Frisch Findings

October 1993 marked the launch of Government PROcurement Journal (GPRO), a magazine for the government purchasing professional. GPRO was the culmination of nearly 18 months of research and investigation by Government Product News and the National Institute of Governmental Purchasing (NIGP).

Even then, government purchasing had been changing dramatically. The evolving profession was in need of a new vehicle to share ideas and information with peer procurement professionals. GPRO was the product of a great, combined effort. One decade later, we can enthusiastically report that the publication has become so much more than its originators could have imagined.

Today, GPRO is an independent reporter of the continuing evolution of the public purchasing field. As envisioned, GPRO has become an indispensable resource to help public purchasing professionals stay abreast of the new ideas, new technologies, and new procurement techniques of their creative counterparts.

I’m fortunate to have been with GPRO from the beginning. As an assistant editor, when the “great idea” took shape, one of my duties was research. I made numerous calls to Government Product News readers. I spoke with municipal, county, state, and federal procurement professionals from all over the United States.

My assignment was to gather suggestions from who we hoped would be future readers. Many had great ideas and even offered to write articles. All were members of NIGP, and all were excited about the project.

Today, we have expanded our readership and formed affiliations with the National Purchasing Institute (NPI) and the National Association of Educational Buyers (NAEB). What began as an association magazine has grown to offer industry-wide coverage, as well as www.govpro.com, a comprehensive Web site, and the GovPro Newsletter, a weekly electronic source of news, articles, and related links.

I’m happy to say that many of the original creators of GPRO still work on the publication and associated properties—Vaughn Rockhold, Group Publisher, and Leslie Drahos, Editor-in-Chief, to name a few. One of our district managers, Steve Weintraub, was involved in the “brave, new venture,” and provides another perspective on the decade entirely.

Steve points out that while GPRO provides purchasers with excellent editorial coverage, the magazine also educates vendors on the changes in public procurement. When Steve speaks with potential advertisers, he does his part to eliminate the old paradigm of public purchasing.

“We’re creating the market by giving vendor’s a true account of the changes in purchasing,” Steve says.

He’s right. The magazine has done a great deal to enhance the market. How many times have important vendors chosen not to do business with public entities for many reasons, including low bid? As our district managers spread the concepts of best value, performance-based contracting, and public-private partnerships, stubborn vendors show increasing interest in selling to the government.

Without the support of readers, advertisers, and staff, GPRO would not be where it is today. I’d like to emphasis that we truly value our stakeholders and their suggestions. Please continue to send your comments on past coverage and suggestions for future issues by e-mail: [email protected] or phone: 216-931-9510.

Thank You! We look forward to the next 10 Years!