June 2016 VAGP sPrinG conference 2016...June 2016 VAGP sPrinG conference 2016 1 2nd Past-President, Bill Lindsey, and Conference Committee Member, Kenny Crouch 2 VAGP Board Members

Donnie Legg, CPPOConference Advisory Committee Chair

VAGP hosted another successful Spring Conference March 23-25 at the Newport News Marriott at Center City in Newport News, Virginia. The event was attended

by 169 members including 40 first-timers. This year’s Vendor Expo brought 73 vendors who manned booths to meet with our members and discuss the goods and services they provide. This conference would not be as successful if it were not for the many sponsors who help offset the costs of such an event. A special thanks to the following sponsors: Platinum Sponsorships—U.S. Communities and SHI; Gold Sponsorship—National Joint Powers Alliance (NJPA); Bronze Sponsorships—Eastern Data, Fleetmatics and Virginia Business Systems; and Navigator Sponsorships—Daly Computers, GovDeals and Garney Construction. Thanks also to the many volunteers from the Host and Conference Advisory Committees who worked countless hours to ensure that the conference was a success.

The event offered three days of exciting speakers, networking, and fun! There were many educational sessions offered, highlighted by two general sessions presented by Tammy Rimes of Tammy Rimes Consulting.

Thursday evening brought the Presidential Dinner and awards where LeeAnne Beatty Smith, CPPB, VCA, CUPO, with James Madison University received the Buyer of the Year award.

Congratulations LeeAnne! In addition, we held a live auction to support our selected charity: Fear2Freedom. Fear2Freedom’s mission is twofold: to redeem and restore those wounded by sexual assault by bringing them hope and healing, and to change the cultural understanding surrounding this issue by empowering college students to “Be the Change” and “Restore the Joy.” Thanks to the kindness of our members VAGP raised $4,080 to donate to this wonderful organization through our live auction. Following the live auction everyone relaxed while dancing to the music provided by our DJ. Several VAGP members stepped out of their comfort zone and entertained each other by showing off their lip-syncing skills. It was there that “Adele” made her VAGP debut!

If you weren’t able to make this past Spring Conference please make plans to join us at our upcoming events! Our future conference schedule is as follows:

2016 Fall Symposium, October 13-14, 2016 at the Fredericksburg Hospitality House in Fredericksburg, VA2017 Spring Conference March 22 – 24, 2017 at the Portsmouth Renaissance in Portsmouth, Virginia2017 Fall Symposium, locations being considered are Roanoke and Staunton, Virginia in October 2017; Details to follow

Check out more Spring Conference photos on page 5!

InsIde ThIs Issue President’s Message ........................................................... 2Open Records ..................................................................... 3Ten Reasons Why Procurement Should Be an Independent Department .......................................... 42016 Spring Conference Photos ......................................... 5TCC Celebrates Purchasing Month ..................................... 62016 Spring Conference First-Timers’ Event ....................... 7JMU Celebrates Purchasing Month ..................................... 7

New Class Offering from NIGP............................................ 8Order the New VAGP Shirts ................................................ 9Professional Development (ProD) Committee..................... 92016 NIGP Forum ............................................................. 102016 Fall Symposium ........................................................ 10How Do You Celebrate Procurement Month? ������������������� 11Win a VAGP Goody ����������������������������������������������������������� 11Legislative Committee Update........................................... 12

Published for Members of the Virginia Association of Governmental Purchasing, Inc.

June 2016

VAGP sPrinG conference 2016

1� 2nd Past-President, Bill Lindsey, and Conference Committee Member, Kenny Crouch

2� VAGP Board Members being sworn in

3� LeeAnne Beatty Smith accepts VAGP Buyer of the Year award

PAGE 2 - June 2016

Virginia Association of Governmental Purchasing, Inc.

