rocky mountain high notes october, 2009 letter from the ...€¦ · letter from the president...

I SSUE I I I , YEAR 2009 ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH NOTES

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all is my favorite season. It tumbles into our lives bringing crisp mornings, shorter days, and cooler nights! For some of us, Fall is the

beginning of our fiscal year and for others, year end is fast approaching. This year Autumn also brought the Reverse Vendor Trade Show (RVTS) and the RMGPA Fall Conference. As you read through this newsletter, you will see pictures of RMGPA in action at our primary fundraiser and learn what our participating vendors thought of this year’s RVTS. Proceeds from this event will provide funding for RMGPA activities well into 2010. My sincere thanks to all of you who participated this year and enjoyed free registration to the Fall Conference.

The Winter Conference will be held in Colorado Springs, December 3-4. In addition to the many sessions and presentations, we will celebrate our NIGP 2009 Large Chapter of the Year award! Congratulations to each and every one of you for helping us attain and share this grand acknowledgement of our ongoing success as a chapter. We are well on our way to submitting our accomplishments in 2009 towards another run at the top award in 2010.

As we wrap up 2009, RMGPA continues to offer professional development classes, access to NIGP webinars, and opportunities to volunteer. We have several committees that are ready to welcome new committee members and some that are looking for Co-chairs to share the fun. Expand your horizons and lend a hand. You may find new skills that enrich your life!

Remember, RMGPA provides you with the tools you need to succeed: education, inspiring programs, access to an ever expanding body of knowledge, networking, certification and perhaps most important, long-lasting relationships with like-minded people.

I am honored to be of service to you,

Terri Kindsfather

RMGPA President

Just a side note: our coat drive at the RVTS and Fall Conference netted 38 coats for Colorado! Thanks to all of you who donated.

Next up is our Pets and People food drive at the Winter Conference. Bring a can or two to donate! (We accept bags of food, too!)

Letter from the President Submitted by Terri Kindsfather, CPPB, C.P.I.M.

October, 2009 Rocky Mountain High Notes

The Rocky Mountain Governmental Purchasing

Associat ion

Deadlines for articles to be published in final 2009 newsletter:

December 14

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RMGPA Wins NIGP Large Chapter of the Year Award

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Fall Conference Highlights 3-4

Representing RMGPA at 2009 NIGP Forum

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Reverse Vendor Trade Show a Success

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Scholarship Feedback 8

Spotlight on RMGPA Member Farrah Bustamante

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Poudre School District Wins Achievement of Excellence Award

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Contact Information 11

Inside this issue:

Terri, Danielle, Ed at Forum


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RMPGA Wins NIGP 2009 Large Chapter of the Year Award

he Rocky Mountain Governmental Purchasing Association (RMGPA) has

been awarded the 2009 Large Chapter of the Year Award by the National Institute of Governmental Purchasing (NIGP). The NIGP Chapter of the Year Award is the highest award presented from NIGP to its chapters. The award recognizes a chapter's commitment to the public purchasing profession, its service to the profession, service to the institute, membership recruitment, chapter member services and overall operations.

“This award holds special meaning to the members of RMGPA and to the citizens of Colorado, western Nebraska, eastern Utah, and Wyoming. This award acknowledges the efforts made by RMGPA to provide continuing education for the improvement of public procurement methods, avenues for

a t t a i n i n g professional certification and network-ing of public procurement experts that are willing to share their expertise with other members,” said Terri Kindsfather, C.P.I.M., CPPB, RMGPA President, and Purchasing/Mailroom Supervisor for the City of Lakewood, Colorado.

Many hours went into getting the application compiled and ready for submission. This accomplishment is a testimonial to the dedication of your RMGPA Board of Directors and in particular Ed Bonnette, C.P.M., CPPB, with the City of Fort Collins our 2008 Chapter President. This is a huge honor! Congratulations!

TT

NIGP Forum attendees from RMGPA proudly take center stage to accept the prestigious award.


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Fall Conference Highlights

Submitted by Traci Gorman, Arapahoe County

he 2009 RMGPA Fall Conference was held in beautiful Greeley, Colorado in

conjunction with the Reverse Vendor Trade Show. I’m not sure you could actually say it was FALL as the weather was gorgeous for the two days of activity in Greeley! I believe the wonderful weather was enhanced by the great turnout we had for the RVTS and the Conference and offered wonderful opportunities to walk through the park on your way to lunch with your peers or sit in the park and enjoy the weather.

