Inside Public Procurement: Heroic Stories from the Frontlines

Latest Episodes:

Lowering the Barriers to Vendor Diversity in Bid Competition Feb 14, 2023

Show notes

Over the past few years, we've seen more and more government agencies making vendor diversity a priority in their organizations. While the data we have reflects the steady climb in those initiatives, there are still barriers to driving bid competition with vendor diversity.

Tune in to hear Bonfire’s Mitchell Shim, in partnership with NIGP, take a deep dive into the finer details of how to create a thriving vendor diversity program. Here’s a sneak peek of what you’ll hear:

Break down what vendor diversity really means in practical terms
Learn why vendor diversity is important to fostering healthy competition and vendor transparency
Discover the critical steps for launching a successful vendor diversity initiative
See how to bust down the barriers that prevent diverse suppliers from bidding on government contracts
Plus, listen in on a Q&A with procurement professionals just like you!

You can find this interview, and many more, by subscribing to Inside Public Procurement on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or gobonfire.com/podcast.

Listening on a desktop and can’t see the links? Just search for Inside Public Procurement in your favorite podcast player.

Education: The Key to Collaboration Nov 22, 2022

Show notes

Getting everyone on board with procurement is easier said than done.

All procurement pros face the stigma of “red tape” at one point or another even though we all know how vital the purchasing process is.

What’s the key here? This panel says: education, breaking silos, and good customer service.

Collaboration and education were hot topics at Bonfire’s User Meetup in Austin, TX. On this episode of Inside Public Procurement, listen in on a conversation between:

Melissa McCord, Senior Contract Administrator and Supervisor, Harris County
Edward Romero, Executive Director of Operations and Business Services, San Antonio Independent School District
Annie Collier, Executive Director of Contract and Procurement Services, Austin Independent School District.

Hear their take on improving relationships and educating internal clients, collaborating with other departments to create efficiencies, leveraging the knowledge and experience of other agencies, getting the best outcomes from cooperative purchasing, and so much more.

You can find this interview, and many more, by subscribing to Inside Public Procurement on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or gobonfire.com/podcast.

Listening on a desktop and can’t see the links? Just search for Inside Public Procurement in your favorite podcast player.

Why Collaboration is a Procurement Superpower Nov 08, 2022

Show notes

After a two-year hiatus we were finally able to get together in person with our amazing users at an Ontario Meetup. After the last few years of isolation, they had much to say about the importance of coming together to share ideas, celebrate successes and challenges, and problem solve together. And on this special mini episode of Inside Public Procurement, we’re bringing the highlights straight to you!

Tune in to hear from four procurement professionals on the power of collaborating with peers: Michael Alguire, Purchasing Manager, County of Gray; Bhavna Sharma, Procurement Specialist, Laurier University; Jan Oliver, Assistant Director, Strategic Sourcing, Procurement Services, York University; and Tony De Sciscio, Manager, Procurement and Contracts, Toronto Public Library.

Here are some highlights from the session:

· Why it’s so important to make space for procurement professionals to share their experiences

· How insight sharing breaks down silos

· Why a culture of collaboration benefits both procurement teams and the clients they serve

· Bonus: Each panelist shares their favourite sticky takeaway from the event!

You can find this interview, and many more, by subscribing to Inside Public Procurement on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or gobonfire.com/podcast.

Listening on a desktop and can’t see the links? Just search for Inside Public Procurement in your favorite podcast player.

Innovating for Impact in Public Procurement Oct 25, 2022

Show notes

The transformative powers of technology on procurement is something we’ll talk about until we’re blue in the face—but hearing from the people who are reaping the benefits really puts it into perspective.

On this episode of Inside Public Procurement, enjoy the recording from the case study session we hosted at the NIGP Annual Forum back in August titled “Innovation for Impact”.

We sat down with Cheri Estrada, Director of Purchasing at Tacoma School District; Brenda Byers-Banks, Procurement and Contract Specialist at North Carolina State University; Adam Stearns, Director of Purchasing at Magnolia ISD; and Glenn O’Steen, Manager, Procurement at Columbia County, Georgia.

