Decisions That Matter: A Public Procurement Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Ep. 18 - Introducing LEAN Concepts to State Government with Curt Topper Aug 06, 2020

Show notes

Curt Topper is the current Pennsylvania Secretary of General Services, and he has served in the position since 2015. Curt Topper has ample experience in public service and procurement, having served as the Pennsylvania Deputy Secretary of General Services for Procurement in the early 2000s.

Curt Topper sat down with Procurated Founder & CEO, David Yarkin, to discuss the biggest topics across Pennsylvania, including the tremendous success of the state's cooperative contracting program COSTARS. The team at Procurated has had the pleasure of working closely with the COSTARS team to help buyers better understand vendor performance.

This episode is brought to you by Procurated. Citizens depend on government. Governments depend on suppliers. And those governments use Procurated to select the right suppliers.

Ep. 17 - Diversity & Inclusion in State Contracts w/ PA Sec. of General Services, Curt Topper Aug 03, 2020

Show notes

This episode is part 2 of a trilogy interview between Curt Topper and Procurated Founder & CEO, David Yarkin, to discuss the biggest Procurement topics across Pennsylvania. This episode covers the Commonwealth's emphasis on diversity & inclusion in the suppliers they are contracting with, and also within the workplace at DGS. Curt's thoughtful approach, from the overall vision down to the tactics required to make change happen, is truly insightful.

This episode is brought to you by Procurated. Citizens depend on government. Governments depend on suppliers. And those governments use Procurated to select the right suppliers.

Ep. 16 - PA Sec. of General Services, Curt Topper, on the Commonwealth's COVID-19 Response - Part 1 of 3 Jul 30, 2020

Show notes

Curt Topper sat down with Procurated Founder & CEO, David Yarkin, to discuss the biggest topics across Pennsylvania, starting with the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Topper's thoughtful response about what has already happened, and what can be done to plan for the future, is helpful information for any procurement professional or government leader.

This episode is brought to you by Procurated. Citizens depend on government. Governments depend on suppliers. And those governments use Procurated to select the right suppliers.

Ep. 15 - Using Procurement Contracts to Improve Social Distancing Jul 24, 2020

Show notes

This episode of Decisions That Matter features input from "The Buying Bunch," a group of public procurement leaders with over 150 years of combined purchasing experience, about how governments and schools can actually increase social distancing, therefore decreasing human interaction and the spread of COVID-19, through the use of new contracts.

Visit Procurated for more information about suppliers that can help your organization.

The members of The Buying Bunch include:

Jane Benton: CPO of Arkansas and University of Arkansas.

Jason MacDonald: Former CPO of Long Beach and Fresno.

Judy Smith: Former Director of Procurement at University of Michigan.

Mike Smith: Former CPO of Illinois.

Jason Soza: Former CPO of Alaska.

David Yarkin: Former CPO of Pennsylvania. Founder & CEO of Procurated.

Ep. 14 - Embracing Change to Drive Innovation in Procurement Jul 08, 2020

Show notes

The new post-COVID-19 environment requires change in order to adapt and drive innovation, especially in the face of upcoming budget shortfalls. The solutions are by no means impossible, but they will require creativity. Listen to hear what our team of experts has to say about the adaption to remote work over the last several months, the upcoming pivot to governments reopening, and the new bare minimum requirements of technology like eProcurement.

Visit Procurated for more information about suppliers that can help your organization.

This podcast features input from the following public procurement leaders, including:

Jane Benton: Vice President, South, Former CPO of Arkansas.

Jason MacDonald: Regional Director, California, Former CPO of Long Beach and Fresno.

Judy Smith: Vice President, Higher Education, Former Director of Procurement at University of Michigan.

Mike Smith: Vice President, Midwest, Former CPO of Illinois.

Jason Soza: Vice President, West, Former CPO of Alaska.

Ep. 13 - Building Company Culture with Jess Einstein Jul 01, 2020

Show notes

Jess Einstein is the Senior Director of Operations and Strategy for Procurated. Focused on high-priority initiatives, she conceives, designs, and executes projects to drive the business forward. With the transition to a remote work environment Jess is focusing her efforts on hiring talented new candidates and building a thriving company culture. The lessons that Jess shares about her work at a technology startup are applicable across multiple organizations, governments, schools, etc.

Jess had extensive platform marketplace experience and has spent her career working at innovative projects in the DC startup world. Before joining Procurated, Jess ran business development and partnerships at Collage.com. Previously, she managed marketing at Curb (acquired by Verifone), and worked in operations and marketing at LivingSocial.

Ep. 12 - eProcurement: The time for implementation is now Jun 22, 2020

Show notes

On this episode, The Buying Bunch, with over 150 years of combined procurement experience, discusses the immense importance of eProcurement in the modern environment with the rapid shift away from paper records and a renewed emphasis on speed and remote capabilities.

This episode is brought to you by Procurated. Citizens depend on government. Governments depend on suppliers. And those governments use Procurated to select the right suppliers.

Ep. 11 - Merging Technology & Procurement with Becca Moran Jun 11, 2020

Show notes

Becca Moran joined Procurated in 2019, where she is responsible for maintaining a deep understanding of procurement professionals and the challenges they face. That understanding is used to craft Procurated’s vision, strategy, and product roadmap. Becca works with a team of software engineers and product designers to achieve that vision by creating innovative technology solutions for procurement’s biggest problems.
Before joining Procurated, Becca led product management at Xometry, a Bethesda-based manufacturing marketplace. Earlier in her career, she served in technical project management and business development roles at Politico, a leading digital news outlet.

Citizens depend on government. Governments depend on suppliers. And those governments use Procurated to select the right suppliers. Visit www.procurated.com to review a noteworthy supplier and learn more about the platform.

Ep. 10 - Planning Like You've Never Planned Before Jun 06, 2020

Show notes

The Buying Bunch, a group of former CPOs with over 150 years of combined purchasing experience in state & local governments and universities, joins us again on Decisions That Matter to discuss the importance of planning ahead to get in front of future emergencies and handle the current demands of the COVID-19 era.

On this episode they cover five core topics including:

Availability
Contracting
Warehousing vs. JIT Delivery
Budgeting
Communication

This episode is brought to you by Procurated. Citizens depend on government. Governments depend on suppliers. And those governments use Procurated to select the right suppliers.

Ep. 9 - Cooperative Purchasing during the Coronavirus Era with The Buying Bunch May 27, 2020

Show notes

The Buying Bunch, a group of former CPOs with over 150 years of combined purchasing experience in state & local governments and universities, joins us again on Decisions That Matter to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on cooperative purchasing, and how cooperatives can support government during the crisis.

This episode is brought to you by Procurated. Citizens depend on government. Governments depend on suppliers. And those governments use Procurated to select the right suppliers.

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