SPANNERThe

Fall, 2010 Vol. 39, No. 2

NOVEMBER 8-10, 2010Legal Aspects of Public Procurement- 3 Day Course Ann Arbor

JANUARY 24, 2011Regional MeetingWorld Class Procurement PracticesLansing

FEBRUARY 16-18, 2011Planning, Scheduling, and Requirement Analysis Waterford

MARCH 31, 2011Reverse Trade FairBreslin Center, MSU East Lansing

APRIL 27-28, 2011Performance Based Request for Proposals - 2 Day Course Ann Arbor

MAY, 2011-tba Reunion and 40th Anniversary Celebration, honoring the Past Presidents of MPPOA

OCTOBER 6-7, 2011Annual Conference Doubletree Inn, Bay City

see mppoa.net for details and to register for all events

Debbie Scully Receives Marvin Klang Award Scott Guzzy didn’t get to hold the traveling plaque for the Marvin Klang Award long. Awarded just last spring, Guzzy gave the plaque to the newest honoree, Debbie Scully. Debbie, recently retired from the Macomb County Road Commission, is in a unique position, in that she is a Life Member and serves as Secretary of MPPOA. Debbie has been on the board for over 8 years, serving as committee chair, and for two terms as Secretary.

In her nomination, Debbie was described as, “an innovator, who can streamline the business process.” She is highly respected as a “hands-on implementer who maintains an open mind to suggestions to produce the best overall solution.”

Debbie has pursued certification, despite being a busy mother and wife. She obtained her CPPB in 2001. She is currently ending a project with SMART, just one of several consulting positions she has had since retiring from the road commission.

Lansing Community College is Entity of the YearBecky Beard accepted the Entity of the Year award for Lansing Community College. The college follows Kalamazoo, Dearborn, Huron-Clinton Metroparks and Rochester Hills with this relatively new award. Because of their innovation, community improve-ment, and involvement in MPPOA, these entities were honored by the association.

Becky Beard, a longtime member of MPPOA, and a conference presenter, heads the staff of five. The college is ISO 9001:2000 compliant, which requires high standards of effective quality management and process improvement for customer and resource needs. Her staff is dedicated to the maintenance of their certification and continued improvement.

Beard chairs the college’s Sustainability Advisory Committee and led the staff to create an “Environ-mentally Sound Purchasing Policy.” The college also teams with the City of Lansing and the Board of Water and Light on the “Greater Lansing Green Ini-tiative.” Beard is a founding member of the Lansing Area Public Purchasing Group and her department has received the National Excellence in Procurement Award for the past eight years—an achievement that demonstrates a consistently high degree of profes-sionalism and benchmarks for best practices.

Megan Scully (l) was on hand when her mother, Debbie Scully received the Marvin Klang Award. Scott Guzzy, Oakland County, presented the award.

Jean Farris (l), City of Rochester Hills presents the Entity of the Year Award to Becky Beard, Lansing Community College

- 2 -

Whew – made it by the skin of my teeth! I almost missed sharing my thoughts in a Presidents message for the fall edition of the Spanner.

The MPPOA Annual Conference was held September 23 and 24 and was our best attended conference on record. We missed those of you who were not able to attend. The two day event was packed full of great speakers and included a tour of the MSU Recycling Center and the Breslin Center. Michael Asner spoke on bullet-proofing your RFPs and gave some great examples of what to do, as well as what not to do. Cheryl Cunningham took us on a Safari where we learned how to capitalize on our unique be-havioral strengths. To all those who worked so hard to make the conference a success, please accept my sincere appreciation. A special thanks goes to Janice Schlitters for the outstanding speakers she arranged, to Mark Brace for introducing them and to Jon Denhof for the wonderful Hospitality Suite.

During the Annual Awards Banquet, the Marvin Klang award went to Debbie Scully and the Entity of the Year award went to Lansing Community College (LCC) and was accepted by Becky Beard, Director of Purchasing. Congratula-tions to Debbie and LCC. Thank you for all the support you have shown the MPPOA membership over the years.

The next Reverse Trade Fair (RTF) is March 31 (see right for details) and will be held at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. We need EVERYONE to attend this event. The fees the vendors pay are the reason we have been able to re-duce the cost of registration for the Annual Conference, increase the number of scholarships available and offer such exceptional speakers. Please mark your calendars now.