BoArd of directorsOfficers

Presidentstephanie suter, cPPo, cPPB

President-electetta Henry, cPPB, Vcco, Vco

treasurersharita Bryant, cPPB, Vco, VcA

secretaryLorie newton, cPPo, cPPB

first Past PresidentJan Giffin, CPPO, CPPB, VCO

second Past PresidentBill Lindsey, cPPo, c.P.M.

first At–Large MemberBrad Quann, cPPo, cPPB, Vco

second At–Large MemberBeth dooley, cPPo, cPPB

cOmmittee chairpersOns

conferencedonnie Legg, cPPo

diversityJerry e. stokes, cPPB, c.P.M., Vco

educationcindy davis smith, cPPB

MembershipJavier iturralde, cPPB

Professional developmentstephanie Brown

Public relationsGinger Gordon, cPPB

technologydoug crenshaw, cPPo, cPPB, Vco

LegislativePatti innocenti, cPPB

executive directordana Holben

news & VIews

editorLeeAnne Beatty smith, cPPB, VcA, cUPo

Layout, design & Advertisingcourtney Lynch

News & Views is published quarterly and was designed and created for the members of the Virginia Association of Governmental Purchasing, Inc. (VAGP), by Organization Management Group, Inc. Views and advertising expressed in this newsletter are not necessarily those of, or endorsed by, VAGP. Send correspondence to 638 Independence Parkway, Suite 100, Chesapeake VA 23320; 757-609-3696; [email protected]. Subscriptions are included in the annual dues paid by members. Advertising rates and policies may be obtained by calling 757-609-3696.

Copyright 2016. All rights reserved.

from the desk of the PresidentStephanie Suter, CPPO, CPPBVAGP President

Wow! I just sent VAGP’s submission for Chapter of the Year to NIGP, and what a great year 2015 was. The Board, Committee Chairs, and our increasingly engaged membership collectively made 2015 one of the best yet. Below are a few highlights of the nomination:

Excellence in Chapter Operations• Established a formal marketing plan• Maintained an investment portfolio for VAGP’s reserve funds• Excellence in membership recruitment, retention, and engagement• Implemented a new website platform which enhanced member services and improved functionality• Held a mid-year membership drive, reaching out to potential members by phone and email• Hosted a First-Timers’ Reception at the Spring Conference and Fall Symposium• Published the quarterly News & Views and promoted the value of membership through various

articles and communications• Honored many members with awards and scholarships, including VAGP’s first Young

Professionals Scholarship• Four members joined the Mentor-Protégé program in 2015• Reached over 1200 members

Excellence in Education and Professional Development• Administered an NIGP educational curriculum for members; partnered with COG to host a class• Hosted the Spring Conference, Fall Symposium, and Reverse Trade Show; provided vendor-

led educational sessions so attendees could earn more contact hours during the Expo• Hosted low-fee Professional Development courses, including two new classes and an updated

Ethics class; attendance showed a 214% increase over 2014• Created an Ad-Hoc Committee to update the Conference and Symposium Guide and create

a long-term plan for VAGP events

Excellence in Advocacy for Members and the Profession• Monitored and reported legislative updates and had a positive influence; calls for action were

answered, and the voice of VAGP members played a part in effecting the outcome of specific bills; held VAGP’s first legislative webinar

• Held successful community service projects, raising money for the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore ($4,076.82) and Camp Holiday Trails ($4,222.00); VAGP’s first community service event provided volunteers the opportunity to spend two hours at Camp Holiday Trails working on the grounds and cleaning cabins

• Governor McAuliffe issued a proclamation recognizing March as Governmental Purchasing Month• Collaborated with NAPM-SEVA on the Spring Conference, CAPA on the Reverse Trade Show,

and VASCUPP on the Supplier Diversity Advocate Institute

Excellence in Inspiring Procurement for the Future• Created an Ad-Hoc Committee to focus solely on student initiatives and strengthening the

communication between VAGP and higher education institutions • Utilized social media as a form of outreach and communication and updated the social media

policy to provide greater guidance and suggestions for posting to promote more VAGP activities• Invited students from multiple universities to participate in the Spring Conference and attend

education and networking sessions

I am extremely proud of all we have done and look forward to making 2016 another eventful year for the VAGP!