**“Is Your ‘But’ Too Big?” – Ava Diamond (How to Get Out of Your Own Way to Maximize Your Success)

Now this is a lady who can hold your attention! If you weren’t awake and invigorated by the weather (and the coffee), Ava certainly rejuvenated your spirit through laughter, thought, and introspection. Ava has a wonderful way of having you look at how you get in your own way, laugh about it, accept it, and plan on how to change it.

“Sometimes we see what we want to see, instead of what is really there.”

“Visualize the task completed successfully and it will be.”

“Affirm yourself positively, positive actions will be affirmed.”

**”Surplus Property Panel” – Danielle Hinz, Purchasing Manager, City of Longmont, RMGPA Vice President, CPPO, C.P.M.; Dayton Roller of Roller and Associates Auctioneers; Patricia Honley of GSA Property Management Program; and Jim McIntyre, Director of Purchasing, City and County of Denver

Dayton Roller discussed the various auction options available for disposing of surplus materials. He suggested that by

giving your auctioneer a heads up on what you may having coming up, they can start thinking about the process and think outside the box for attracting more potential customers. Dayton also reminded everyone that “Special Auctions” require a three (3) week time-frame to market the auction properly.

The General Surplus Auction can now be held online. In general, this increased bidders to 254, compared to just 80 when held in person.

Simulcast Auctions are held both online and in person. This accommodates both the “techies” and the “I have to see it with my own eyes” people.

Internet Only Auctions provide a bidding process much like E-bay with an extended bidding process of five (5) minutes. This process stops someone from waiting until the last second to put in a bid. There has to be five (5) minutes of no activity before the bidding is final.

Internet Pre-Bidding provides the capability of absentee bidding at a live auction. Live Auctions only are rarely utilized anymore.

GSA Excess: Federal Surplus property that is available for auction and bid. State and local law enforcement officers can find firearms on www.nasasp.org. The Feds don’t charge, but the State charges shipping and handlings fees.

TT

• Crash through unconscious self-imposed barriers that hold you back

• Develop a mindset that says “no” to excuses and “yes” to taking confident action

Jim McIntyre, City & County of Denver; Dayton Roller, Roller & Associates; Patricia Honley, GSA Property Management Program


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Fall Conference Highlights (continued from page 3)

Electronic Recycling: The City & County of Denver does not sell electronics at public auctions any longer. In view of revenue versus expenses, it was determined not to be a good value. When soliciting for Electronic Recycling, your agency should build in the cost of the recycling as well as the revenue from the recycled material to a zero (0) cost agreement. Currently the City & County of Denver has a contract with GRX/Metech paying $0.14 a pound with free pick up, which provides better tracking after leaving the city than an auction. The contract is administered by Denver's Environmental Health Dept., thereby alleviating the contract administration responsibilities from Purchasing. (questions—contact Jim McIn-tyre at 720.913.8121)

**Lunch, as always, was a great time to catch up with peers and to do a little networking. The business meeting was held with the quick overview format. I would like to thank all the board and committee members that dedicate their time to provide so much for the continued

success of this organization.

**”GSA 101” – Cheryl Ansaldi The afternoon continued with Cheryl addressing a number of questions regarding GSA and their programs including the Multiple Award Schedules program. She discussed the cooperative purchasing program that included schedules 70 and 84 as well as the disaster recovery program, and provided information about the eTools on their website that can be utilized for eBuy, procurement, and GSA Advantage. Cheryl also briefly discussed a computer program that addresses the issue of providing computers to school districts that are in need and that have limited budgets.

As always, the conference was full of entertainment, networking, information, and invaluable advantages! We all face budget constraints and some agencies are not able to attend conferences. Through the RMGPA website, enroll in the List Serve and stay connected!

Adela Gain, City of Greeley

Ava Diamond, Presenter

Audience Members

Danielle Hinz, Chapter Vice President

Eileen Gonzales, Awards; Terri Kindsfather, President; Ed Bonnette, Past President


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Representing RMGPA at The 2009 NIGP Forum Submitted by Danielle Hinz, C.P.M., CPPO—RMGPA Chapter Vice President and Proud Gen -X’er

hanks to RMGPA, I had the opportunity to attend my first NIGP Forum. This year’s event was held at the St. Louis convention center in August, and what an event it was! As

RMGPA’s President and Vice President, Terri Kindsfather and I had the opportunity to attend the Chapter Leadership Symposium held on Saturday just prior to the start of the conference. During this time, we learned the value of a quality membership program to recruit and retain members, even in (and maybe, especially in) these tough economic times. One critical value RMGPA brings to its members is the ability to network so that we can all share cost savings and efficiency ideas with one another. The Symposium also offered time to network with leaders from other chapters – it’s great to steal good ideas from other folks! We also heard from NIGP staff regarding the importance of good financial and legal stewardship for our chapter.