The regional meeting in January (see page 7) will be similar to the regional meeting held in March, 2009 where a one day NIGP class was offered for minimal charge. Please register early for the deepest discount, at MPPOA.net.

I encourage everyone to consider whether you want to get more involved in MPPOA in 2011. Elections are just around the corner and each of us has different skills and resources to share, so if you are interested in ways you can make a difference, please contact me or any board member for more information.

Thank you for letting me serve you, I appreciate the opportunity. Hope to see many of you at the upcoming regional meeting,

Christine Miller, County of Ottawa

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Christine Miller Ottawa County

- 2 -2011 Reverse Trade Fair

The Breslin Center Michigan State University

East Lansing, MI

Friday, March 31, 2011 10:00AM - 5:00PM

Doors open at 8 for member set up

No charge for members! (MPPOA is accepting new members NOW at the

$40 Anniversary Rate)

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS 8:00AM Doors Open for Members 10:00AM Doors Open for Vendors 12:00 NOON Lunch 1:00PM RTF Resumes 3:30PM Reception with Vendors 4:00PM Brief business meeting Cocktails & Hors d’oeuvres 5:00PM Adjournment

FOR AN EXCEPTIONAL TREAT— The Breslin Center CONCESSION STANDS

will be open (and free) for our lunch.

Just a reminder—We have money currently dedicated to scholarships for members to attend conferences, regional meetings and educational and certification classes.

Fill out a simple application, available at mppoa.net.

- 3 -

When it comes to RFPs, Michael Asner, literally, wrote the book. When members met him, they had him sign old copies, and commented on how it was their best resource to develop these key documents.

“Procurement is the guardian of public policy,” As-ner says. He understands how very important it is in the whole scheme of things.

Summing up his comments, he stated that he could give his talk in just 5 minutes. Here is the shortened version:

•NeverstartanRFPwithablanksheetofpaper. •Keeppoliticiansoutoftheprocurementprocess. •Don’tdoanRFPforthefirsttime.Getamentor. •Doyourhomework.There’sabundantinformationontheinternet. •Investineducation. •Haveagatekeeper.

Comments from participants brought up concerns about real experiences, which also helped teach the group about best practices.

In an afternoon session, titled “Neglected, but important RFP Practices,” Asner talked about his book from the same name. Sections of the book talk about how the RFP could be more flexible, improving your organization’s ap-proach to RFPs and how to reduce risks.

Another part of the book addresses special RFPs for software and services. Asner cited the State of New Mexico manual for writing those specific RFPs, which is published on the state’s website.

Asner provided a myriad of resources that he has written. One small docu-ment, titled “A Guide to Public Procurement for Elected Officials and Public Sector Managers” is available on his website (http://www.rfpmentor.com/electedfreecopy.html.) Printed copies may also be ordered. Email him at rfp-mentor.com or visit his website: rfpmentor.com.

Michael Asner—RFPs Sergio Panaque Gets CreativeWhen it comes to inter-nal processes, Sergio Panaque, from the State of Michigan, Department of Technology, Manage-ment and Budget (DTMB)says, “Get new people involved in reviewing old processes, involve staff in policy decisions and question everything.”

Speaking about developing bid specifications, he says, “Don’t just take out the old specs. In-vest time at the beginning of the process, use subject matter experts to create specifications, and gain input from the vendor community.” Panaque says that he has developed “Horizon Sessions,” where communication is established with vendors and allows them time for “show and tell.”

Panaque went on to say that all contracts should have some level of contract administra-tion (see the toolkit at michigan.gov/buymichi-ganfirst), deliverables should be monitored and contract terms must be enforced. Take time to evaluate the vendor performance and be sure to renegotiate when the market changes or the deliverables are modified.

He also said, as most MPPOA members know, that one needs to be trained constantly. Certification is important. Take advantage of every educational possibility that comes along, including webinars and MPPOA meetings. And, invite your non-purchasing stakeholders to participate in training, as well.

Other resources and tools can be found on michigan.gov/buymichiganfirst. For Knowledge Management, contact Mike Bliss at blissm@michigan.gov. To contact Panaque directly, call (517) 335-0782 or email panagues@michigan.gov.