All the Best,

Stephanie

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Virginia Association of Governmental Purchasing, Inc.

oPen recordsBill Lindsey, CPPO, C.P.M2nd Past President and NIGP Member Council Member

Just how open are our procurement records to public inspection? One would think that with all of the FOIA (Freedom

of Information Act) chatter that occurs in every legislative season, this would be a no-brainer because surely all of our procurement records are open—right?

Wrong—The Virginia Public Procurement Act has a number of exclusions that relate to the release of purchasing documents. First and foremost is the obvious protection of a bidders or offerors trade secrets or proprietary information that are safeguarded through Section 2.2-4342 of the Code of Virginia.

But, I had a recent inquiry with a colleague regarding the release of documents associated with a cancelled procurement program. They had received a FOIA request from a bidder that had submitted a bid in response to the procurement program. Their information request was seeking copies of their competitor’s bids. However, the public entity had decided to cancel the procurement program and reject all bids, therefore they didn’t think the records were available for review.

Before offering advice, I quizzed them with one question which I consider as a fall-back key in determining the authority to release records associated with a procurement program. Have you made an award decision? Obviously with the decision to cancel the procurement and reject all bids, no award decision had been made. Inasmuch, I referred them to Section 2.2-4342 (C) of the Virginia Code which is listed below and told them they had a sound statutory basis in denying the document request.

(C�) Any competitive sealed bidding bidder, upon request, shall be afforded the opportunity to inspect bid records within a reasonable time after the opening of all bids but prior to award, except in the event that the public body decides not to accept any of the bids and to reopen the contract� Otherwise, bid records shall be open to public inspection only after award of the contract�

Case closed—right? Well maybe not. As I really read this statute which I felt so confident in reciting, I’m now

questioning what in the world it means when it says ‘reopening the contract’. I’m pretty sure the framers meant to infer reopening the procurement initiative, but that is not what it says. Therefore, this may be a VAGP initiative in the next General Assembly to make such a technical amendment.

As I completed the conversation with my colleague offering such sage advice and was attempting to move to the next challenge of the day, WHAMMO, another question! “If the program is re-bid and we do make an award; do we continue to protect the original procurement records from the first bid attempt or can they be released for public inspection?” Again, attempting to gage the objective of the original framers of the Procurement Act where they singled out the few specific situations where documents were not open to inspection, I offered the following. The framers of the Procurement Act were always cognizant of being as open as possible with the ‘public’s’ documents. Therefore, my advice was that if an award decision had been reached in the second procurement initiative, it was my opinion that the records associated with the first ‘cancelled’ procurement were now available for public inspection. I again based my conclusion on the act of awarding a contract which I

believe compliments the guidance of the last sentence of the Code section where it says ‘OTHERWISE’ bid records are open for inspection only after award.

After completing this conversation, I continued to think about the situation. Gracious, what could happen if my advice was wrong and the documents of the first procurement were actually ‘sealed’ and I had shot my big mouth off providing the wrong advice? Inasmuch, I quickly did a cursory search of any court challenges that

were similar in nature to this issue and as you may imagine, NOPE, NADA, NEGATORY —there’s nothing.

Therefore, here we are back at a significant crossroads where the procurement officer has an awesome responsibility to make the right decisions based on their knowledge, skills, and abilities. If you ever hear the old adage that our profession is based on buying pens and pencils, try this issue on for size!

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Virginia Association of Governmental Purchasing, Inc.

Mike Bacile, CPPO, CPPB, C.P.M., VCODirector of Purchasing, Chesterfield County

In October 2015, an inquiry went out through the Virginia Association of Governmental Purchasing (VAGP) listserv asking members to respond with

the name of their department and reporting structure within the organization. Perhaps not surprisingly, the results revealed overwhelmingly that the procurement function was placed within finance with the lead procurement position reporting to a finance director. While a variety of factors may influence organizational location of a function, there are many substantive reasons why the optimum placement of procurement is as an independent unit, reporting to an agency head, city manager, county administrator, school superintendent, or their respective deputy. Here are ten reasons why:

1. Procurement impacts every department. Departments depend on timely acquisition of goods, services, and construction to meet their missions and to effectively serve the taxpayers. The critical nature of the procurement function in facilitating departments meeting their responsibilities warrants departmental status.

