Decisions That Matter: A Public Procurement Podcast (Procurated )

This week, Angelic Davis joins the show from Mt. San Antonio College in California where she is the Director of Purchasing, Printing and Mail Services, Fiscal Services Department. Angelic shares details about her journey through public procurement, her experience standing up COVID-19 testing in her first days on a new job, and the importance of building a trustworthy network of procurement peers. 

This podcast is brought to you by Procurated, the first supplier evaluation and vendor management platform created exclusively for public sector purchasers. If you have a supplier that you love, or one that you want to warn other purchases about, you can write a review in 90 seconds at www.Procurated.com/review.

Is teleworking here to stay for state and local governments across the U.S.? 

On part one of this episode we are joined again by The Buying Bunch to discuss the move to a work-from-home environment for state and local governments, and what that means for both internal communication and external communication with suppliers and cooperatives. During part two they discuss what governments can learn from the early adoption of eprocurement in higher education, and they’ll share thoughts on what Procurement departments can do right now to prepare for the future. 

Visit Procurated for more information about suppliers that can help your agency in the transition to telework.

The Buying Bunch is a team of public procurement leaders that includes:

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, CPPO, CSSBB: Vice President, West, Former CPO of Alaska.

David Yarkin: President, Former CPO of Pennsylvania.

On this episode of Decisions that Matter we are joined by Tim Hay to discuss Preparedness in Procurement. Tim brings over 20 years of procurement experience to the table, including long stints with The State of Oregon and NASPO ValuePoint. 

The coronavirus pandemic has forced procurement and preparedness into the spotlight, and has taught us a lot about what could have been done differently, and what we can do in the future to plan ahead and ensure we are prepared for future events. And on top of the pandemic western states are battling raging wildfires, while the southeast is currently in the peak of hurricane season.  Tim walks the audience through strategies to help you best prepare for a variety of scenario. 

This podcast is brought to you by Procurated, the country's leading supplier evaluation tool. 

On this episode Judy Smith discusses procurement in higher education. Judy has an impressive background in both healthcare and higher education, and she served as the Director of Procurement at the University of Michigan, where she worked for nearly 10 years.

We dove into the main differences between purchasing for colleges and universities compared to state and local government procurement, how higher education is handling the pandemic and the warehousing issues that were caused by the PPE shortage earlier this year, and Judy also shares advice for up-and-coming procurement leaders to help them learn and grow in a positive way.

If you enjoy this episode, please like and subscribe to the podcast. You can also visit www.procurated.com for all of your supplier evaluation needs, or follow Procurated on LinkedIn for regular content updates.

Together, Dave Pelletier and Kara Daniel, share their stories from the last year, including details on topics like implementing an e-bidding system, handling the initial pandemic response for their district and surrounding areas, and reopening public classrooms from K-12.

Dave Pelletier, CPPB is responsible for surplus property and overseeing the operations and activities of the Distribution Center and Purchasing for the School District of Springfield K-12, the largest district in the State of Missouri. 

Kara M. Daniel, NIGP-CPP, CPPB has been in public procurement since 2004 and is the Purchasing Manager for the School District of Springfield R-12. Kara serves the Missouri Association of Public Purchasing (MAPP) as the chapter President (2019-2021) and The Institute for Public Procurement (NIGP) as an Area 6 Chapter Ambassador. In 2017 Kara received MAPP’s Buyer of the Year (large entity) award. In 2019 Kara received MAPP’s most prestigious award the Linda D. Windsor Distinguished Service Award.

This podcast is brought to you by Procurated, where we connect buyers and suppliers.

This episode of Decisions that Matter, a Procurated podcast, features a great interview with Olivia Duke, the Chief Financial Officer for Georgia Department of Community Supervision. Olivia shares both strategic and tactical thoughts on a range of topics including procurement, communicating across agencies and internally across departments, the importance capturing institutional knowledge, and hiring the next wave of government leaders.

This episode is also brought to you by NIGP, the institute for Public Procurement. This coming August and September NIGP will be incubating big ideas with daily impact at  the priemier public procurement event of the year. Visit NIGP.org/events to register for Virtual Forum August 23-26, and the New NIGP Forum Leadership Summit, September 11-14. I hope you enjoy this one.

Throughout his career, Dr. Gordon has worked to increase the contribution of public procurement and contract management to the strategic management of public enterprises at every level of government. He served as CPO to multiple local governments, led NIGP as the National President, received the Institute's two highest individual awards, and has made a huge impact in education and research. 

Dr. Gordon is focused on helping state and local governments and institutions achieve their enterprise goals by providing guidance, counsel, and training that enables their procurement and contract management functions and team members to contribute strategically. In addition to strategic public procurement and contract management, his specific areas of expertise include performance-based contracting, internal and external collaboration, and leadership, ethics, and accountability.

This podcast is brought to you by Procurated, the first supplier evaluation and vendor management platform created exclusively for public sector purchasers. If you have a supplier that you love, or one that you want to warn other purchases about, you can write a review in 90 seconds at www.Procurated.com/review.