2010 ANNUAL CONFERENCE

- 4 --4-

Congratulations to our new CPPBsRichard Brower

Joan Daniels Edward Tucker

COUNTY OF OAKLAND

Janice Schlitters HURON-CLINTON METROPOLITAN AUTHORITY

Scott Daniel WAYNE COUNTY AIRPORT AUTHORITY

Teresa Johnson CITY OF KALAMAZOO

MSU Recycling CenterA photo tour of this State-of-the-art facility.

Becky BeardBecky Beard, Ph.D., is the Director of Purchasing for the Lansing Community College. She spoke about creating an individual development plan (IDP)—a clear statement of your career goals, a map for at-taining goals—both short and long term— and, an individual action plan to develop specific compe-tencies for your present or a future position.

An IDP sets you on the path to develop what you need to improve your capabilities as well as a road map of how you can achieve personal and profes-sional goals. It gives you the opportunity to build upon your strengths.

At every turn in life, you have big questions: —Where have I been? —Where am I now? —Where can I go next?

The IDP can be used in any situation—from seeking a better future through alternate employ-ment— to planning for retirement. Developmental opportunities abound. Obtaining a mentor, being active in an organization, training, and off the job activities are stimulating and sometimes key to inspiring you to move forward.

2010 ANNUAL CONFERENCEmore

The tour of this impressive facility was arranged by Desiree Quinney (pictured above, right). Participants were given a video overview of the facility and then a tour of both the recycling center and the Surplus Store. As shown above, even the artwork and conference table we made from recycled materials.

- 5 -Cheryl CunninghamCheryl Cunningham quoted Jim Collins, who wrote the book Good to Great: “A Lev-el 5 Leader sets the standard of building an enduring great team; will settle for nothing less.” Using her experiences while on Safari in South Africa, Cheryl gave suggestions on how to manage purchasing teams.

In brief, they are 1. Have a dream; 2 Get a guide (mentor); 3. Play to strengths; 4. Have the important conversations; 5. Lead; 6. Innovate and change; and 7. Be courageous.

Attendees took the DiSC Preview to identify Dimensions of Behavior. After taking the profile, the group divided into their behavior groups: (D) Dominance, (i) influence, (S) Steadiness or (C) Conscientiousness. The exercise got everyone up and interacting, while creating lists of those traits that were common across the group. Groups named themselves after animals they might see on safari.

Tony DesChenes Cooperative Purchasing Who’s looking out for your interests?Tony DesChenes is the Director of the Commodities Division, Purchasing Operations for the State of Michigan.

He says that, with the current way of doing busi-ness, vendors lose their 1 on 1 relation-ship with the purchasing professional.

For the cooperative member, some is-sues are concerning: buying local, open competition, small business participation and fees. DesChenes says, that when using a cooperative contract, “make sure you are getting the best value and it con-forms to your laws and guidelines.”

For questions on MiDeal or cooperatives, in gen-eral, contact him at (517) 373-9417 or Deschenesa1@Michigan.gov.

Lee Meadows—Collaboration and the Creative StretchLee Meadows, Ph.D. was back with us addressing the challenges of collaboration. He identified specific collaborative strategies which go against the principle that “people are inclined toward individual solitary activity vs. collective effort.”

Strategies for creative collaboration:

•Inordertogetcommonagreement,youhavetoaskthefollow-up“Why” question.

•Collaborativecontactsandtheuseofinfluence.“Whenitcan’tbeheard from you, it can still be heard through you.”

•Setrulesforrunningcollaboraivemeetings--nocellphones,nopagers, no laptops.

•Startthefeastbypickingthelowhangingfruit.(Connectthecom-pleted small tasks to the need-to-be-done larger tasks.)

•Whenresourcesdwindleinternally,looktootherdisciplines/ave-nues for ideas. (Seek out others who have gone through something similar to benchmark what you are doing.)

Gary Ragatz Sustainability- Beyond GreenGary Ragatz de-fined stainability as “to endure.”

Supply chain risk also includes social and environmental responsibility. “When you think of things coming from upstream in the supply chain, if there is a problem, they tend to get dampened before they get to the consumer. However, it sometimes happens the other way.” The example he used was the scandal over Kathy Lee’s line of clothing and its relationship to child labor.

He says that the drivers of sustainable pro-curement are: avoiding risk to image, reducing costs of products/services, avoiding supply chain disruption, extending TQM principles, tying to low cost sourcing initiatives, and feel-ing that “it’s the right thing to do.”