2. Providing procurement a “seat at the table” sends a message to the organization at large of the recognized importance of the function.

3. Direct communication between procurement and user departments facilitates planning, the acquisition process, and adherence to policies, local ordinances, and state law governing procurement. This communication is more effective when the parties have equal status within the organization.

4. Pushing procurement down in the organization inhibits communication and the ability to provide knowledgeable input on market conditions, lead times, compliance requirements, and internal factors such as workload impacts.

5. Procurement is a separate profession from finance with very different responsibilities, objectives, and measures of success. The expertise required, professional standards, professional organization affiliation, and related certifications are distinct from finance and any other function of government.

6. Procurement requires a comprehensive knowledge of areas separate and apart from finance. The Virginia Public Procurement Act was established in recognition of this fact and the administration of the procurement function should be conducted and led by experts in this field.

7. Reporting structure is important to the success of every organization and impacts critical communications. Reporting through additional layers of government impedes clear communication and impacts success in meeting organizational goals and effectiveness.

8. Finance functions such as budgeting and accounting allocate and track the expenditure of funds. Actual expenditure is conducted in the procurement office. Separating the functions provides improved checks and balances and reduces the opportunity for fraud and abuse. It provides clear lines of responsibility and transparency required by our citizens, auditors, and the media.

9. Department directors have the opportunity to advocate directly for the priorities of their departments/functions. When the department head is not an expert in the function of procurement, the ability and perhaps even the motivation is diminished in communicating what is important to insure the success of the function. Mission critical resources such as personnel needs, funding for training and education, technology, and many other budgetary requirements may not be met if not correctly prioritized and advocated for in the budget planning process.

10. Procurement requires direct communication to suppliers and the business community at large. Interaction with minority-owned, women-owned, small and local businesses should have a clearly defined point of contact, easily recognizable within the organization and with a status that conveys the importance that the entity places on doing business in a fair, open and ethical manner. The message should be that we are open for business. The procurement function is the face of that message and its location in the organization should reflect the organization’s priority in welcoming all qualified businesses to participate in the procurement process.

These are just some of the benefits that government and those we serve would realize from proper placement of the procurement function within the organization. Many governmental organizations have come to the realization that procurement is a critical strategic function and its placement in the organization should reflect that fact. In order to obtain the maximum benefit and enhanced effectiveness from procurement, its elevation to that of its peer government functions is essential.

ten reAsons WHy ProcUreMent sHoULd Be An indePendent dePArtMent

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Virginia Association of Governmental Purchasing, Inc.

VaGp sprinG cOnference 2016

Bronze Sponsor: Virginia Business Systems

Wanda Tormey helps auction items for Fear2Freedom

Donnie Legg gives a stunning performance Lip syncing duo

Tommy Richardson, speaker

Ginger Gordon, Donnie Legg, and Mary Pennington

Lip syncing contestant

Conference Welcome Desk

Navigator Sponsor: Daly Computers

Sharita Bryant

Navigator Sponsor: GovDeals

Auctioned Items Host Committee Member, Gary Sightler, presents a check to Fear2Freedom

PAGE 6 - June 2016

Virginia Association of Governmental Purchasing, Inc.

tideWAter coMMUnity coLLeGe ceLeBrAtes MArcH’s PUrcHAsinG MontH

Michelle Clatterbuck, VCO

On March 8, 2016, Tidewater Community College’s (TCC) Office of Materiel Management & Procurement Services hosted its third annual Procurement

Forum for the college community. The forum was held at TCC’s Chesapeake Campus in Chesapeake, Virginia. Procurement Day is held each year in celebration of March as Governmental Purchasing Month.