Even though attendance was down for the conference, the first-timers reception on Saturday night was attended by approximately 200 people. The opening event immediately followed the reception, and along with dinner, included the transition in NIGP leadership from Kirk Buffington to the 2009/2010 President, Paul Brannon. I was also honored to be recognized with many of my peers for obtaining my CPPO in the past year. New CPPBs were also recognized. NIGP does a great job of recognizing the effort that we go through to attain professional certification and the importance of these certifications to our profession.

The first full day of the conference, Sunday, started with Meagan Johnson talking about generational differences. As you may have heard – or even experienced - there are four generations in the workplace. The traditionalists, born around the time of the Great Depression and World War II, are the oldest generation working right now. They are followed by the infamous Baby Boomers – the largest generation – who brought us rock-n-roll, civil rights, and saw the first man land on the moon. Next come the Gen-X’ers – the BEST generation! Oh sorry – I’m giving myself away now, aren’t I? Generation X is the smallest group of the four, and is marked by both parents working outside the home which gave us the term, “Latch-Key Kid.” The youngest generation in the workforce is the Millenials. These young’uns are known for being incredibly technologically savvy (remember that they were learning Word and Excel in 1st grade!) and for their ability to work in a team. While Meagan did a great job of pointing out the differences amongst the generations, she made the important point that all along the time spectrum in the workplace, the older generations have used the same terminology to describe their younger counterparts – things like, “lazy,” “disrespectful,” and “naïve” were all used in a 1964 edition of Life magazine to describe the Baby Boomers. Sound familiar?

There were several breakout sessions offered throughout the four days of the conference, but one of the more notable sessions I attended was presented by Eileen Youens, an attorney who works with the School of Government at the University of North Carolina. This session discussed the various legal aspects of local preference policies. For me, this was especially relevant because just prior to attending Forum, the Longmont City Council had given direction to me to create just such a policy for their review and approval. While there have been several cases in all levels of the judicial system about these policies, they have largely been found legal. Certainly, if your agency is interested in implementing such a policy, it is important to consult with legal counsel to ensure a viable policy.

The social highlight for me was the Host Committee Event which was held at the City Museum - one of St. Louis’s undiscovered gems. This museum is actually an eclectic collection of interactive “art” all made from recycled materials. It really is a playground for kids and adults alike. From the spiral tunnels leading from the suspended airplane to the old school bus, to the 7-story slide, there is something for everyone to play in, crawl through, and slide down.

Perhaps most important were the people I met and the information we shared. Oh yeah, and there was that little announcement during the Awards Luncheon about RMGPA being named NIGP’s Large Chapter of the Year… Way to go, RMGPA! We ROCK! Thank you for the opportunity to represent you at the Forum – I look forward to next year!

TT


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2009 Reverse Vendor Trade Show - - A Success! Submitted by Traci Burtnett, CPPO, Chapter Enhancements Committee Chair

ongratulations RMGPA! The 2009 Reverse Vendor Trade Show, hosted at the Greeley Recreation Center on September 17th, generated 300 vendor participants that networked with 37 governmental agencies from all along the Front Range, including the areas of Casper, Wyoming to Falcon, Colorado.

We wish to extend our gratitude to the Platinum level sponsors: UMB Bank Colorado and Rocky Mountain Fire Specialists; Gold level sponsors: JB Henderson Construction, Progressive Roofing, TCPN and Transportation Logistics Management; and the Silver level sponsors: Advanced Exercise Equipment, Colorado Code Consulting, Colorado Heart Rescue, CVI Digital Solutions, Fortenberry & Associates, Gator Rubbish Removal, Gifts of Art-Xelk Visual Communications, K2 Audio, Mark Young Construction, Rocky Mountain Sunscreen, C&D Security and Control Tech USA. The generosity of 18 Vendor Sponsors contributed to the success of the event. It is with their monetary contribution of support that we are able to provide a top-quality event for the Association.

The vendor participants expressed, “Congratulations to you and your team on a very successful Reverse Vendor Fair. The presentation and setup was extremely professional and represented the RMGPA in a very fine light.” And, “This was a great idea and event. I want to encourage everyone to hold trade shows like this one.” It is encouraging to hear the comments from the vendor community of how much this event is appreciated.