Listen in as panelists discuss how tech impacts:

Vendor service, diversity, and engagement
RFP creation and collaboration
Evaluations
Client service
Cost savings

And much more. Sit back, enjoy, and learn how you can use tech to see similar benefits.

You can find this interview, and many more, by subscribing to Inside Public Procurement on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or gobonfire.com/podcast.

Listening on a desktop and can’t see the links? Just search for Inside Public Procurement in your favorite podcast player.

Paving the Way for Cooperative Purchasing Oct 11, 2022

Show notes

Public procurement pros are the champions of creating positive, impactful change.

Every now and again, take a step back and appreciate the ways procurement has real power to make a difference not just for your team and organization, but your community and peers, too.

For Ada County, Idaho, that meant creating a procurement environment that empowered agility, mobility, and a better vendor experience. But, as if creating big internal changes wasn’t enough, Bob Perkins, Ada County’s Procurement Director, led the charge to tackle outdated legislation and introduce a new state bill that benefits all Idaho public agencies through cooperative purchasing.

Cooperative purchasing in public procurement can make a world of difference—especially for smaller agencies. The little guys gain more purchasing power and all participating agencies can breeze through procurement since all the heavy lifting is already done. For everyone, it means negotiating lower prices and gaining the ability to be more frugal with taxpayer funds.

On this episode of Inside Public Procurement, we sit down with Bob to talk about being the driving force behind switching to paperless procurement and creating a bill that would allow Idaho public agencies to leverage cooperative contracts. We also discuss how both he and his team at Ada County are always working to improve their processes, create a better experience for vendors, and advocate for cooperative purchasing.

Have questions? Reach out to Bob at bperkins@adacounty.id.gov

You can find this interview, and many more, by subscribing to Inside Public Procurement on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or gobonfire.com/podcast.

Listening on a desktop and can’t see the links? Just search for Inside Public Procurement in your favorite podcast player.

Becoming Your Agency's Trusted Advisor Sep 27, 2022

Show notes

How often have you heard procurement described as the “department of no”?

To your internal clients—who want their goods and services purchased yesterday—the systems and processes you’ve put in place to ensure a fair and transparent process sometimes just look like red tape.

But forward-thinking purchasing teams, like the one at San Bernardino County, are changing the narrative.

In this episode, we sat down with Michelle Churchill and Bruce Cole, Supervising Buyers at San Bernardino County.

At over 20,000 employees, Michelle and Bruce serve a huge internal client base. And they’ve made it their mission to shift their agency’s perspective of procurement, once seen as a roadblock, now established as a trusted and strategic advisor to their organization.

In our conversion, hosted in-person at this year’s NIGP Forum in Boston, Bruce and Michelle tackle topics such as:

How manual errors and RFP addenda eroded trust with internal clients and vendors
How procurement technology has freed up the purchasing team’s time to get out of the weeds and think more strategically
The importance of user-friendly software to ensure buy-in from evaluators and vendors

Connect with Bruce at bcole@pur.sbcounty.gov and Michelle at Michelle.Churchill@pur.sbcounty.gov.

You can find this interview, and many more, by subscribing to Inside Public Procurement on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or gobonfire.com/podcast.

Listening on a desktop and can’t see the links? Just search for Inside Public Procurement in your favorite podcast player.

The Power of Community in Procurement Sep 13, 2022

Show notes

Have you ever met someone who grew up wanting to go into public procurement? When all of their friends were dressing up as doctors and firefighters for Halloween, they came as a purchasing agent? Us neither.

Hardly anyone actively seeks a job in public procurement; you just kinda fall into it.

So whether someone is coming to the procurement department from finance, public works, planning, or even fresh from school, the field of public purchasing can be a bit overwhelming to say the least. Procurement is a whole new, scary world complete with a new language, processes, rules, and tools. What’s a newbie to do?

One thing that public procurement doesn’t get enough credit for is how friendly and helpful the community is. Procurement pros are always ready to share their knowledge, experience, and advice to help others.

For Keith Allen, Senior Buyer at Jackson County, Missouri, leaning on a mentor and his peers has been one of the most crucial parts to him finding his rhythm in public procurement.

Not only that, as a fresh mind in the department, Keith identified a lot of opportunities and helped the County ditch dozens of drawers of paper records, among other innovations.