On this episode of Decisions That Matter, hosts Alex Stonehouse and Bernadette Launi sat down with Jillian Dy to discuss her work at FoodCorps as the Director of Supply Chain Engagement. FoodCorps' mission involves bringing together local communities to connect kids to healthy food in school. Throughout this episode Jillian does a great job of covering everything from the high-level policy topics that drive a lot of rules and outcomes, to the on-the-ground supply chain challenges involved in feeding and educating kids in school districts across the country. 

This topic is important to all of us, both as individuals as a nation, because the choices being made every day have a tremendous impact on the next generation of kids. The habits that define their future are being made now, and we have the ability to improve their lives through improvements to supply chain processes, procurement policies, and communication between schools and local farms and businesses. 

The topic of school food may seem like a niche topic, but this discussion is full of fascinating information from Jillian that is relevant to a wide range of people, including procurement and supply chain professionals, a food service workers, teachers, school administrators, and parents in general. 

Below is a list of resources that Jillian was generous enough to provide to support the information she shared during the episode in case you want more in-depth information:

• Reimagining School Cafeterias Report 
• Full report on Creating Healthy School Environments and Key Takeaways from the FoodCorps and Tisch Center for Food, Policy, and Education Partnership
• FoodCorps Policy Vision
• reWorking Lunch report
•  "Why are you still packing lunch for your kids?" was published in the New York Times just over a year ago by Jennifer Gaddisin.

Click here to sign up for news and policy alerts from FoodCorps and stay up to speed on the great work they are doing, or follow FoodCorps at their @foodcorps handle on all major social media channels, including LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and more.

And as always, this podcast is brought to you by Procurated, where you can instantly access thousands of peer-reviewed suppliers to make make complex buying decisions much easier. 

On this episode of Decisions That Matter, co-hosts Alex Stonehouse and Bernadette Launi are joined by their Procurated colleague, Andrew MacDowell. 

Andrew joined the Procurated team in early 2020 as the Senior Director of Data Science & Analytics, where he has already had a tremendous impact our sales & marketing strategy, product roadmap, financial planning, and company vision through applied analytics.

Prior to joining Procurated, Andrew worked in the Corporate Affairs Analytics & Insights team at Booz Allen Hamilton, was the Director of Business Intelligence at Xometry, and cut his teeth at the Bethesda-based consulting firm, Marketbridge.

On this episode he discusses the vital role that data and analytics play in the decision making process, whether it's choosing the right supplier for a complex job, or deciding how to engage and react to a major problem.

This episode of Decisions That Matter is presented by Gordian, and features a discussion between Procurated's David Yarkin and Gordian's Bill Pollak. Bill serves as President of Gordian (a Fortive company), the leading provider of innovative construction data, software and services to organizations pursuing efficient and effective facilities planning, estimating and construction procurement. 

This fascinating discussion highlights the importance and effectiveness of properly using data to create efficiency in the public sector. Bill Pollak shares his views on the future of contracting, including the need to a adapt to a virtual solution and the emergence of AI technology that is changing the way business is done.

If you are a Procurated government member you can also log in to see what other governments and agencies are saying about Gordian.

Students and teachers are back to school at colleges and universities across the country, many following a hybrid model of in-person learning paired with digital classes, especially for classes with large enrollment numbers. But many schools are trying to get ahead of the "touchless" trend to give everyone on campus the freedom to navigate without relying on ID cards and high-touch interactions. 

On this "Buying Bunch" episode, the team of procurement experts from Government Sourcing Solutions reaches into their 150 years of combined public purchasing experience to share what they have been hearing from procurement leaders across higher education. 

This video features:

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

For more procurement information please like and subscribe to the podcast, and visit www.procurated.com for more information about specific suppliers that can help you reach your goals and objectives..

Is teleworking here to stay for higher education institutions across the U.S.? And what can procurement offices do now to best prepare for the future? 

On part one of this episode The Buying Bunch discussed the move to a work-from-home environment for state and local governments, and what that means for both internal communication and external communication with suppliers and cooperatives. During part two they discuss what governments can learn from the early adoption of eprocurement in higher education, and they’ll share thoughts on what Procurement departments can do right now to prepare for the future.

Visit Procurated for more information about suppliers that can help your agency in the transition to telework.

The Buying Bunch is a team of public procurement leaders that includes:

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, CPPO, CSSBB: Vice President, West, Former CPO of Alaska.

David Yarkin: President, Former CPO of Pennsylvania.

This episode features an interview with Chris Yarbrough from the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT). Chris shares several actionable pieces of advice from his years in procurement about how to effectively create a new, centralized procurement division from scratch, and how to excel by being agile when the plan has to change due to unforeseen events like the 2020 pandemic.

Decisions That Matter is brought to you by Procurated. For a limited time, Procurated will donate $5 to NIGP's Membership Scholarship for every supplier review that our listeners write on Procurated.com, so visit the site today and share your experiences working with local suppliers to help fund NIGP memberships for at-risk members. Hope you enjoy this episode, and have a great day.

