Presenter:   Marcheta E. Gillespie, FNIGP, NIGP-CPP, CPPO, C.P.M., CPPB, CPM

 

Public procurement is responsible for contracting over $1 Trillion in goods and services each year.  That’s a tremendous responsibility!  Although organizations may be diligent in negotiating a great contract securing the best value for required goods and services, they often lose focus on properly managing that contract after the ink is dry and before the contactors are paid. Public procurement continues to see instances where failure to properly administer a contract results in significant waste.  In short, a “gap” is created between the contract and contract completion.  That gap leads to overpayments, lost revenues, increased expenses, schedule delays, lost productivity and lower quality goods and services.  Procurement professionals must be diligent in ensuring our organizations “get what we paid for”, or rather, that the community of citizens we serve get what they paid for.  Contract administration is a discipline, much like project management, that establishes clear roles and responsibilities focused on ensuring the scope/specification, terms and conditions of the contract are successfully completed by the contractor.  

We all have an expectation that when we visit a doctor, a lawyer or financial advisor, that they are practicing their craft based upon a set of standards.  We expect to receive a level of service based upon those standards of care in medicine, law, and finance, whether those services are delivered in New York or New Mexico. So, what are the "standards" of practice for public procurement? What should communities, political leaders and the supplier community expect when interacting with procurement whether engaging a large city, a local fire district or a school district?  What type of impact does a best practice make for an organization? Since 2010, the public procurement community has been defining and developing global best practices in all areas of procurement service, being adopted by public entities and procurement associations throughout North America.  During this session, you will learn about the Global Best Practices Public Procurement, why they are important and how you can apply them in your entity on a daily basis.

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