NIGP Forum 2012: Reaching new heights

More than 800 public procurement professionals from federal, provincial, state and local government agencies in the United States and Canada will converge in Seattle for the 67th Annual Forum and Products Exposition hosted by NIGP: The Institute of Public Procurement.

Built around the theme “Reaching New Heights,” the meeting will provide opportunities to network with colleagues and learn from industry leaders and professional speakers. NIGP’s Forum provides knowledge to empower procurement professionals to meet the public’s expectations with reduced staff and budgets. Four days of intensive professional training, networking activities, product exhibits and knowledge sharing will equip procurement professionals to make a difference through decisive, effective purchasing programs. Content-rich workshops and knowledge exchanged at Forum enable attendees to return home strengthened by new ideas and improved professional skills.

Forum Highlights

Saturday, August 18
Host Committee Social Event: Tilicum Village: An Argosy Adventure
(5 – 11 p.m.)

Sunday, August 19
Opening Keynote Speaker Joel Cherkis, General Manager, Government and Security, Microsoft Corp. Worldwide Public Sector
(8 – 10 a.m.)

Monday, August 20
Products Exposition
(1 – 5 p.m.)

Monday, August 20
Awards Gala
(6:30 – 9:30 pm.)

Tuesday, August 21
Products Exposition
(9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.)

Wednesday, August 22
Closing General Session Robyn Bebincasa
(3:15 – 4:45 p.m.)

Keynote Speakers

Joel Cherkis, General Manager, Government and Security
Microsoft Corp. Worldwide Public Sector
Opening Keynote Speaker

High Performance Government: The Next Generation of Computing
Sunday, August 19, 8 – 10 a.m.

Harnessing an extensive background in technology, Joel Cherkis leads a team of sales and technology professionals who provide global strategic support to government customers by delivering solutions focused on providing citizen-based services and enabling government workplace and data center modernization.

Cherkis says governments at all levels are fundamentally rethinking how they serve their citizens. More entities are making commitments to change the lack of transparency and accountability in their agencies and to transform the way they operate and interact with citizens. Central to this mission are the core goals of dramatically increasing the openness and transparency of government, while also creating new efficiencies and innovative ways to engage citizens.

Vernice “Fly Girl” Armour
Who Needs a Runway?

How to Take Off From Where You Are and Go From Zero to Breakthrough
Monday, August 20, 8:30 – 9:30 a.m.

Known simply as “Fly Girl,” Vernice Armour went from beat cop to combat pilot in three years. Within a year, she found herself flying over the deserts of Iraq supporting the men and women on the ground. She served two tours overseas, becoming America’s first African-American female combat pilot.

After returning home from combat, she used her experiences to create a seven-step process called the Zero to Breakthrough Success Plan. She now travels extensively to share this message through her keynotes, coaching and seminars. Her passion is helping organizations and individuals create similar results. Presented by the NIGP National Business Council.

Mark Scharenbroich, CSP, CPAE

Nice Bike: Making Meaningful Connections on the Road of Life
Tuesday, August 21, 8:30 – 9:30 a.m.

Mark Scharenbroich uses an unconventional approach that includes knockout humor and personal stories with universal appeal. His session focuses on the relationship side of creating results by connecting people to people – management to front line, team member to team member, and company to customer.

Scharenbroich has built his speaking career working in both business and education, discovering how some of the best organizations and leaders create a culture that encourages people to perform at a higher level. His messages improve employee engagement, help people to embrace change, enhance team collaboration, fuel the passion to serve others and create meaningful connections. Scharenbroich’s Nice Bike principle and newly released book by the same name are driven by two powerful words and three powerful actions that make a difference in the lives of others: Acknowledge, Honor, Connect.

How Do You Apply the Public Procurement Values and Guiding Principles in Your Professional Life?
Wednesday, August 22, 8:30 – 10 a.m.

During this plenary session, speakers who help you apply these values into your every day life. The plenary session provides a brief look into these topics and each speaker presents a more detailed “deep dive” workshop immediately following the plenary.

David Rabiner, CSP
Topic: Obstacles to Leadership

Excellence in leadership isn’t just about generating leadership qualities and checking them off one at a time. Understanding the obstacles to demonstrating those qualities – the challenges to overcoming those obstacles – is critical for anyone attempting to evolve as a leader. In this opening presentation, international speaker David Rabiner defines leadership from a practical perspective — from a perspective of influence — and gives you the incentive to dedicate yourself to enhancing your own leadership. He sets the stage for the process of developing your own leadership plan, which includes overcoming the obstacles to peak performance in leadership.

David Rabiner, CSP, is one of the more established and experienced public speakers in the United States. Since 1993, he has been averaging approximately 100 presentations each year. Overall, Rabiner has presented to more than 1,900 groups in 45 states and 12 countries.

Ed Brodow
Topic: Negotiating in Turbulent Times

In the typical negotiation, both sides treat each other as the “enemy.” This is counterproductive and can lead to problems and misunderstandings. In this eye-opening session by the bestselling author of Negotiation Boot Camp, attendees learn a series of innovative techniques for creating an atmosphere of fairness and trust with suppliers and stakeholders without sacrificing the need to achieve specific objectives. Emphasis is on developing “negotiation consciousness,” the value of listening as a negotiation tool, adhering to ethical problem-solving, dealing with supplier tactics, and Ed Brodow’s Three Rules for Win-Win Negotiating.

Ed Brodow is the world’s top spokesman on the art of negotiation. A nationally recognized television personality, he has appeared as negotiation guru on PBS, ABC News, Fox News, Inside Edition, and Fortune Business Report. Brodow is negotiating consultant to some of the world’s most prominent organizations, including Microsoft, Goldman Sachs, Starbucks, Learjet, Raytheon, Philips, McKinsey, The Gap, Revlon, Zurich Insurance, Mobil Oil, and the Pentagon.