He suggests that, to increase sustainability, in-clude criteria in the RFPs, as well as consider it in the quotation analysis. It should be part of the routine supplier evaluation.

- 6 -

2010 ANNUAL CONFERENCEand a little more

Everyone is excited about having the 2011 Reverse Trade Fair at the Breslin Arena.

Lisa Cummins (above) and Mansfield Matthewson (above right) cele-brated birthdays during the conference. (Candles not indicative of age.)

l to r: Linda Newton, Walled Lake Consolidated Schools; Frances Horgan, Bay County; and Jessica Ritchie, Birmingham

Schools, enjoyed themselves at the Annual Awards Banquet.

ME

MB

ER

PR

OFI

LE

EDWARD TUCKER

County of Oakland Dept. of Management

and Budget

Purchasing Division

One of our newest CPPB recipients has been in procurement for nearly 20 years—11 in the automotive and 8 1/2 at the County of Oakland.

“I enjoy my job because every day is something new and challenging,” says Tucker. “We have a great, supportive, staff and management team in the Purchasing Division.” His responsibili-ties include law enforcement equipment and supplies; landscaping and grounds maintenance; printing and mail; food; clothing; substance abuse services, hu-

man services, animal control, MRO sup-plies, kitchen equipment, appliances, marine equipment and supplies, promotional items, barber and beautician services, flags and accessories, tools, bedding and linens, educa-tion/training, temporary staffing, laundry services. Whew!

Tucker is a graduate of Walsh College and a resident of Waterford. He has three children: Jessica and Sara (twins, 21 years old) and Edward, Jr. (14).

His hobbies include woodworking, hunting, fishing and camping.

Thank you Janice Schlitters, Huron Clinton Metropolitan Au-thority, for organizing speakers and events.

- 7 -LIFE MEMBER

APPLICATIONIf you are considering retirement soon, down-load the “Life Member Application” from the website at mppoa.net. This way, we can keep current personal infor-mation about you and keep you informed with the Spanner and other communications.

MPPOA Celebrates 40 YearsAnd, we want you to celebrate, too!

New member dues are only $40!

Get others in your organization involved, invite officials from your community, or just call a friend in the business who would benefit from the educational and networking opportunities through MPPOA.

New MembersJeffrey Bond

Detroit Housing Commission

Judy DeVries-Eppinga Interurban Transit Partnership—The Rapid

Lori Doran Road Commission for Oakland County

Debby Hoyle City of Rochester Hills

Colleen Jabro Wayne County

Kim Patrick Grand Valley State University

Michael Salyers Capital Area Transportation Authority

Arthur Walker Detroit Housing Commission

Great Educational Opportunity January 24

This meeting, presented by an NIGP professional speaker, is going to be a one day educational regional which is being underwritten by MP-POA. For just the cost of lunch, you can participate in “World Class Procurement Practices,” and receive precious continuing education credits.

Participation is limited, and members will be registered on a first come, first served basis. In addition, fees for the course will be tiered, giving the deepest discount of just $40, to cover the cost of lunch, to regis-trants who sign up before the deadline. (See website posting for details.)

Get Ready for Bay CityMaryellen Jansen has been working hard to find a spot for the 2011 Annual Conference which will give participants the same low ho-tel rates with a venue that offers social and networking sites.

Bay City responded to her request with an excellent proposal that keeps expenses for the event at 2010 levels.

Please plan to attend October 6-7, 2011, as we continue the celebration of our 40th Anniversary with excellent speakers and an agenda that will keep you current with your profession.

Please mark your calendars now. We may ressurect the traditional golf outing, too. If you are interested in organizing such an event, please contact Maryellen at mppoa@acd.net

May MeetingThe exact date and location haven’t been set, but May, 2011 MPPOA members old and new are going to get together for a reunion. Life members will be invited to attend and be honored at the event.

Watch for details in the next edition of the newsletter.

January 24, 2011 8:00AMLocation: Lansing Community College—West Campus

Cost: $40 for NIGP/MPPOA members in good standing $125 for non-members (non-members—save by joining MPPOA for only $40 for ‘11)

Get continuing education credits!The concept of World Class Procurement has application to both the public and private sec-tors. This workshop will address what is meant by “World Class” and what practices countless public agencies are adopting to achieve such status. Case studies shared in the class will illus-trate many common practices of agencies and procurement professionals that are considered World Class.

“World Class Procurement Practices”