Starting in 2019, Jenny Doherty and Sharon Minnich have been on an incredible transformation journey. In this episode, they sat down with Procurated's David Yarkin to share how they reimagined Pennsylvania’s higher ed procurement administration to create a commodity-based central procurement organization serving all 14 universities across the Commonwealth. 

Decisions That Matter is brought to you by Procurated. For a limited time, Procurated will donate $5 to NIGP's Membership Scholarship for every supplier review that our listeners write on Procurated.com, so visit the site today and share your experiences working with local suppliers.

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. 

Jeff Mandel is the Director of Procurement and Operations at the University of Bloomsburg, one of the fourteen higher education institutions that are part of Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education (PASSHE). On episode 45, we spoke with Jenny Doherty and Sharon Minnich about how they have transformed the procurement processes and capabilities within PASSHE over the last two years, and Jeff speaks to what that experience has been like as a member of PASSHE and a leader at one of the universities. 

Decisions That Matter is brought to you by Procurated. For a limited time, Procurated will donate $5 to NIGP's Membership Scholarship for every supplier review that our listeners write on Procurated.com, so visit the site today and share your experiences working with local suppliers.

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.

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, 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.

On this episode of Decisions That Matter, Procurated Founder & CEO, David Yarkin, interviews Deltek's Paul Irby to get his thoughts and understand the data behind the biggest trends impacting cooperative purchasing. 

Paul Irby is a Principal Research Analyst on Deltek’s SLED Market Analysis team. Learn more about how GovWin IQ enables companies to identify early stage opportunities, plan strategically, build relationships and navigate the competitive landscape.

This podcast is brought to you by Procurated, the first supplier evaluation and vendor management platform created exclusively for public sector purchasers. If you have a supplier that you love, or one that you want to warn other purchases about, you can write a review in 90 seconds at www.Procurated.com/review.

On this episode of Decisions That Matter, we are joined by several leaders from the DC Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE), including: 

• David Epley - Associate Director at Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE)
• Katie Bergfeld - Chief, Building Performance & Enforcement Branch at Department of Energy & Environment (DOEE)
• Nicole Goines - Acting PIO at Department of Energy & Environment (DOEE)

This in-depth discussion goes into the agency's overall mission, DOEE's plans for use of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, the creation of a new retrofit accelerator program, and much more. Throughout the conversation, they emphasize the importance of working together as a team, collaborating with other government agencies, and communicating regularly with the end-users that are able to use their programs for to reach a variety of positive outcomes. 

This podcast is brought to you by Procurated, the first supplier evaluation and vendor management platform created exclusively for public sector purchasers. If you work with a supplier that you love, or one that you want to warn other purchases about, you can write a review in 90 seconds at www.Procurated.com/review.

On this episode of Decisions That Matter, a Procurated podcast, co-hosts Alex Stonehouse and Bernadette Launi dove into the results of the Fall Procurement Trends Survey to analyze the current trends in procurement, and the changes in priority since the previous survey from Summer of 2020 according to public procurement leaders from across the country. As mentioned in the episode, you can access the survey results in the following articles: 

• Fall 2020 Procurement Trends Survey Results
• Summer 2020 Procurement Trends Survey Results

If you enjoy this episode, please like and subscribe to the podcast. You can also visit www.procurated.com for all of your supplier evaluation needs, or follow Procurated on LinkedIn for regular content updates.

Procurated’s founder and CEO, David Yarkin, sat down with Jack Pitzer, a public procurement legend whose career began in 1966 and spanned more than 40 years, to discuss the evolution of procurement during his tenure, and what it means for the future. Jack worked in two state procurement offices (and was the CPO of IA) and ran procurement for a university and a large local government. He was a leader in National Association of State Procurement Officials (NASPO), becoming its president in 1984.

To understand the future of procurement we must understand the history that has brought us to the point where we are today. Jack provides context and insight into the decisions that have led to our recent transition to a more digital world and an emphasis on technology, collaboration, and communication. 

As part of our recent buyer survey we took a look back at the procurement landscape in 2022. Our respondents shared their biggest challenges, from supply chain disruption to staff turnover. We dove into the issues and some potential solutions for tackling them. 

Take a look at the full report.

This podcast is brought to you by Procurated, the first supplier evaluation and vendor management platform created exclusively for public sector purchasers.

On this episode, Procurated's founder and CEO, David Yarkin, sits down with Lourdes Coss, the former Chief Procurement Officer of the City of Houston and Cook County, IL. Both David and Lourdes have dedicated their careers to public procurement, and this great conversation shines a light on how you can learn from their journeys and make lasting change in state and local government. Her podcast, Transforming Procurement with Lourdes Coss can be found on Apple, Spotify, and other popular podcast sites. 

Decisions That Matter is brought to you by Procurated. For a limited time, Procurated will donate $5 to NIGP's Membership Scholarship for every supplier review that our listeners write on Procurated.com, so visit the site today and share your experiences working with local suppliers. 

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.

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.

