Biloxi Beckons Buyers with Balmy Beaches

The first cast iron tower built in the South, the Biloxi Lighthouse has been lighting the way for sailors since 1848.

Biloxi Beckons Buyers with Balmy Beaches

This summer, the National Institute of Governmental Purchasing (NIGP) will head to the Deep South, where hot procurement topics are the catch of the day

By Sandra J. Wimmer, Senior Editor

Fishing for fresh ideas in procurement practices? Set a course for Mississippi's Gulf Coast and attend the National Institute of Governmental Purchasing's (NIGP) 59th Annual Forum and Products Exposition, to be held Saturday, August 7, through Wednesday, August 11, at the Beau Rivage Resort and Mississippi Coast Coliseum and Convention Center in Biloxi, MS.

The conference, hosted by the Local Mississippi Planning Committee and the Mississippi Association of Governmental Purchasing/Property Agents (MAGPPA) Chapter of NIGP, is geared specifically to those involved in U.S. and Canadian public procurement. The meeting promises workshops, classes, and networking opportunities designed to help tackle issues purchasers face at every level of government.

The Products Exposition will include about 115 exhibitors representing boatloads of new products and services available to government. Show hours are Monday, August 9, from 1 to 5 p.m. and Tuesday, August 10, from 3 to 6 p.m. During the Products Exposition, visit NIGP chapters in the exhibit hall to see the new Chapter Showcase, a spotlight on chapter successes.

For those delegates who wish to get their feet wet before the Forum actually begins, review sessions for Certified Professional Public Buyer (CPPB) and Certified Professional Public Officer (CPPO) designations will be held Thursday, August 5 and Friday, August 6 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pre-scheduled oral and written exams will take place on Saturday, August 7 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Two pre-Forum seminars, "Don't Lecture Me— Creating Highly Interactive Training Quickly and Effectively" and "Allies in Diversity," will be offered on Saturday, August 7 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Trolling for fun activities before the show? Join other early arrivals in a golf tournament at the Oaks Championship Golf Course, go deep-sea fishing in the Gulf of Mexico, or tour Northrop Grumman Ship Systems' Ingall Operations to see a highly organized supply chain in action.

Dive Into Procurement School

Public procurement officials control nearly a quarter of the U.S. gross national product through the annual acquisition of $1.4 trillion in goods and services. Yet, according to a recent NIGP survey, 59 percent of public buyers have not received formal schooling beyond a high school diploma.

To outfit purchasers with the skills and knowledge necessary to save tax dollars and better serve the public, NIGP has developed a program called LEAP (Learning and Education to Advance Procurement). The LEAP Program will offer Executive Certification in Public Procurement, as well as academic degrees in the field, moving procurement from an occupational to a professional status.

The first LEAP courses, which will lead to professional certification, are divided into six foundation "colleges" and will be offered at this year's Forum.

Introduction

to

Public

Procurement

addresses

the

building

blocks

of

the

foundation

of

procurement.

This

college

provides

an

overview

of

public

procurement,

functionality

of

the

purchasing

cycle,

and

professionalism.

Legal

Aspects

of

Purchasing

introduces

the

law

of

contracts,

draft

development,

and

management

and

addresses issues such as software agreements and ethical professional obligations.

Planning,

Scheduling,

and

Requirement

Analysis

introduces

the

strategic

planning

process,

emphasizing

the

role

of

the

procurement

practitioner.

Sourcing

in

the

Public

Sector

delves

into

the

value

of

competition

in

governments

and

the

acquisition

process

in

the

purchasing

cycle.

Developing

and

Managing

RFPs

in

the

Public

Sector

provides

step-by-step

processes

involved

in

Requests

for

Proposal

(RFP),

including

evaluation

methods,

negotiations,

and

contract

writing.

Contract

Administration

introduces

contract

management

and

the

administration

thereof.

Because LEAP classes are offered concurrently with other Forum

participants will not be able to attend Educational Workshops and Networking Sessions. Advanced LEAP courses, which will lead to the Executive Certificate in Public Procurement, will be available beginning in early 2005.

Reel in the Benefits of Workshops, Networking

Delegates may choose from more than 40 educational workshops, which cover every angle of procurement. Workshops are divided into four tracks, allowing purchasers to concentrate on their areas of need.

The

Essentials track includes

seminars on a range of basic procurement topics, including

Ethics:

It

Matters

Not

If

You

Win

or

Lose,

It's

How

You

Play

the

Game;

Construction Contracts: The Good, The Bad, and the Included; Obtaining the Best Bang for Your Bucks!; IT Acquisitions: Negotiations and Contract Management;

and Techniques for Bid Evaluation and Contractor Selection.

