Agenda

Welcome to the final day of NASPO ValuePoint’s 2021 Contract Leads Conference! We invite you to join us for an in-depth session focused on Management and Leadership skills, which are pertinent to your role as a Sourcing Team lead.

This interactive session will focus on the key management and leadership competencies necessary to successfully lead the development of new contracts. More specifically, we will focus on visionary leadership, inclusive management, and proactive communication using small group discussion with report-outs.

Learning Objectives:

• Demonstrate the importance of broad, strategic, and visionary leadership in developing contracts.
• Discuss approaches for ensuring voice and inclusive management to leverage the knowledge and experience of the team.
• Understand the importance of proactive communication in keeping the process moving forward.

Welcome back!  The second day of the conference will open with a deep dive into COVID-19 challenges and opportunities. Over the last eight months, procurement officials have been faced with unprecedented procurement issues from contracting and production to inventory, warehousing, and distribution.  This session will help state contract leads better understand the supply chain and value of engaging with suppliers.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the impact on the supply chain during a pandemic and their role in how products are obtained.
• Identify what we learned and how to move forward both short and long-term.
• Understand the delivery processes involved for inventory, transportation, warehousing, and stockpiling.
• Identify risks and resolutions arising from emergency contracting.

This session will dive into the tips received from Leads in video and written response to the following question: “Nationwide cooperative solicitations are uniquely different than statewide solicitations. With this in mind, what tips, including lessons learned, do you have for developing a successful NASPO ValuePoint portfolio?”

We will also take a look at the new NASPO ValuePoint Leads Certificate Program which will aim to set the standard for nationwide public procurement and will give Leads the insight needed to successfully lead multi-state Sourcing Teams while procuring high-volume nationwide contracts. Upon completion of this program, participants will earn a certificate that demonstrates their competency in nationwide public procurement, thereby enhancing their value as a purchasing professional. Find out how you can contribute to the development of this exciting new program!

Learning Objectives:

• Identify the key differences between conducting a statewide solicitation vs. a nationwide solicitation.
• Understand how sourcing teams work together to create value when developing nationwide solicitations.
• Learn about the new NASPO ValuePoint Leads Certificate program.
• Understand how you can help design the certificate program.

Join your colleagues in peer-to-peer conversations on topics of most interest to Sourcing Team Leads: Cooperative Contracting, Master Agreements, and Ts and Cs; Sourcing Team Dynamics; and Finding the Balance. Discuss the challenges and solutions in a tabletop format and take away tips, advice, and lessons learned.

Topic #1: Cooperative Contracting, Master Agreements, and Ts & Cs
Facilitator: Julie Matthews, Cooperative Agreement Administrator, State of California
Staff: Fay Tan, Cooperative Contract Coordinator, NASPO ValuePoint

Topic #2: Sourcing Team Dynamics
Facilitator: Neva Peckham, Contract Specialist, State of Washington
Staff: Tara Larwick, Cooperative Contract Coordinator, NASPO ValuePoint

Topic #3: Finding the Balance
Facilitator: Tia Snyder, Cooperative Purchasing/eMACS Support Unit Supervisor, State of Montana
Staff: Jerilyn Bailey, Cooperative Contract Coordinator, NASPO ValuePoint

Learning Objectives:

• What are the most problematic MAs or Ts and Cs you have encountered? Learn how Sourcing Team Leads work through them, and how they promote their solutions to those outside of their agency.
• What are the characteristics of a good Sourcing Team Lead? Learn from the experience of Sourcing Team Leads on working effectively with SMEs, dealing with challenging sourcing team members, rewarding engaged team members, and handling team turnover.
• What collaboration tips do you have for maintaining a good work-life balance when juggling several projects? Learn how Sourcing Team Leads cope with heavy workloads and competing deadlines associated with managing multiple projects.

Meet your NASPO membership team and learn how to utilize all the benefits available to you as a NASPO member! Walk through NASPO’s online communication and collaboration platform, the NASPO Network. The Network is a central repository to share documents, network with other procurement professionals and access all the benefits you have been missing. Stop searching through your inbox and find everything you need in one central location!

Learning Objectives:

• Meet your membership team.
• Learn how to log in and navigate the NASPO Network.
• Learn where to find different communities, resources and (most importantly!) member benefits within the Network.

As participants in NASPO ValuePoint’s 2021 Contract Leads Conference, we invite you to join us for a debrief of the event.