The day began with opening remarks from Dean Diane Ryan, Division of Humanities and Social Sciences. After opening remarks participants were able to choose from a variety of breakout sessions. Session topics included Successful eVA Requisitioning, Pitfalls and Roadblocks, Small Purchase Charge Cards, and Procurement Planning. Robin Moore, Director of Materiel Management and Procurement Services gave a brief presentation on the college’s procurement accomplishments and introduced a new interactive tool, Process Flow for Purchases $5,000 and Under. This tool includes a flow chart that leads users through all the steps in the procurement process, thus reducing the number of errors and creating standardization to fit the needs of all departments. The afternoon sessions included breakout sessions, which included a session called Bring Your Questions.

For the past two years several mandatory source agencies such as Virginia Correctional Enterprises (VCE), Virginia Distribution Center (VDC), and Virginia Industries for the Blind (VIB) have participated in the forum. These agencies offered breakout sessions and open displays throughout the day to provide maximum interaction with participants. According to Andy Repak, Director, VDC, “The Tidewater Community College Procurement Day is a great opportunity for the Virginia Distribution Center to meet with TCC’s procurement team members and end users. While some customers have a negative perception about mandatory sources, the TCC Procurement Day provides the arena to explain our mission and operation. This forum gives us a chance to showcase our product lines, describe our great customer service, and field any questions about our operation.” Amy Jones, Business Development/Sales with VIB states, “This was an incredible event and is one of the many reasons why I consider TCC to be one of the most successful, organized, well-structured community colleges in Virginia. TCC is well-educated on compliance of mandatory

sources and they respect this aspect and ensure their buyers are all well informed and understand the importance and added value of this mandate. I am delighted to have had this opportunity, and I think it is so important for all community colleges to learn from TCC, as in my opinion, this institution of learning should be a model for which is the standard for all.”

New to the forum this year was the inclusion of the Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity (DSBSD) and several micro-certified vendors. DSBSD provided multiple breakout sessions giving an overview on how to effectively search for micro and small businesses. In addition, several

micro vendors set up booths during lunch and participants were able to meet with vendors and learn about potential business opportunities. TCC’s Visual Communications Department also participated to highlight TCC’s Policy of Visual Standards, which also impacts purchases for the college.

The Office of Materiel Management and Procurement Services looks forward to hosting this event each March, and preparations have already begun for next year’s forum. The

Department of General Services has also recognized our efforts and during the 2014 Public Procurement Forum, the office was awarded the Accelerator Award in Learning and Development.

Robin Moore, Director of Materiel Management and Procurement Services shares her thoughts; “I am honored to lead TCC’s professional Materiel Management and Procurement Services team. The team is extremely efficient, which shows in our Procurement Forums. One of the teams many goals is to assist our end-users by providing the tools they need to make their experience with purchasing run smoothly and proficiently. The team listens to our users and utilizes this information to identify and create the sessions for each Forum. Our users’ mission at the college is to provide high-quality, affordable education to our students; our mission is to assist them by fulfilling their procurement needs in the most expeditious and simplest means possible. TCC’s remarkable team of procurement professionals, which I am delighted to be associated with, is by far one of the best in Virginia!”

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Virginia Association of Governmental Purchasing, Inc.

VAGP 2016 sPrinG conference first-tiMers’ eVent

Gwen Terreforte, VCAProtégé in Mentor/Protégé ProgramConference Advisory Committee MemberMembership Committee Member

What is the VAGP First-Timers’ Event? The First-Timers’ Event is held at each VAGP conference to welcome VAGP Members who are attending their first VAGP conference or symposium. During our VAGP 2016 Spring Conference, we had forty new first-timers who represented the following public entities:

Central State HospitalChesterfield County

Christopher Newport UniversityCity of Alexandria

City of ChesapeakeCity of Newport NewsCity of Virginia Beach

College of William & Mary Dept of Juvenile JusticeDept of Military AffairsDept of Motor Vehicles

Hampton Roads Sanitation DistrictNorfolk Public Schools

Tidewater Community CollegeTown of South Boston

VA Dept of Transportation

Forty first timers — that’s awesome!