We were pleased to recognize the 2009 RVTS participating agencies:

Adams 12 Five Star Schools Adams County Government Adams County School Dist. 50 AIMS Community College Arapahoe County Purchasing Boulder Valley School Dist. Casper College City & County of Denver City of Arvada City of Aurora City of Brighton City of Centennial City of Colorado Springs City of Fort Collins City of Greeley City of Lakewood City of Longmont City of Wheat Ridge

Colorado State University Colo. Dept. of Human Svcs-North Central Colo. Dept. of Personnel & Admin. Colorado Springs School Dist. 11 Colorado State Purchasing Office Colorado State University -Pueblo Denver Public Schools El Paso County Falcon School District 49 Jefferson County Purchasing Jefferson County School Dist. Larimer County Park County Poudre School Dist. South Metro Fire Rescue Authority St. Vrain Valley School Dist. Thompson School Dist. University of Colorado-CU Boulder

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Also, a big Thanks to the volunteers who worked the day of the event: Joyce Newberry, City & County of Broomfield; Phyllis Crow, City of Longmont; Gina Abbott, Lifetime Member-El Paso County, Retired; Nansi Crom, Luis Martinez and Jay Earl, Thompson School District.

The RMGPA agency participant responses have been, “Great Job on the Reverse Vendor Show!!!! I think that I enjoyed this one the most. I liked being able to take time to really talk to each of the vendors.” And, “Great job pulling off another successful RVTS!” The continued success of this event is driven by membership support and Agency participation with the vendor community.

This event immediately benefits membership as portions of the proceeds from the 2009 event were directed to provide 55 members free registration to the 2009 Fall Conference, a Professional Development award of up to $600 was won by St. Vrain Valley School District, and a mini laptop computer was won by Boulder Valley Schools. The Fall Conference keynote speaker, Ava Diamond, donated several of her books to be given away. The winners were: Eileen Gonzales, El Paso County; Tom Thompson, City of Longmont; and Jamie Gott, CSU-Pueblo.

This important annual event is a major revenue generating function supporting the general operations of RMGPA. The remaining net revenue will be distributed toward building an association reserve fund, providing member scholarships, funding the Rewards program, enhancing the RMGPA website, and contributing to quarterly conference Programs and speakers directly for the benefit of RMGPA membership.


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2009 Reverse Vendor Trade Show—Just a few of the many happy faces...

Your Chapter Enhancements Committee thanks you for your participation and continued support of this annual event!

Traci Burtnett, Thompson School Dist.; Marsha Peterson, St. Vrain Valley School Dist.; Steve Rosenthal, North Central Procurement; Pamela Andrade, CU Boulder; Kellie Wooden, St. Vrain

Valley School Dist.; Kathy Budd, Jefferson County; Joyce Newberry, City & County of Broomfield

Farrah Bustamante & Linda Meserve Renee Wersch and John Weber Tracy Roach and Julie Forsyth

Tom Sullivan (left) and a vendor

Steve Rosenthal and Brooke Howard Jamie Gott and Cathy Walkup Tara Norviel and Kathy Boyce

A vendor and Linda Trimble (right) Skeet McCracken and a vendor

Liz Estrada and Jennifer Tierney Liz Dunaway A vendor and Vivian Hartsell (right)


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Achievements - since January 2009

Val Leon Baughman, CPPO Colorado Springs School Dist. #11 Jenny L. Paradis, CPPO Colorado Springs School Dist. #11 Tawnya Bennett, CPPB Metro Wastewater Reclamation District

Deanna l. Case, CPPB Denver Public Schools Ryan Harter, CPPB Denver Public Schools Chester Leroy McCracken, Jr., CPPB Poudre School Dist. R-1

Feedback from Scholarship Recipients Submitted by Sherri Gibson, Education & Professional Development Committee Chair

Congratulations to the following individuals for successfully completing the Universal Public Purchasing Certification Council (UPPCC) certification requirements!

Sherri,

I completed the class yesterday and found it to be a huge benefit for me in my pursuit of CPPB Certification. I have a more clear understanding of the test and the environment. My understanding of how the questions are written and what steps I need to take to eliminate answers to get to the correct one will be of the most benefit to me. I would not have been able to attend this class if it was not for the scholarship program. I am more confident in my abilities to take the test and I understand where I have some weaknesses. Thank you for the opportunity!

Sandy Elliott, Contracting Specialist, City of Colorado Springs/Contracting Division

Hello Sherri,

Without the RMGPA scholarship, I would not have been able to attend the summer conference in Grand Junction. As a first-timer, I realized what I had been missing and will now make it a priority to attend at least one RMGPA event per year. The networking and Colorado-specific sessions were invaluable to me and have made me a better Buyer for my agency. I also realize what a dedicated group of people we have in our chapter and have committed more time to volunteer. Thanks so much for the opportunity!

