2007 Fall Conference – Virginia Beach Cavalier Inn Va. Beach

October 11, 2007 Pre-Conference Board Meeting TBD

October 12, 2007 Fall Conference Business Meeting TBD

November 16, 2007 Teleconference – Complete Board 9:30 am

December 14, 2007 County of Henrico 9:30 am Training Facility 7701 E. Parham Rd, Richmond, VA Outgoing ’07 & incoming ’08 BOD

December 2006

News & Views

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