During the First-Timers’ Event,

• First-timers were welcomed to the event and provided some history about VAGP.

• Yours truly shared with the first-timers that I was a first -timer in 2014, attending my first VAGP Fall Symposium held in Richmond, VA. I shared my enthusiasm in being a member of the VAGP and of my passion and desire to become a part of the Mentor-Protégé Program as well as serving on several committees.

• Next, introductions of the Board, Committee Chairs, Past Presidents, and Mentors & Protégés with each sharing his/her experiences about VAGP. They all encouraged the first-timers that if they had any questions relating to VAGP or procurement to contact any of them and that they would be more than happy to answer questions.

• Then, all first-timers introduced themselves, advised on the public entity that they were representing, and on their job titles. We all interacted with one another and shared and transferred knowledge on what VAGP meant to each of us and also gained insight from the first-timers on their thoughts on the conference. Several VAGP memorabilia items were given away as door prizes.

• Lastly, all first-timers were encouraged to seek involvement within the VAGP organization by utilizing his/her skills and talents in volunteering and/or serving on a committee(s), both of which assist our organization’s mission and goals and keep the VAGP moving forward!

To all who attended, thank you for making this event a success!

JMU ceLeBrAtes PUrcHAsinG MontH James Madison University (JMU) Procurement Services celebrated March as Governmental Purchasing Month with an afternoon ice cream party that allowed the entire staff to take a break from office work and enjoy a delicious treat. From our procurement staff to yours—thank you for all that you do!

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Virginia Association of Governmental Purchasing, Inc.

Cindy David Smith, CPPBEducation Committee Chair

Earlier this year NIGP announced nine new classes based on current procurement trends. Eight of these courses are one-day classes. A one-day course is a great opportunity to bring a course to your region. Listed below are the new courses; if you would like to schedule one of these courses for your agency for 2017, please contact Cindy Smith ([email protected]) and include the dates that you have available. The Education Committee is looking ahead to 2017.

2-Day CourseAdvancing Your Negotiation Skills; 16 Contact hours

1-Day Courses – 8 Contact Hours per class Category Management Strategies for Public Sector Preparing for the Age of Licensing How to Buy Performance Results Promoting the Procurement Function Making the Contract Fit the Purchase Taking Costs Out of the Purchase Preparing for and Surviving Internal Audits Total Cost Analysis for Best Value

The Education Committee is responsible for hosting NIGP classes for VAGP. This committee is different from the Pro-D Committee. The Pro-D Committee is responsible for providing low-fee VAGP-developed courses for the membership. Pro-D develops the curriculum and maintains the course content and materials. The Educational Committee only offers NIGP courses.

If you are planning to take the CPPB exam this October, register today for one of the scheduled face-to-face CPPB review classes: August 11–12 in Chesterfield or October 3–4 in Norfolk. Below is the list of class schedule for 2016.

2016 seminar—scheduled dates lOcatiOn reGister By

Effective Contract Writing July 18-19 Loudoun June 18

CPPB Review Class Aug 11-12 Chesterfield July 11

Intro to Public Procurement Aug 17-19 Radford July 17

Contract Administration Sept 28–30 Radford Aug 28

CPPB Review Class Oct 3-4 Norfolk Sept 2

World Class Procurement Practice Oct 17 Loudoun Sept 16

Contracting with Federal Funds/Grants “Intermediate” Nov 3-4 Fairfax Oct 3

Contracting with Federal Funds/Grants “Intermediate” Nov 3-4 Fairfax Oct 3

Strategic Procurement Planning Dec 7-9 Fairfax Nov 7

neW cLAss offerinG froM niGP

Feel free to contact any Education Committee member via the

VAGP/Education Committee webpage if you have any questions

or would like to bring a particular course to your area.