Darin Matthews is a procurement and supply chain leader with over 3 decades of experience. He has published several books on supply chain management including Effective Supply Management Performance and Public Procurement: A Guide to the Body of Knowledge through Exercises and Case Studies. He is a past President of NIGP and currently serves at the Chief Procurement Officer at CalPoly.

On top of her over 4 decades of experience as a Procurement leader with the State of South Carolina, Norma Hall is past president of NIGP, as well as a past president of her local chapter. She has served for 12 years on the board of the Universal Public Procurement Certification Council, she has been recognized with the James H. Barnes Award, Albert H. Hall Award, and the Mazzone Award.

To learn more about Procurated's Community Leadership Forum click here.

On this episode of Decisions that Matter, Procurated CEO and Founder, David Yarkin, and co-host Bernadette Launi, sit down with two of the most innovative procurement leaders in Pennsylvania, Jennifer Olzinger, the Assistant Director and Procurement Manager for the City of Pittsburgh, and Trevor Day, the Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for the City of Philadelphia.  They share their experiences working in public procurement in the age of COVID, and they tackle important topics like sustainability, social responsibility, the realities of working in centralized vs. decentralized governments, and much more.

Decisions That Matter is brought to you by Procurated. For a limited time, Procurated will donate $5 to NIGP's Membership Scholarship for ANY supplier review written on Procurated.com, and there is no limit to the number of entries, so visit the site today and share your experiences working with suppliers to keep one of your peers from losing their NIGP membership.

Many times procurement shops find themselves short-staffed or under-trained, whether it's due to the recent wave of retirements, budget shortfalls due to the coronavirus pandemic, or an underpopulated pipeline of incoming young talent. 

There are several things that short-staffed offices can do to help get everything done while still meeting goals and objectives, including mandates like driving savings.   

On this special "Buying Bunch" episode, the team of procurement experts from Government Sourcing Solutions reaches into their 150 years of combined public purchasing experience to brainstorm new ways that procurement departments can organize their work to get the most out of the resources they do have.  

This video features:  

Jane Benton: CPO of Arkansas and University of Arkansas

Jason MacDonald: Former CPO of Long Beach and Fresno

Mike Smith: Former CPO of Illinois

Jason Soza: Former CPO of Alaska

For more procurement information please like and subscribe to the podcast, and visit www.procurated.com for more information about specific suppliers that can help you reach your goals and objectives..

We are pleased to bring you the key trends and takeaways from the CAPPO Conference, along with some great stories from our team’s time in California last week. The Procurated team covers a range of topics from the importance of building a strong community and lasting relationships with suppliers, to trends in hiring and technology adoption. 

This episode includes stories and advice from the following Procurated team members:

• David Yarkin, CEO & Founder, Former Pennsylvania CPO
• Michael Derr, Community Engagement Manager, Former CAPPO President
• Ellen Sigl, Senior Director of Community Engagement
• Lucas Austin, Director of Sales

This podcast is brought to you by Procurated, a free, peer-to-peer supplier review website for public procurement practitioners.

On this episode of Decisions That Matter, a Procurated podcast, co-hosts Alex Stonehouse and Bernadette Launi meet with North Carolina's Tammie Hall to discuss how she has created on of the most successful programs for historically underutilized businesses (HUB) in the country. Her work within North Carolina's Department of Administration includes and in-depth disparity study to lay the groundwork for diversity and inclusion policies, a no-strings-attached grant program to help HUBs during the coronavirus pandemic, and so much more.  As mentioned in the episode, you can access the disparity study and the NC HUB resources in the links below. 

• Follow Tammie Hall on LinkedIn 
• Visit the North Carolina HUB Website 
• View the North Carolina Disparity Study Report 

If you enjoy this episode, please like and subscribe to the podcast. You can also visit www.procurated.com for all of your supplier evaluation needs, or follow Procurated on LinkedIn for regular content updates.

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.

On Episode 3 of Decisions That Matter we sat down with Nicole Smith, The Senior Director of Research at Government Sourcing Solutions, to talk about the key takeaways from Volume 4 of the Public Procurement Report. The report highlights the biggest trends in government procurement based on conversations with hundreds of CPOs from cities, counties, and states across the U.S. Nicole shares her insights and highlights how cooperative purchasing, eprocurement, staffing issues, and regional politics are shaping the procurement world. 

This episode of Procurated's Decisions That Matter podcast is brought to you by Gordian. Gordian is revolutionizing the construction industry with data software, and expertise. 

On this episode, we are joined by:  

• Andrea S. Patrucco, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Supply Chain Management in the Department of Marketing and Logistics at the Florida International University College of Business
• Ana-Maria Dimand, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Public Policy and Administration in the School of Public Service at Boise State University
• Randy Horn, Director, Gordian

Together, they share the recent results from a study they completed in tandem with the NIGP: The Institute for Public Procurement. You can access the Full Study here, as well as a slide on JOC Benefits and Time Savings mentioned in the show. 

Also, be on the lookout at the end of the episode for a short, 7-minute segment with Michael Derr, about his time using Job Order Contracting for the County of Monterey in California. 

