The secret is out. The beans have been spilled. The emperor has no clothes. At least, that’s what a recent blog post from Mariel Reed, CEO of CoProcure, and the 2019 launch of the contract exchange site PPEx by cooperative industry veterans, Steve Hamill and Dave Trudnowski suggests to me. Like the boy who states...Read More
Twenty years ago, when national cooperatives[1] were just starting to form and piggybacking contracts and participating addenda were being added to the procurement professional’s toolbox, there was a compelling value proposition that promised these cooperatives’ customers (“members”) great savings of time, effort and the greatest reductions in overall cost. Whether real or perceived, savings across...Read More
Many of us entered the public procurement profession by accident. Perhaps the variety was enough to keep you interested or you may have stayed because you were too busy to think about anything else. Either way, it must have brought enough satisfaction that maybe five years into it you saw possibilities for growth or to...Read More
True transformation is not an event, it is a journey. It may be triggered by an event or a life-changing experience that may cause a disruption to our comfortable auto pilot routine. Such a circumstance may move us to reflect on the road traveled thus far and consider whether we are moving in the direction...Read More
Systems under stress reveal their weaknesses (and their strengths). And COVID-19 is certainly causing stress and a lot of ripples across all parts of society, testing our resilience, our creativity, our economy and businesses, our governments and schools, and, at times, our patience. For many of us, the current environment is all too familiar; reminiscent...Read More
The second in a series of articles exploring public sector cooperative contracting practices, the organizations that make up the cooperative ecosystem, and the strategies and resources that realize maximum value outcomes. RECAP: “What is a Public Purchasing Cooperative?”, the first article in this series, spoke to the general nature of coops and the significant government...Read More
Learn how Washington Court House City Schools moved from a paper, labor-intensive requisitioning and PO process to a true virtualized environment that is saving district dollars and time. They will explain their journey that began with the search for a solution to reduce paper and streamline processes yet has come to be much more. Hear...Read More
The Plano Independent School District (PISD) is among the 20 largest districts in Texas. PISD serves a student body of more than 53K, encompasses 72 schools and 20-plus offices and has an annual budget topping $750M. To put the district’s considerable size into perspective, with over 6000 teachers and staff, PISD has 20 percent more...Read More
During an organization’s ordering process there are typically numerous intricate steps, and various factors to consider before an actual order can be placed. Purchase orders (POs) often involve complex approval workflows, multiple budgets, hundreds if not thousands of suppliers and contracts, endless data, and millions of dollars. Organizations often struggle with how to manage this...Read More
In a 2018 study conducted by PayStream Advisors, now formally known as Levvel Research, over 400 organizations were surveyed to determine the latest trends surrounding procurement management. During this survey, organizations without cloud-based eProcurement software were asked about their top pain points. One-third of firms revealed that their primary problems were inadequate technology and procedural...Read More