PAGE 9 - June 2016

Virginia Association of Governmental Purchasing, Inc.

Stephanie Brown ProD Committee Chair

2016 is filled with great classes, register today!

ProfessionAL deVeLoPMent (Pro-d) coMMitteeprOd cOmmittee memBers

Stephanie Brown, Chair [email protected] Enders, VCO [email protected] Kimberly Mitchell, CPPB [email protected] Farmer, CPPB [email protected] Davis-James [email protected] Moore, CPPB, CPPO [email protected] Pierson, CPPB [email protected]

seminar title date lOcatiOn

VPPA Case Law June 8 LoudounInsurance and Bonds Jul. 11 HarrisonburgWriting Specifications Sept. 14 Virginia BeachPractical Procurement Issues NEW! Sept. 21 Charlottesville

If you are interested in attending any of these seminars or need information about future seminars, information can be found at www.vagp.org/�

Our newest class, Practical Procurement Issues, will deal with the legal aspects of the following topics:

• Dillon’s Rule • Exempt Purchases • “Goods and Services” • “Public Contract”• Cooperative Procurement • ADA Non-Visual Access—IT Requirements • Determining an informality

• Determining non-responsiveness • Declaring and defending non-responsibility

We are planning to add a Contract Administration class to the schedule, please check the website for more information.

order tHe neW VAGP sHirtsGinger Gordon, CPPBPublic Relations Committee Chair

The VAGP Public Relations Committee debuted a new VAGP Shirt at the 2016 Spring Conference. If you didn’t get

one at the conference or if you weren’t at the conference to get one, don’t fret, place your order today! Tell everyone that you are a VAGP member with a newly designed VAGP Shirt! There are two styles—crew-neck and V-neck. The Anvil 980 adult crew-neck t-shirt (unisex) comes in black with sizes S-XL for $10 (add $1.00 for sizes over XL). The Anvil 88VL adult ladies V-neck t-shirt comes in black with sizes S-XL for $12 (add $1.00 for sizes over XL.)

T-shirt order deadline is June 13, 2016. Fill out the order form, which you can find on the VAGP website in the File Repository, along with payment and return to VAGP at [email protected]

WAIT, it doesn’t stop there! Public Relations also offered a new promotional item, a 60” navy blue golf umbrella with VAGP Logo for $20.00. You don’t have to worry about getting wet under this umbrella. Show off your VAGP pride!

PAGE 10 - June 2016

Virginia Association of Governmental Purchasing, Inc.

2016 niGp fOrum nAtionAL HArBor, Md | AUGUst 21-24, 2016

Register today! http://nsite.nigp.org/forum2016/home

VaGp fall sympOsium 2016October 13-14, 2016Fredericksburg Hospitality House2801 Plank Rd, Fredericksburg, VA 22401

VaGp fall sympOsium 2016

Make plans to join us this fall! More event details are coming soon.

2016 niGp fOrum

PAGE 11 - June 2016

Virginia Association of Governmental Purchasing, Inc.

win a VaGp GOOdy!NAME THE VIRGINIA TOwN wHERE THIS MOVIE wAS FIlMED!

The movie Evan Almighty is a PG-rated comedy about a Noah-like character (Steve Carell) who receives revelations from God about an upcoming flood. Evan proceeds to construct an ark of biblical proportions to save his family and friends, although no one believes him and rain isn’t falling. This movie is really cute, family-friendly, and worth checking out if you haven’t seen it.

Evan Almighty was shot in several places around Virginia, but who can name the town in Virginia where the ark was constructed and used as the set for the movie?

Got a guess? Visit us on Facebook and tell us the name of this town in Virginia! The first person to correctly comment on VAGP’s Facebook page underneath this article’s thumbnail wins a VAGP goody! Send a suggestion and picture of

another Virginia landmark to feature in the News & Views to LeeAnne Beatty Smith at [email protected].

HoW do yoU ceLeBrAte ProcUreMent MontH?