The

Leadership track is targeted to procurement managers and includes courses such as

Managing

Diversity

with

Minimal

Bias,

Useful

Chapter

Web

Sites—Get

the

Best

Value,

Creating

and

Using

Power-Point

as

a

Visual

Aid

(As

Opposed

to

Your

Notes!),

Are

Performance

Measures

a

Mistake?

No!, and

Recruiting

High

Level

Procurement

Staff.

The

Solutions track provides case studies and "from the trenches" inprograms,

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF GOVERNMENTAL PURCHASING

E x h i b i t o r

B o o t h

E x h i b i t o r

B o o t h

3M Office Supplies

AAA Environmental, Inc.

Achilles Information, Inc.

Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc.

734

American Forest and Paper Association 224, 226 ATD-American Co.

122

BidNet Procurement Systems

406

Bleachers International, Inc.

506

Blind Industries and Services of Maryland 613 Boise Office Solutions

819

Bretford Mfg.

623

Brother International Corp.

523

Burke Corp.

812

Calhoun Bend Mill, Inc.

222

Carlyle Financial Services

821

CDWG

301

CellularSouth

529

Child Turf by Childforms

328

Chromcraft Furniture

609, 611

806

Clarin, a Div. of Greenwich Industries 817 ColorID

605

Cover-All Building Systems

500, 502

227

428

316

125

505

Dixie Chopper

Drucker Co.

Durham Auctions, Inc.

Duron Paint and Wallcoverings

eBid Systems

Fifth Third Bank

FleetCor Technologies

Ford Commercial Truck

Ford Motor Co.

FP Mailing Solutions

Fuji Photo Film USA, Inc.

GE Corporate Payment Services

501

326

822

229

124

110

332

114

200

208

123

329

225

General Services Administration (GSA) 323 Global Industrial Equipment Co.

324

Global Industries

233

GM Alternative Fuels

411

GovDeals (Informs)

426

Grainger

129, 131

403

706

726, 728

827

716

723, 725

801

H-GAC Cooperative Purchasing Program 617 Hicks Communications

826

High Line Corp.

813, 815

Allsteel

American Express

Ecolab

Grasshopper Co.

Graybar Electric Co., Inc.

GTSI Corp.

Hasler, Inc.

Haworth, Inc.

Herman Miller, Inc.

Hertz Equipment Rental Corp.

Cingular Wireless

Citi Group

607

Custom Products Corp.

DemandStar by Onvia

112

118

405, 407

Dell, Inc.

formation. This track includes titles such as

Strategic

Sourcing:

A

Model

for

Supplier

Evaluation

and

Selection,

Using

the

Cooperative

Purchasing

Program

to

Meet

You

Mission,

Presidential

Citations

for

Best

Practices

in

2004,

Dealing

Effectively

with

Difficult

Vendors

and

Contractors, and

Maximizing

Value

through

Performance-Based

Contracting

for

Services.

The

Technology track offers the latest information about electronic procurement tools and includes seminars on

Selling

Surplus

on

the

Internet:

Turning

Your

Surplus

Into

Instant

Cash,

Keeping

Your

PCard

Program

Out

of

the

Headlines, and

Managing

Risk

in

Contracts:

From

Threat

to

Opportunity. Other technology workshops are

When

Implementing

E-Commerce,

You've

Got

to

Have

a

Plan;

Enhanced P-Card Reporting and the NIGP Commodity Code; and Eliminate Your Warehouse Using an Electronic Supply Ordering System.

Attendees will have an opportunity to attend daily networking sessions, as well. Agency-Based sessions are geared to particular entity types at all levels of government. Topical and Special Issues sessions include subjects such as

Controlling

Contract

Pricing

in

Volatile

Markets,

eProcurement

Trends:

Where

Are

We

in

2004?,

MBE/WBE

Best

Practices:

Sharing

Success

Stories, and more.

Come Aboard in Biloxi— The Schooner the Better!

With daytime temperatures in the mid-90s, Biloxi promises to be a hot Forum destination. The Gulf Coast

shrimping town boasts 26 miles of white sand beaches, 22 golf courses, 12 resort casinos, and a wealth of cultural and historical attractions.

