2010 Annual Conference Presentations

National Association of State Procurement Officials
2010 Annual Conference Presentations
Capital Hilton Hotel * August 23-26 * Washington DC

CONFERENCE AGENDA--CLICK ON TITLE FOR PRESENTATIONS

Monday, August 23 2:15pm – 3:30pm       
Opening Keynote Address
Perspective on State & Local Government Use of Recovery Act Funds
Gene Dodaro, Acting Comptroller General, US Government Accountability Office

3:45pm-4:45pm
Minnesota Multistate Contracting Alliance for Pharmacy (MMCAP) Briefing  (Optional)
Presented by: Kent Allin (Minnesota); Alan Dahlgren, MMCAP Managing Director; Rose Svitak (Minnesota) and Carolyn O'Donnell (Minnesota)
MMCAP's leadership will describe the program's growth and challenges over the past year and explain plans for expanded services to member states.

Surplus Property
Presented by Milo Crabtree (Mississippi) and Jean Clark (Arizona)
New and innovative ways to move and sell surplus.


Tuesday, August 24 9:00am – 10:15am
Cooperative Contracting – Options and Benefits
Moderated by Milo Crabtree (Mississippi)
Panelists: Paul Mash (Utah); Doug Richins, WSCA Cooperative Development Director; Jeff Holden (South Dakota) and Tricia Reed, U.S. General Services Administration
Cooperative purchasing is growing at all levels of government. Panelists will talk about their cooperative contracting experiences and share insight into how to take advantage of these opportunities.

10:30am – 11:45am       
Green Purchasing - Workgroup Update
Presented by John Utterback (Colorado) and Christine Warnock (Washington); Judy O'Brien, The Keystone Center; Alicia Culver, Executive Director, Green Purchasing Institute
Session to include updates on the Keystone Green Products Roundtable (GPR) and Responsible Purchasing Network (RPN) partnership.


1:30pm – 2:30pm
2010 George Cronin Awards for Procurement Excellence Presentations
Presentation and summaries of the top innovative state government procurement practices, as recognized by NASPO.

Gold - Minnesota & Wisconsin: Partnership Initiative

Silver - Georgia: State Purchasing Division's SUM (Spend Under Management) Initiative

Bronze - Ohio: Local Print Consolidation Program


Wednesday, August 25 1:45pm – 3:15pm
States Buying Smarter
Presented by Michael G. Caudell-Feagan, Deputy Director, Pew Center on the States; Alex Heckman, Professor, The Ohio State University; Kent Allin (Minnesota); Ron Bell (Virginia) and Kelly Loll (Georgia)
The current economic climate has prompted policy makers and procurement specialists across the country to rethink the way they leverage state buying power. The Pew Center on the States will moderate a panel highlighting innovative new practices and lessons learned in recent state government procurement reform efforts. Following an overview of key findings from PCS's recent “States Buying Smarter” issue brief, representatives from Minnesota and Virginia will describe their work to improve purchasing and contracting practices in their states, including overcoming challenges to achieve success. Georgia's cutting-edge “Spend Management Analytics,” tool, which enables state leaders to identify opportunities for cost-savings and cost-avoidance—and which provides a road map for other states—also will be featured in this interactive session.

3:30pm– 4:30pm
Higher Education Procurement and the State Regulatory Environment
Presented by Dianne Lancaster (Oregon), Ron Bell (Virginia), John Utterback (Colorado) and Tim Gibney (Georgia)
A recent study and report by the National Association of Education Procurement (NAEP) and the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) explored institutional practices and the impact of the state regulatory environment on higher education procurement. Many of the recommendations contained in the report suggest that public colleges and universities be exempt from existing state procurement statutes and rules and allowed to procure goods and services independently in the name of greater efficiency and cost savings. NASPO supports the need for streamlining the acquisition process for agencies, institutions and political subdivisions, but has raised concerns over whether or not transparency and accountability of public funds can be adequately maintained with this proposed approach. This session will focus on NASPO's response to the NAEP/AASCU report and provide state members with an opportunity to weigh in on this important public policy issue.

Thursday, August 26 10:15am–11:30am
Political Climate and the 2010 Elections
Moderated by David Yarkin, Government Sourcing Solutions
Panelists: EJ Dionne, Columnist from the Washington Post; Chris Matthews, host of Hardball on MSNBC and Mike Allen, Chief White House Correspondent for Politico
This November, thirty seven states are holding elections for governor, with a guarantee that in at least twenty-three states, today's governor will be replaced in January, because of term-limits, retirements or loss in a party primary. With this new crop of governors will come new staff in the governor's office, a new cabinet and, in many cases, a new approach to governing. We have seen in the past that a new governor can have a profound impact on state procurement and with today's political and economic upheaval, 2011 should be no different. Join us as leading journalists give their perspective on the political climate and the upcoming elections.

1:15pm–2:30pm
Emergency Response Procurement
Speaker: Jacob “Jake” Hansen, Chief Procurement Officer and Head of the Contracting Activity for FEMA
Responding to declared disasters puts tremendous stress on state and federal procurement officials. State agencies must have a clear understanding of federal laws and regulations to ensure that emergency response procurement proceeds as smoothly as possible. Coordination between FEMA and state agencies is the key to successful disaster response.

This session will explore the relationship between FEMA and state agencies and the processes involved in emergency response procurement – how FEMA works with state agencies, how (and what) FEMA reimburses, the FEMA reimbursement process, and lessons learned from previous disaster situations.

2:45pm – 4:00pm
Closing Keynote
Presented by Richard Picciotto, FEMA FDNY Chief and Highest Ranking Firefighter to Survive the World Trade Center Collapse
In a presentation modeled after his best-selling book, Last Man Down, FDNY Chief Richard Picciotto offers a tribute to the lives that were lost that day. His recount is not one of death and destruction, but a celebration of life and its unpredictable nature. Picciotto offers an eyewitness account of the defining historical event of our lives; his story is that of a man, a hero, and a tragic event that inspired a nation.