Former Chief Procurement Officer (CPO) of the State of Alaska, Jason Soza, joined the podcast today to discuss the current trends and issues facing public procurement leaders across the country. As Vice President, West at Government Sourcing Solutions (GSS) Soza shares his knowledge from 20 years of experience in public procurement, starting as a frontline buyer for Alaska and ascending to CPO in 2013. Active in national procurement organizations, Soza was elected by his peers in 2018 as President of the National Association of State Procurement Officials (NASPO).

In his role with the State of Alaska, Soza was responsible for the oversight of all goods and services purchases, inventory, and property disposal by all executive branch agencies across a very geographically diverse and challenging state. He also undertook several initiatives to transform Alaska's procurement function, starting with the formation of a cross-agency procurement officer group to increase communication and idea sharing, breaking down silos, and fostering new inter-agency relationships. These initiatives significantly increased spend under management, resulting in hundreds of millions of dollars in additional savings over his tenure.

This podcast is brought to you by Procurated, the leading ratings and review site for the public sector. 

"What supplier should I write a review about on Procurated?"

We get this question a lot from new users and understand that selecting one supplier from potentially dozens you work with can seem daunting.

Here are 4 questions to help you identify your next supplier(s) to review:

📞 Who is the last vendor you spoke with on the phone?

💡 What was most challenging procurement you worked on last year? Who did you end up awarding the bid to?

⏰ What vendor have you worked with the longest?

🤝 What supplier has your agency decided against using again?

Have a supplier in mind? Click below to be taken to our review form -- it just takes 2 minutes! www.procurated.com
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Thank you for listening to Decisions that Matter, a public Procurement Podcast brought to you by Procurated. 

On this episode it is our pleasure to be joined by author, director, consultant, podcaster, and all around great procurement mind, Darin Matthews. On this episode we have a great discussion about nurturing and hiring the next generation of procurement leaders, the future of procurement technology, and much more. In addition to being a great guest, Darin is also a great podcast host on his show, The Evolution of Procurement.

Darin has also been deeply involved with NIGP: The Institute for Public Procurement over the years, and Procurated is happy to announce that we are partnering with NIGP to donate $5 to the NIGP member scholarship for supplier every review you write on the Procurated site. 

On this episode, we sit down with Shuli Steele to discuss workplace optimization in the public sector, and its implications on employee engagement, retention, efficiency and overall profitability. The workplace has evolved over the years, and there are many reasons for that evolution, but not all have led to positive outcomes or a more productive workforce. Listen to hear Shuli explain how you can adjust your government office or higher ed / k-12 set up to give people the best environment to excel. 

This podcast is brought to you by Procurated, the first supplier evaluation and vendor management platform created exclusively for public sector purchasers. If you have a supplier that you love, or one that you want to warn other purchases about, you can write a review in 90 seconds at www.Procurated.com/review.

This episode of Decisions That Matter is presented by Gordian, and features a discussion between Procurated's David Yarkin and Dan Cook, the Vice President and General Manager of State and Local Government and K-12 Education (SLED). 

Dan Cook, Vice President of Operations for the eastern U.S., has over 20 years of experience with Job Order Contracting (JOC). With a deep understanding of what makes a successful JOC program, he guides his team to provide and train on successful implementations. He’s overseen projects from Los Angeles to New York City and many places in between. Today, Dan oversees SLED Sales and Procurement Operations teams. Dan holds a degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Maryland and sits on the board of Eyrus, a cloud-based workforce productivity data collection solution.

From construction planning and building to facility operations, Gordian empowers their customers to overcome business challenges by delivering critical data, innovative technology and extraordinary services.

If you are a Procurated government member you can also log in to see what other governments and agencies are saying about Gordian. 

On this episode of Decisions That Matter, a Procurated podcast, host Alex Stonehouse dives into the results of the Winter 2021 Procurement Trends Survey to analyze the current trends in procurement, and the changes in priority since the previous survey from Fall of 2020 according to public procurement leaders from across the country. As mentioned in the episode, you can access the survey results in the following article:

Winter 2021 Procurement Trends Survey Results 

If you enjoy this episode, please like and subscribe to the podcast. You can also visit www.procurated.com for all of your supplier evaluation needs, or follow Procurated on LinkedIn for regular content updates.

Mike Smith, former CPO of Illinois and current Vice President at Government Sourcing Solutions, provides an in-depth look at the key differences between single and multiple award procurement, and also shares advice for procurement professionals at all levels. 

Procurated Founder & CEO David Yarkin interviews Doug Carlson, Chief Procurement Officer of the State of Nebraska.   

In the interview, Doug explains why and how Nebraska implemented a supplier concierge program with the goal of promoting economic inclusion for suppliers across the state.

If you enjoy this episode, please like and subscribe to the podcast. You can also visit www.procurated.com for all of your supplier evaluation needs, or follow Procurated on LinkedIn for regular content updates.