Diana Wilson, CPPB, Buyer, City of Durango

Sherri,

Thanks again for the scholarship. It was a valuable training.

Our department has instituted a process of “Trip Reports”, meaning that following a trip we have to documents what we got out the training and what we plan on implementing. I really like the idea of flow charting our processes so we can give a visual to our customers. We are also giving Ethics training to our District.

Jenny Paradis, CPPO, Contract Specialist III, Colorado Springs School District 11


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SPOTLIGHT ON RMGPA MEMBER... Farrah Bustamante—Communications Committee hat do you do with a degree in Sociology with a Criminal Justice concentration, and a second degree in Spanish? Why, you

become a Purchasing Agent, of course! At least that’s the direction Farrah Busamante has taken.

While Farrah was obtaining her degrees, she interned at the Colorado State University purchasing office in Fort Collins. The staff liked her so much, upon graduation they encouraged her to apply for a then-open position, and the rest is history. That was 3 years ago and it was a match made in heaven. The staff loves her! And she really likes her job, especially the way the work differs every day. She finds Public Purchasing stimulating and interesting.

Farrah has been married to her husband, Jason, for over a year. He works for the City of Fort Collins, and like Farrah, is an alum of CSU. They

married in Mexico and have a seven-year old Ch ihuahua named Dazzler. Good thing she speaks Spanish; it helps her little dog u n d e r s t a n d h e r commands. In her spare time, Farrah and her husband enjoy fishing the “Miracle Mile” in Wyoming, mountain biking, Nascar, and CSU football games.

Although relatively new to the RMGPA Communications Committee , she has become a valuable member. Farrah intends to pursue her certification in the future, as opportunities permit. We wish her all the best!

WW

Poudre School District R-1 wins Prestigious Award

Poudre School District R-1 has earned the National Purchasing Institute’s 14th Annual Achievement of Excellence in Procurement Award for 2009. Moreover, Poudre School District R-1 is one of only 14 school districts in the US and the only governmental agency in Colorado to receive the award.

The Achievement of Excellence in Procurement award recognizes excellence in procurement organizations that have demonstrated innovation, professionalism, e-procurement, productivity, and leadership attributes of the procurement function.

Congratulations!

RMGPA WINTER CONFERENCE

PET & PEOPLE FOOD DRIVE

December 3 & 4

Antlers Hotel

4 South Cascade Ave

Colorado Springs, CO 80903


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THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN GOVERNMENTAL

PURCHASING ASSOCIATION

Dedicated to Excellence in Public Purchasing

Rocky Mountain

Regional Chapter of

THE LAST WORDTHE LAST WORDTHE LAST WORD

Visit us on the web at www.rmgpa.org

The autumn leaves are a lot like raising kids. First they turn on you, and then they fly away. And next

thing you know, you look out the window and they're back!

Definition: ENGINEER'S ESTIMATE -- The cost of construction in heaven.

May this Autumn be a harvest of happy times for you!


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2009 RMGPA BOARD OF DIRECTORS

STANDING COMMITTEES

POSITION OFFICER E-Mail PHONE

President Terri Kindsfather C.P.I.M., CPPB

[email protected] (303) 987-7673

Vice President Danielle Hinz C.P.M., CPPO


Secretary Mary Jablonski, CPPB [email protected] (970) 613-5149

Treasurer Sharon Williams CPPB


Past President Ed Bonnette C.P.M., CPPB

[email protected]

(970) 221-6775

POSITION CHAIR E-Mail PHONE

Awards Eileen Gonzales CPPO, CPPB

[email protected]

(719) 520-6398

Education & Pro-D

Sherri Gibson [email protected] (303) 245-5941

Elections Linda Meserve CPPB

[email protected]

(970) 491-6611

Historian Linda Trimble, CPPO, CPPB

[email protected]

(303) 235-2811

Legislative Jerel Nielsen CPPO, CPPB

[email protected]

(970) 490-3554

Membership Jim Walker [email protected] (720) 972-4340

Newsletter Marcia Sieben CPPO, CPPB

[email protected]

(303) 271-8591

Programs Ruth Smith CPPO, CPPB


Communica-tions

Tim Wellmann CPPB


Chapter Enhancement

Traci Burtnett CPPO


rocky mountain high notes october, 2009 letter from the ...€¦ · letter from the president...

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