Attendees and their guests may wish to participate in optional MAGPPA-sponsored tours throughout the week. These include a shrimping expedition, as well as trips to a Louisiana Cajun swamp, Old Town Bay St. Louis, MS, Bellingrath Gardens and Home in Mobile, AL, New Orleans' French Quarter, and Stenos Space Center, the nation's largest rocket test complex.

For more information about the Forum and Products Exposition, call Carrie Rawn at NIGP headquarters in Herndon, VA: 800-FOR-NIGP, ext. 251, e-mail forum@nigp.org, or visit NIGP online at www.nigp.org.

PRODUCTS EXPOSITION 2004 EXHIBITORS LIST

E x h i b i t o r

B o o t h

E x h i b i t o r

B o o t h

HON Co.

Howard Computers

Hughes Supply

The ID Group

IKON

Imagistics

InCircuit Development

Indiana Desk

Infinity Technology, Inc.

Integratise, Inc.

Interface Flooring Systems

International Laser Group

Ion Wave Technologies, Inc.

John Deere Co.

Knoll, Inc.

Landscape Structures

Lanier Worldwide

Lawson Software

Lees Carpets

Little Tikes Commercial

Maintenance Warehouse

Mayline Group

MiCTA

Milliken

Missco Contract Sales

Mity-Lite

N.A.D.A. Official Used Car Guide

Neopost, Inc.

NIGP Code

505

816

711, 713

232

231

804

322

528

327

429

733

230

625

504

702

729

631

818

634

722

626

808, 810

800

708, 710

809

108

803

133

318

Nissan North America

Office Depot

OFS, The Business Doctors

Orbis Online, Inc.

People Soft, Inc.

Periscope Holdings

Philips Electronics

Savin/Ricoh

School Specialty, Inc.

SitOnIt Seating

Sorcity.com Reverse-Auction

313

730, 732

401

408

223

307, 309

423

824

717, 719

701, 703, 705

526

823

SOS Computers, LLC dba Technology Express,TX 802 Southern Aluminum Mfg.

120

Spectrum Industries, Inc.

116

Sportime

707

Steelcase, Inc.

731

Stihl Southwest

427

Superior Uniform Group

527

SVM, LP

228

Tier

127

Toro Co.

117

University Loft Co.

630

UPPCC

603

U.S. Communities

700

U.S. EPA—Environmentally Preferable Purchasing 219 Virco

718

Zep Manufacturing

704

Paoli, Inc.

NIGP 2004 FORUM PROGRAM AT-A-GLANCE

Thursday, August 5 - Friday, August 6

8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

CPPO

Review

Session

Friday, August 6

8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

CPPB

Review

Session

Saturday, August 7

8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Pre-Forum

Seminars:

"Don't

Lecture

Me—Creating

Highly

Interactive

Training

Quickly

and

Effectively"

and

"Allies

in

Diversity" 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

UPPCC Certification Written and Oral Exams

8

a.m.

to

10

a.m.

NIGP Committees/ Board Debriefing/Breakfast

10

a.m.

to

12

p.m.

NIGP Committee Meetings

6

p.m.

to

7

p.m.

First-Timers Meeting

7

p.m.

to

10

p.m. Welcome Event: Margarita Mike and the Mangos

Sunday, August 8

8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

Opening

Breakfast

and

Keynote

Presentation:

"Kicking

the

Big

'Butts'

of

Life,"

Speaker:

Rick

Butts 12:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

LEAP Classes begin

12:30

p.m.

to

2

p.m. Networking Sessions

2:15

p.m.

to

3:45

p.m. Educational Workshops

4

p.m.

to

5:30

p.m. Educational Workshops

Monday, August 9

8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

LEAP

Classes 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

Networking

Sessions 10:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.

NIGP

Annual

Business/Awards

Luncheon 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Ribbon Cutting and Opening of Products Exposition

1:30

p.m.

to

5:30

p.m.

LEAP Classes

Tuesday, August 10

8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

LEAP

Classes 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., 9:45 a.m. to 11:15 a.m.

Educational

Workshops 1:15 p.m. to 2:45 p.m.

Networking

Sessions 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Products Exposition

6

p.m.

to

12

a.m. Main Social Event: "Barefoot in the Park"

Wednesday, August 11

9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

LEAP

Classes 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

General Session, Speaker: Frank Abagnale

10:45

a.m.

to

12:15

p.m. Educational Workshops

2

p.m.

to

5

p.m.

LEAP Classes

2

p.m.

to

3:30

p.m. Educational Workshops

3:45

p.m.

to

5:15

p.m. Networking Sessions

7

p.m.

to

12

a.m. Presidential Banquet and Dance