On this episode of Decisions That Matter, a Procurated podcast, host Alex Stonehouse is joined by our panel of former Chief Procurement Officers to discuss the possible avenues for repairing strained supplier relationships that can occur during an ongoing project. What makes a good, lasting supplier relationship? When is the right time to raise an issue with your supplier, and what's the best way to do it? What do you do if your supplier cannot deliver to the specs of the contract? What are the costs of moving on to a second supplier? What are the costs and benefits of doing so? 

If you enjoy this episode, please like and subscribe to the podcast. You can also visit www.procurated.com for all of your supplier evaluation needs, or follow Procurated on LinkedIn for regular content updates.

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.   

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.

Genna Gold, the Director of Partner Engagement & Business Development at Procurated, joined the team after long stints at Yelp and TripAdvisor. She leads community engagement initiatives to better understand, serve and bring innovation to procurement professionals. She also acts as a liaison between the public sector and the supplier community through outreach and education.

This podcast is brought to you by Procurated, the largest ratings and reviews platform for the public sector. For more information about government suppliers, or to sign up and explore the platform, visit www.procurated.com.

On this week's episode of Decisions That Matter we are joined by Brooke Smith for a discussion about women in government, advancing their careers through education and mentorship, and advice on conquering imposter syndrome. 

If you enjoy this episode, please like and subscribe to the podcast. You can also visit www.procurated.com for all of your supplier evaluation needs, or follow Procurated on LinkedIn for regular content updates.

This episode follows a Q&A format with questions from our listeners for our team of former state and local CPOs. The group discusses the importance of creativity, curiosity, and strategic thinking to solve problems within government. At their core, great procurement leaders are problem solvers, and the group also shared advice from their own life on how they learned to think differently about procurement and find resources to take their careers to the next level. 

This video features four former Chief Procurement Officers, including: 

Jane Benton: CPO of Arkansas and University of Arkansas

Jason MacDonald: Former CPO of Long Beach and Fresno

Mike Smith: Former CPO of Illinois

Jason Soza: Former CPO of Alaska

For weekly episodes on a range of public procurement topics please like and subscribe to the podcast. You can also visit www.procurated.com for more information about specific suppliers that will help you and your agency improve your supplier evaluation and vendor management. 

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.

Procurated’s Denitra Gober is joined by Kerry Kirkland, Pennsylvania’s Deputy Secretary for Diversity, Inclusion and Small Business Opportunities for a conversation on the ways that government can better engage the supplier community. 

The discussion covers ways that agencies can use grassroots organizations, community engagement and sheer determination to overcome obstacles and create a procurement process that is inclusive, expansive and fortified in supporting historically underutilized businesses.

Our guest on this episode of Decisions that Matter is Cheral Manke, CPPO, CPPB. With over 15 years of public procurement with the State of Washington Cheral has no shortage of helpful advice and interesting stories that can help government officials across the country. For more information about Cheral you can visit her profile at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cheralamankejones/ 

This episode is short and sweet. The first full-length episode of the podcast will be launching in October, but this episode gives you a taste of the types of guests and topics we'll be covering on Decisions that Matter. 

On this episode, we are joined by Alyssa Kenney, the Director of Digital Access for the Public Service Commission (PSC) of Wisconsin. Her  mission to bring high-speed broadband internet to the people that need it most, across the state of Wisconsin, is truly inspiring. She discusses the challenges that come with working in both densely populated cities and more spread out rural areas, and she shares details about how they allocate funds to different regions and projects. 

This podcast is brought to you by Procurated, the first supplier evaluation and vendor management platform created exclusively for public sector purchasers. If you have a supplier that you love, or one that you want to warn other purchases about, you can write a review in 90 seconds at www.Procurated.com/review.

Jenn Myers, NIGP-CPP, CPPB  has been with the City of Tucson for 8 years, currently in the role of Procurement Manager. She was selected as the 2020 Young Professional of the Year Recipient.  On this episode, Jenn Myers discusses her start in procurement and the path she took to rise to her current position. She shares lessons learned through her participation in Arizona's local NIGP chapters, and she also emphasizes the importance of the experience she has gained through NIGP's national programs. The procurement community is a collaborative one where people lift each other up, and Jenn is a great example of what can happen when you take the advice of others to heart. Jenn also goes into detail about how she found and fostered her relationship with her mentor, a story full of lessons that we can all benefit from.  She currently serves as Chair on NIGP’s Pipeline and Placement Committee and is very active with her local chapter – the Copper Chapter of NIGP where she currently serves as President.

If you enjoy this episode, please like and subscribe to the podcast. You can also visit www.procurated.com for all of your supplier evaluation needs, or follow Procurated on LinkedIn for regular content updates.

This episode of Decisions that Matter, a Procurated podcast, features a great conversation with Mike Derr about the ins and outs of transforming a fleet division by using data to its fullest capacity. Michael recently joined the Procurated team after running Contracts and Purchasing for over 20 years for the County of Monterey in California. 

Decisions That Matter is brought to you by Procurated. For a limited time, Procurated will donate $5 to NIGP's Membership Scholarship for every supplier review that our listeners write on Procurated.com, so visit the site today and share your experiences working with local suppliers to help fund NIGP Memberships for at-risk members.