Robyn Benincasa
Closing Speaker

Ordinary People, Extraordinary Result: The 8 Essential Elements of Human Synergy
Wednesday, August 22, 2:45 – 4:15 p.m.

Robyn Benincasa inspires people to do amazing things. She has made an art form of extreme performance by competing and winning at the highest levels of sport and business. Benincasa has competed in close to 40 expedition-length events – gnarly, multiday, multisport killers such as Primal Quest and Eco-Challenge. She has biked through jungles in Borneo, climbed Himalayan giants in Nepal, trekked across lava fields in Fiji, rafted rapids in Chile – and racked up multiple world championship titles along the way.

In her spare time, Benincasa is a full-time firefighter in San Diego, on the nation’s first all-female crew. She also founded the Project Athena Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to helping women who have endured medical setbacks achieve their athletic dreams, whether it means climbing Mount Kilimanjaro or running a local 10K. In her keynote session, Benincasa imparts the attitude and mindset that allows groups of ordinary people to accomplish truly extraordinary things together.

Workshop Topics

The following is a preview of more than 70 workshops planned for Forum:

Avoiding the Front Page of the Newspaper: Why Ethics Matters
Public agency employees are regularly faced with ethical decision making – where do you draw the line on what is acceptable versus unacceptable practices?

Evaluating Cooperative Programs
Due diligence is required to identify those contracts that may best align with your specific product or service requirements and local procurement ordinances. Get strategy tips and look at evaluation criteria

The Heart of a Good Request for Proposal (RFP)
Learn how to construct an entire RFP in a way that captures the attention of your potential vendors and effectively steers them toward submitting a proposal most responsive to your needs

Procurement’s Next Big Challenge – Construction
More procurement professionals are finding themselves in the middle of a construction project. What specific requirements should be in the solicitation document? Get answers and start building your foundation

Performance Measurements and Services
A major issue within the shift to best value procurement is monitoring results and mitigating the risk to both parties. Gain an understanding of how performance measurements are created and tracked

Procurement Systems and Processes: Choosing an Effective Design
The breadth and speed of technological, social, and cultural change is continually accelerating. Are you keeping up?

For a complete workshop schedule, visit www.nipg/org/forum or email [email protected].

APG Annual Meeting

Airport Purchasing Group (APG) will host its annual conference August 17 – 18 at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center, Seattle. Separate registration required. View the tentative schedule at www.nigp.org/apgconf

2012 International Public Procurement Conference

The International Public Procurement Conference (IPPC) is a global network of public procurement practitioners and researchers from more than 100 countries. Its objective is to advance and share knowledge and best practices in public procurement.

The biennial conference will be held at the Sheraton Seattle Hotel and Washington State Convention Center August 17 – 19 in conjunction with the NIGP Annual Forum and Products Exposition. The conference provides networking opportunities with high-level public procurement practitioners and experts. Participants’ interest in sharing public procurement knowledge benefits government, business, and greater society around the world.

These biennial conferences have become a forum where practitioners and researchers (1) share their knowledge, innovation and best practices; and (2) build a network with their international colleagues.

The IPPC is the largest international public procurement conference dedicated to academic discourse and practitioner engagement. Thanks to the fertile mixture of practical experiences and academic research, IPPC draws more than 400 academicians and experienced professionals from 59 countries. For 2012, IPPC aims to extend and deepen the topics of major interest that have their roots in the first IPPC event held in 2004.

For more information, visit www.nigp.org/ippc5.

Pre-Forum Courses

Pre-Forum Courses maximize educational potential and earn points toward UPPCC certification and re-certification. (Space is limited).

Friday, August 17 – Saturday, August 18

Introduction to Public Procurement Four-Day Course

Sunday, August 19 – Wednesday, August 22
Instructor: Ed Pabor, CPPO, CDT, C.P.M.
Contact hours: 24; UPPCC recertification points: 3

This NIGP foundation course will be offered over four days within the context of the Forum schedule. Individuals wishing to participate in this course must follow the course schedule and attend every session in order to receive credit. Attendees registering for this course attend each course session in lieu of Forum educational sessions. Registration includes many of the Forum events, including some meal functions. Please review the schedule prior to registering for the course. Separate registration is required.

Chapter Leadership Series

Sunday, August 19, Noon to 5 p.m.
Practicing Effective Leadership
Presented by: Jill McCrory and Steve Swafford, Leadership Outfitters, LLC

Using the practical leadership principles in The Leadership Challenge by Barry Kouzes and Jim Posner (Model the Way, Inspire A Shared Vision, Challenge the Process, Enable Others To Act, and Encourage the Heart), this program explores what effective leadership looks like in the volunteer and work environments. Although targeted for NIGP Chapter Members, this workshop series is open to all Forum attendees. For questions about the Chapter Leadership Series, contact Jennifer Steffan at [email protected].

2012 Executive Leadership Series with David Rabiner

Tuesday, August 21, Noon to 5 p.m.

Government purchasing officials have been given leadership responsibility because they have demonstrated leadership capabilities and have earned the privilege to serve their organizations.

A regular part of the job involves two things:

Getting departments to want to work with you — early in the process — and consider your involvement to be an important element of their success is something peak performing purchasing officials do.

This program explores the challenges unique to leadership in government purchasing and builds on your leadership skills.

This session has a maximum capacity of 30 participants. Registration is $75 and available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Advance registration required.

NIGP 2012 Forum Exhibitors

Visit more than 130 companies with more than 180 exhibit booths in the exhibit hall.

Exhibitors in bold are NIGP Premier & Corporate Sponsors

Exhibitor listing as of June 6, 2012. View the complete Exhibitor List at www.nigp.org/exhibitorlist.