Katie MarkleProtégée in VAGP Mentor-Protégé Program

As you all know, March was declared Purchasing Month by Governor Terry McAuliffe. What does that mean to your agency? For Procurement Services at Old

Dominion University (ODU) it meant an opportunity to continue to expand our Outreach and Training Program. We wanted to make this process fun, engaging, and provide an opportunity for our customers to learn more about the purchasing processes at ODU. To accomplish this, we sent weekly e-mails out to our purchasing community with two procurement related questions to quiz them on their purchasing knowledge.

The emails were distributed to our customers every Wednesday in March with responses requested by Friday. For every correct answer a customer submitted they had their name entered into a drawing to win a prize. Therefore, the more questions they answered correctly, the greater their chances of winning. The questions were all multiple choice and the answers could easily be researched on our website. This tested our customers procurement related knowledge as well as guided them to access the multiple resources we have posted on our website.

The response from our customers was very positive. We distributed the e-mail to approximately 350 customers and had at least 40 customers answer each week for a total of a little over 100 different customer responses. At the end of the month, we consolidated all of the questions with corresponding correct answers and distributed to our

customers. This provided an overview or refresher for some key requirements we wanted to remind our customers of. We drew names from the customers who correctly responded to questions and distributed prizes to just over 20 customers. Feedback from our customers was very positive and they really enjoyed the challenge. This celebration of Procurement Month at ODU was a success and engaged our purchasing community in a meaningful way. We plan to continue this type of engagement for Procurement Month in the years to come and hope your agency can find a way to celebrate it too.

Some examples of the questions:

Q: “At what dollar threshold is Procurement Services required to issue a formal solicitation?” A: $50,000

Q: “What is the University’s goal for the utilization of Small, Woman-owned and Minority-Owned (SWAM) firms?” A: 47.5%

Our favorite question that we ended with was:

Q: “What department strives to provide comprehensive guidance and assistance to meet all of your departments purchasing needs?” A: Procurement Services (although this was the only option they had to choose from!)

PAGE 12 - June 2016

Virginia Association of Governmental Purchasing, Inc.

We want your news and views in 2016!This is your Association and your publication—make your voice heard! All VAGP members are encouraged to send articles, press releases and photos. Published articles on purchasing related topics may help members earn recertification points. For eligibility requirements, please verify directly with the certifying agency. Suppliers and contractors are also encouraged to submit purchasing-related articles for publication. Limited opportunities are available and offered at no cost!

Submit your contributions to LeeAnne Beatty Smith at [email protected].

Production Schedule 3rd Quarter 4th QuarterDeadline Aug. 5 Nov. 4Available Sep. 1 Dec. 1

9 Industry News 9 Best Practices 9 Photos 9 Book Reviews 9 Education Opportunities 9 Event Recaps 9 New Certifications 9 Tips and tricks

LeGisLAtiVe coMMittee UPdAtePatti Innocenti, CPPO, CPPBLegislative Committee Chair

The Legislative Committee and the VAGP lobbyists (Hefty, Wiley & Gore) were very active during the 2016

General Assembly session. A summary of all successful procurement-related bills is posted on the Legislative Committee webpage. Success in the advocacy process is often measured by the work invested in the modifying or opposing bad bills. By that measure, we feel that VAGP’s interests were well-represented this legislative session. Through the relationships we have developed with key legislators and partnerships with other interest groups we were able to have a bill introduced this session to modify the requirement for newspaper advertising. While not successful, it did help keep the subject alive for another session. We also worked collaboratively with the Joint Committee on Technology and Science to significantly improve HB 930,

a bill that changes when exceptions to liability provisions are introduced in a competitive negotiations process for IT goods and services.

As we did last year, the Legislative Committee hosted a webinar in May with full registration of 100 participants to review the legislative process, new procurement laws, and Q&A.

Finally, please remember to submit your quarterly reports to DGS on alternative delivery methods for construction. The next reporting window begins July 1.

Our job is to represent you and keep you informed. The Legislative Committee has eighteen members, feel free to contact any of us if you have questions.