Keith sat down with us at the NIGP Annual Forum in Boston to talk us through his transition into procurement from finance, advice for new procurement pros, the power of new perspectives, and the best way to make seafood pasta.

You can find this interview, and many more, by subscribing to Inside Public Procurement on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or gobonfire.com/podcast.

Listening on a desktop and can’t see the links? Just search for Inside Public Procurement in your favorite podcast player.

Leading the Digital Transformation Charge Aug 30, 2022

Show notes

New technology can be scary to a lot of people which is why digital transformation can be a huge deal in an organization—especially in public sector agencies where tech is notoriously lagging.

Leading a new software implementation doesn’t start with technical things, it starts with the very human elements. Getting people on board with change is one of the hardest parts of the implementation process and involving your team in the transition right from the beginning is a winning strategy.

On this episode of Inside Public Procurement, we sat down to chat with Kyle Jurgens, Category Specialist in procurement at the University of Saskatchewan. Kyle received the Leadership award—nominated by multiple colleagues—in this year’s Bonfire Procurement Awards after successfully leading the implementation of eProcurement at USask.

Kyle shares his wisdom on leading change in your organization, what engaging stakeholders and obtaining buy-in looks like, and why procurement digital transformation is a team sport.

You can find this interview, and many more, by subscribing to Inside Public Procurement on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or gobonfire.com/podcast.

Listening on a desktop and can’t see the links? Just search for Inside Public Procurement in your favorite podcast player.

Unlocking Your Procurement Superpowers Aug 16, 2022

Show notes

What do public procurement professionals and superheroes have in common? More than you’d think.

While we don’t know many procurement pros with super strength or laser vision, we do know a ton who are the driving force behind their agencies and their communities.

Every year, we at Bonfire dig through our databases and gather third-party information to create the State of Public Sourcing report. This report uncovers emerging priorities and trends as well as how outside factors are influencing the current reality of public procurement teams.

The 2022 report is here and we are blown away by the heroic efforts in the face of huge increases in project volumes and tighter human resources—among other challenges. Through analyzing data from nearly 500 public agencies, we identified five key areas that procurement pros like you are flexing your superpowers:

Vendor Diversity
Collaboration
Client Service
Digitization
Cost Savings

On this episode of Inside Public Procurement, we sit down with our very own Emily Lambert, Manager of Content Marketing at Bonfire and the force behind the State of Public Sourcing report.

Emily walks us through the findings of the report and what they mean for the future of public procurement, how to leverage these insights to unlock your own superpowers, and why you should embrace the community of your peers and their experiences.

Get your free digital copy of this report at gobonfire.com/super-sourcing.

You can find this interview, and many more, by subscribing to Inside Public Procurement on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or gobonfire.com/podcast.

Listening on a desktop and can’t see the links? Just search for Inside Public Procurement in your favorite podcast player.

Getting Your Procurement Process Audit-Ready Jul 19, 2022

Show notes

The mere mention of the word “audit” can cause the collective palms of public procurement to sweat. The reality is, audits are stressful and it’s not a question of if you’ll get audited, but when.

Since there’s so much money that flows through public procurement, it’s high on the auditor’s list of risky activities. With a lot of hands in the pot, external pressures, and an increased chance of mistakes and fraud, it’s no wonder public procurement is under such tight scrutiny.

So, when the auditor inevitably comes knocking, are you prepared?

Mark Funkhouser, President of Funkhouser and Associates and Former Mayor of Kansas City, works with public agencies to improve many aspects of their operations. With an auditing background, Mark has unique insight into what triggers a procurement audit and how to prepare for and prevent a lot of common mistakes or oversights that can land you in hot water.

In this episode of Inside Public Procurement, Mark talks to Bonfire’s Director of Client Experience Rachel Friesen about the importance of creating a system of checks and balances for your procurement processes, red flags auditors look for when conducting a procurement audit, why thorough staff training is a vital part of audit-proofing your procurement, and how to plan ahead and mitigate risks before they become a problem.

You can find this interview, and many more, by subscribing to Inside Public Procurement on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or gobonfire.com/podcast.

Listening on a desktop and can’t see the links? Just search for Inside Public Procurement in your favorite podcast player.

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