On this episode of Decisions That Matter,  brought to you by Procurated, co-hosts Alex Stonehouse and Bernadette Launi are joined by procurement rockstar, Stacy Gregg, from the University of South Carolina. 

Stacy does a wonderful job of pairing her years of procurement experience with her compelling storytelling ability, to give listeners seemingly endless anecdotes to learn from and act upon. 

She details the idea behind Procurement being hurdle, not a roadblock, that stakeholders and end users should look forward to working with because the relationship can and should be mutually beneficial. 

Stacy also discusses a range of other ideas, from the important of procurement ethics and doing what you know is right, to details on how the University of South Carolina has approached opening school in the fall for faculty and students in the COVID-19 era. 

If you enjoy this episode, please like and subscribe to the podcast. You can also visit www.procurated.com for all of your supplier evaluation needs, or follow Procurated on LinkedIn for regular content updates.

Procurated's Genna Gold is joined on this live webinar recording by several highly respected education purchasers, including:

• Jayme Baker, Manager, Category Management, Purdue University
• Carol Munroe, Business Analyst, Michigan Department of Education
• Kevin Walters, Supervisor, Office of School Support Services, Michigan Department of Education

The webinar covers a variety of important topics specific to the education market including the unique buying cycles of higher education and K-12, trending goods and services, and more.

This podcast is brought to you by Procurated, the first supplier evaluation and vendor management platform created exclusively for public sector purchasers. If you have a supplier that you love, or one that you want to warn other purchases about, you can write a review in 90 seconds at www.Procurated.com/review.

This episode of Decisions that Matter, a Procurated podcast, features a wonderful interview with Jason Stienmann about adding value to supplier relationships by collaborating and working toward long term relationships that foster growth and innovation for both parties.

This episode is also brought to you by NIGP, The Institute for Public Procurement. In just a few months NIGP will be incubating big ideas with daily impact at the premier public procurement event of the year. Visit NIGP.org/events to register for Virtual Forum August 23-26, and the New NIGP Forum Leadership Summit, September 11-14.

On this episode of Decisions that Matter we have a group discussion with "The Buying Bunch," a team of public procurement leaders with over 150 years of combined experience in state and local government and higher education. They have navigated multiple public health events through the years, and they are driven to help state and local governments through this COVID-19 crisis. 

Please feel free to reach out to any member of the team directly to discuss your COVID-19 response or any product and service needs your organization may have. And please visit www.covidvendorcheck.com to review any noteworthy suppliers, good or bad, that you have worked with during the Coronavirus pandemic. 

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, CPPO, CSSBB: Vice President, West, Former CPO of Alaska.

David Yarkin: President, Former CPO of Pennsylvania.

COVID Vendor Check: www.covidvendorcheck.com

On this episode of the Decisions that Matter Podcast, we are sharing a conversation between Procurated Founder and CEO David Yarkin and Ken Hess - Deputy Secretary for Procurement for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Together they discuss the trends that procurement professionals should be aware of when purchasing for Fleet!

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.

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.

Mike Smith leads a discussion with the rest of the Buying Bunch about the benefits of using external resources. The Buying Bunch is a team of former CPOs from Government Sourcing Solutions with decades of purchasing experience in state government, local government, and higher education. On this episode they’ll discuss how during this tough time it might be wise for governments and schools to consider using outside help to supplement staffing issues, streamline processes, and much more.

This video features:

Jane Benton: CPO of Arkansas and University of Arkansas

Jason MacDonald: Former CPO of Long Beach and Fresno

Mike Smith: Former CPO of Illinois

Jason Soza: Former CPO of Alaska

For more procurement information please like and subscribe to the podcast, and visit www.procurated.com for more information about specific suppliers that can help you reach your goals and objectives.

Jason Soza, Vice President, West at Government Sourcing Solutions reads from his article, "Embrace the 'Why?'", where he discusses the importance of thinking critically and outside of the box to improve procurement.  Jason served as the Chief Procurement Officer of Alaska to cap a 20-year career in public purchasing.  Jason was also elected President of NASPO in 2018 by his peers across all fifty states. 

On this special "Buying Bunch" episode, the team of procurement experts from Government Sourcing Solutions shares their experience last week at the NIGP Forum 2020 conference that was initially scheduled to take place in Chicago, Illinois, but transitioned to a virtual event due to the national pandemic.  The team also gives actionable advice to maximize the impact of connections made and data collected during the week long trade show to ensure a successful end to 2020. 

This video features:

Jane Benton: CPO of Arkansas and University of Arkansas

Jason MacDonald: Former CPO of Long Beach and Fresno

Judy Smith: Former Director of Procurement, University of Michigan

Mike Smith: Former CPO of Illinois

Jason Soza: Former CPO of Alaska

For more procurement information please like and subscribe to the podcast, and visit www.procurated.com for more information about specific suppliers that can help you reach your goals and objectives.

