Inside Public Procurement: Heroic Stories from the Frontlines

A tale as old as time in public agencies: stunted communication between departments, barriers to collaboration, and a lack of transparency. When it comes to being a part of decisions, the procurement department doesn’t always get a seat at the table. Being left out of those conversations can have a chain reaction of consequences both internally and externally. This coupled with lagging technology...

We’ve learned a lot over the last two years: for one, that responding to a global public health crisis depends on strong strategic sourcing partners; and on the flipside, that supporting urgent, high-impact projects is next to impossible with a procurement process that lives in filing cabinets and email inboxes. Procurement teams have had to ask some tough questions and strategize about how to res...

Every profession has its superpowers and public procurement has more than a few. But there’s one hidden talent that’s especially handy: being resourceful. It’s part of the reason Gary O. Chavez, Bureau Chief, Chief Procurement Officer in the Human Services Department at the State of New Mexico, has found so much success in his career. 17 years ago, he transitioned from a career in education to wha...

You’ve seen it happen time and again. Procurement is brought into a project too late. And the timeline is all but impossible. You drop everything to address urgent needs, compromising other project timelines in the process. But more one-off requests keep coming up. Now multiple internal clients, projects, and constituents are negatively impacted, and your team is overburdened by the impossible tas...

Strategic procurement has the power to radically transform an organization — especially, says Sandra Nelson, when it involves rubbing elbows with the competition. As Director of Strategic Procurement at Carleton University and Chair of the Ontario University Professional Procurement Management Association (OUPPMA), Sandra has led impressive strategic transformation initiatives in her organizations...

If there’s one piece of advice Marla Bossons has for public procurement professionals it’s never get too comfortable . The philosophy has served her well over two decades working in the public sector for the District of North Cowichan. In fact, it’s what kickstarted her career in procurement in the first place. In this episode, Marla sits down with Bonfire host Tuong La to chat about how her commi...

When you’re sitting in the office running bids and updating your playbook, it’s easy to forget about the end user. Today’s guest, Adam Stearns, Director of Purchasing at Magnolia ISD, always has his end users in mind: the students in his district. Adam talks with us about how his award-winning department — which grew from one to seven team members in the 20 months since it was founded — keeps cust...

What does 25 years in procurement teach you? Maybe the better question is, what doesn’t it? Just ask Carrie Roberts, Director of Procurement at Atlanta Public Schools. With more than two decades in purchasing-related roles, she’s guided agencies through major transformation, earned multiple procurement certifications, and achieved national recognition from her peers. While it may be true, as Carri...

Supplier diversity is a hot topic right now, seemingly born of the current cultural moment, which is why it may surprise you to learn that it was actually established in 1969 by Richard Nixon as a result of the civil rights movement. In today’s episode, Sheena Fain, Contract Compliance and Supplier Diversity Officer at City of Akron, explains the roots of supplier diversity and how procurement pro...

As we round the corner into 2022, procurement professionals are facing all the uncertainty of a post-pandemic world. How can you prepare to navigate the new priorities and challenges coming your way? In this recording of our live session at the recent NIGP annual forum, we dive into Bonfire’s 2021 State of Public Sourcing Report to discuss how your peers are tackling shifting procurement prioritie...

Who should cover the cost of eProcurement? The suppliers who benefit from an easy, convenient online service or the buyers seeking the best vendor for the job? If you’re rethinking your procurement process, you know the best way forward isn’t exactly clear cut. In this episode, Craig Milley, founder and Principal Consultant at Wayfinder Consulting, tackles the debate around vendor-paid eProcuremen...

You might think the world of private procurement differs greatly from the world of public procurement. But you’d be surprised to learn that there are far more similarities than there are differences. In fact, there are tons of lessons that public procurement can learn from the private sector. That’s according to Jeff Houtz, Founder and Principal at Constructing Supply Change LLC, who joins the sho...

Unless you’ve been in a coma for the last 2 years, you’ve probably heard a lot more about the supply chain in that time than, well, ever. The pandemic has woken up the world to the importance of supply chain management. But for organizations eager to prevent their supply chain from ever succumbing to weak links again it can be a daunting proposition. Have no fear, today’s guest, Kristina Farrell,...

Going through daily procurement processes can be a slog. Time-consuming tasks bog you down and often prevent you from spending time on the more impactful items on your to do list. With procurement technology, those challenges can be a thing of the past. Tyler Liu, Strategic Sourcing Services Manager at ICBC (Insurance Corporation of British Columbia), explains how procurement software has streamli...

One of the hardest jobs of a procurement professional is navigating a complex network of stakeholders and getting their buy-in. Particularly challenging is a stakeholder who views procurement simply as a roadblock to doing their job effectively. How can you overcome this challenge? Peggy Ferrin, Procurement Coordinator in the Town of Paradise Valley, joins the show to share how empathy can help yo...

Creativity in procurement — to some, it might not sound attainable. After all, there are strict sets of rules and regulations that guide public procurement practices, and as a buyer, you don’t want to be responsible for your agency becoming the subject of a news headline.  But Darren Tompkins, Manager of Purchasing at City of Kelowna, believes that creativity is integral to maximizing the effectiv...

The public procurement landscape can be very fragmented. Different departments and divisions use different processes and different systems. In short, everyone has their own way of doing things. In this episode, Carol Izzio , Director of Procurement at Sheridan College , explains why sharing best practices and collaborating is the best way to improve public procurement for the future. We discuss: -...

Business as usual just doesn’t cut it anymore. With so much change happening around us, new ideas, tools, and processes are needed to improve the procurement industry. Amanda Burton, Contract Buyer at Utah Transit Authority, joins the show to share her thoughts on how innovation can move the industry forward. Topics covered in this episode: - The impacts of COVID on supply availability - How innov...

In public procurement, spending taxpayer money responsibly is incredibly important. Cooperative bids, or coops, are a great way to accomplish that. But how do you show the value of the procurement strategy you have in place? That’s where transparent reporting comes in. In this episode, we’re joined by Jennifer Frates who is the Chief Procurement Officer for Barnstable County and the President of C...

Compliance or customer service? That’s the age-old question in public procurement, right? Well, it shouldn’t be. Compliance is a given... Customer service is how you win, long-term, in procurement. Just ask Aaron Howell , Vice President for Finance / Chief Financial Officer at Kennesaw State University. Our inaugural guest joins the show to discuss the importance of internal customer service for p...

In this introductory episode, Jordan Alford , Producer at Sweetfish Media , chats with Rachel Friesen , host of the show and a leader on the Client Experience team at Bonfire Interactive , about creating a space for procurement professionals to learn and share knowledge. What we talked about: - How Bonfire Interactive supports government agencies through their purchasing goals - Equipping all proc...

Joanna Hunt says it best: procurement is sexy. Especially when your procurement priorities are in order. Joanna is a Retail Buyer & Customer Experience Professional at Central Washington University . In the latest episode of Inside Public Procurement, she breaks down the fun side of procurement and shares her wisdom with the next generation of procurement specialists. What we talked about: - T...