Becca Moran joined Procurated in 2019 as one of the company's first key hires, and since then she has grown the platform and core technology that fuels Procurated to where it is today. Becca was also featured on Episode 11 of the Decisions That Matter podcast, and on this episode she shares her experience transitioning her responsibilities and her team to a remote environment,discusses new site features that are helping public purchasers do their best work, and provides a glimpse of the future and Procurated's role in it. 

If you enjoy this episode, please like and subscribe to the podcast. You can also visit www.procurated.com for all of your supplier evaluation needs, or follow Procurated on LinkedIn for regular content updates.

This episode of Decisions that Matter, a Procurated podcast, features an incredibly insightful discussion about transitioning to a green fleet with Mark Stevens and Alison Kerstetter from the City of Sacramento in California. Together, they discuss how Sacramento’s sustainability policy has impacted the city’s push for a green fleet, how they get buy-in from local agencies, how they standardize and build an infrastructure to support green fleet, and finally, how they take full advantage of the cooperative purchasing options at the state and national level.  

Decisions That Matter is brought to you by Procurated. For a limited time, Procurated will donate $5 to NIGP's Membership Scholarship for every supplier review that our listeners write on Procurated.com, so visit the site today and share your experiences working with local suppliers to help fund NIGP Memberships for at-risk members.

This episode of Decisions That Matter features an in-depth interview with IT Software & IT Service procurement expert, James Crenshaw.  James has been with the District of Columbia, Office of Contracts since 2019, where he joined after 4+ years with the City of Atlanta in Georgia. He also serves as the Vice-President of NIGP's Washington, DC Chapter. 

On this episode, you will hear James discuss the 4 Key Elements of Complex Software Procurements:

• Partnering with program office as early as possible
• Building a strategic scope
• Period of performance
• Demos and customer interviews

This podcast is brought to you by Procurated, the first supplier evaluation and vendor management platform created exclusively for public sector purchasers. If you have a supplier that you love, or one that you want to warn other purchases about, you can write a review in 90 seconds at www.Procurated.com/review.

Becca's goal is to elevate the role of public procurement by bringing buyers together on the Procurated platform and making it easy for them to share insights and find great suppliers. She leads the product, design, engineering, marketing, and community functions for the company. Together, her team discovers new ways to solve user problems, builds innovative solutions, and develops creative strategies to drive engagement with the government and supplier communities served by Procurated.

Before joining Procurated, Becca led product management at Xometry, a custom manufacturing marketplace. Earlier in her career, she served in technical project management and business development roles at Politico, a leading digital news outlet.

Michael Derr joined the Procurated team as Community Engagement Manager in 2021 and is excited to bring to the Procurated Team his 25 plus years of experience and wealth of knowledge to the Procurated Team in supporting the needs of our clientele.

Prior to joining Procurated Michael worked as the Contracts/Purchasing Officer for the County of Monterey, where he was directly responsible for the following operations: Contracts/Purchasing, Fleet Operations, Records Management, Mail Operations, as well as the oversight of two Food Service Operations and one Daycare Center.

Jenny Doherty joined the team in July 2022 as the Vice President of the Community Engagement team, where her mission is to serve government customers by giving them a voice in the supplier performance process to inform purchasing decisions. Jenny has a broad breadth of public procurement experience in both state government and higher education. As the Chief Procurement Officer for Pennsylvania, she saved over $100 million in year one and implemented technology innovations and private-sector best practices to streamline the RFP process and created transparency and efficiency with a new e-procurement solution (Jaggaer). She also recognized the value of commercial feedback and brought together suppliers and purchasers for the Commonwealth’s first Supplier Forums.

As the Director of the Shared Services Procurement group at the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE), Jenny was a thought and change leader and transformed the siloed university procurement teams into a unified commodity-based shared services team. In parallel, she implemented SAP Ariba to make PASSHE a leader in higher education. Prior to joining PASSHE, Jenny led Amazon Business’s State Government sector, where she brought together state governments, purchasing cooperatives, and the digital marketplace to drive best-value procurement. Jenny started her procurement career as an entrepreneur with FreeMarkets in Pittsburgh, PA.

John Walters joined the Procurated team as Community Engagement Manager in 2022 and is excited to bring to the Procurated Team his 24 plus years of experience in enterprise software and public procurement.

Prior to joining Procurated, John was a co-founder of Periscope Holdings, a leading e-procurement solution for state and local governments. At Periscope, he led the development of the BuySpeed product, executing 4 statewide e-procurement implementations. He also led the NIGP Code and NIGP Consulting groups within Periscope. He is an author on procurement topics and a frequent speaker on public procurement best practices. 

*Note: This episode was recorded at the beginning of March 2020. At the time of recording fewer than 100 cases of COVID-19 had been reported in the United States. 

In this episode of Decisions That Matter, we sit down with Diane Palmer-Boeck to discuss her innovative approaches to solving common staffing issues and staying ahead of the technological curve. 

Diane has served as a public procurement leader for over two decades, with the majority of that time coming as the CPO of Plano, TX.