Inside Public Procurement: Heroic Stories from the Frontlines

How can we build more relationships with small, diverse and historically underutilized organizations? It’s a question many procurement teams are acting on as they realize that supplier diversity isn’t just a social responsibility — it’s a smart business strategy.

Whether you’re launching a vendor diversity program, already have one, or don’t know where to start, this is one episode you don’t want to miss.

In a pre-recorded session with Robert Tatum of the Cayman Islands Government and Sheena Fain of the City of Akron, in conversation with Bonfire’s Director of Client Experience, Rachel Friesen, you’ll discover how both procurement pros launched their own small supplier programs and what they learned along the way, including how to:

• Eliminate barriers to entry for small and diverse suppliers
• Create a process that gives more time back to small business owners (and why that’s the most important currency of all)
• Educate internal stakeholders about vendor diversity
• Conduct outreach that builds trust and taps into the small supplier ecosystem
• Get feedback that helps you move the needle on the things small suppliers care about
• Use Bonfire to support your vendor diversity efforts

You can find this interview, and many more, by subscribing to Inside Public Procurement on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or gobonfire.com/podcast.

Listening on a desktop and can’t see the links? Just search for Inside Public Procurement in your favorite podcast player.

Purpose and priorities. They’re two things employees got serious about during the pandemic. Millions walked away from jobs that didn’t reflect their core values and, as the Great Resignation grinds on, employers are still feeling the pinch — procurement included.

With a growing appetite for purpose-driven work — and so many myths about careers in procurement — how can under-resourced teams attract the best talent?

According to Chris Sheel, Manager of Procurement for the City of Vernon, public procurement has exactly what it takes to win the war. In this episode he sits down with Bonfire CEO Omar Salaymeh for some real talk on the state of recruitment in public sector procurement today.

Chris and Omar discuss:

• The power of core values in public procurement
• How organizations can attract purpose-driven talent
• Why the public sector is uniquely positioned to compete for millennial and Gen Z hearts and minds
• How procurement can meet the needs of internal clients and employees
• The secret to engaged and empathetic leadership
• How eProcurement supports your recruitment strategy

Connect with Chris on LinkedIn.

You can find this interview, and many more, by subscribing to Inside Public Procurement on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or gobonfire.com/podcast.

Listening on a desktop and can’t see the links? Just search for Inside Public Procurement in your favorite podcast player.

If you’re responsible for managing and allocating federal funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), you know it’s an incredible opportunity for communities — and also a massive burden for under-resourced procurement departments.

Between the funding structure, the timelines, and the stringent reporting requirements attached to the money, there’s a lot to juggle. And yet, our latest guests say there are plenty of worthwhile reasons to leverage ARPA funding.

Joel Neaveill and Ken Hillebrand of the Louisville Metro Government have each played a key role in managing Louisville’s $388 million in ARPA funding over the last year. In this previously recorded session, they sit down with Bonfire host Anthony Berry to share some firsthand advice and answer all your questions about ARPA, including:

• Understanding the funding and how it works
• Assembling the right team
• Accessing and managing the money effectively
• Using ARPA funds to support strategic goals
• Preparing for the great project flood
• Meeting compliance and reporting requirements

Connect with Joel and Ken on LinkedIn.

You can find this interview, and many more, by subscribing to Inside Public Procurement on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or gobonfire.com/podcast.

Listening on a desktop and can’t see the links? Just search for Inside Public Procurement in your favorite podcast player.

“You can’t make a sandwich without going to the grocery store,” says Latanya Figueroa. And if you want it to be especially delicious, you need to know where to find the best ingredients.

That’s something procurement professionals do really well. And while sandwiches may be low on their priority list, collectively, public procurement teams source hundreds of thousands of goods and services for their communities. Finding solutions that deliver the best value for taxpayers takes a special set of skills — and chief among them is relationship building.

In this episode, Latanya, who is the Purchasing Manager at Clover Park School District, joins Bonfire host Tuong La to share her philosophy on vendor partnerships — why they matter and how to build stronger relationships with the businesses that help keep your organization running.

Drawing on 25 years of experience in procurement, Latanya dives into these topics and more:

• Why strong partnerships matter
• How getting aligned on mission helps both sides be successful
• Strategies for staying open and improving communication
• The impact of vendor relationships on risk management, pricing, quality, support and transparency

Connect with Latanya on LinkedIn.

You can find this interview, and many more, by subscribing to Inside Public Procurement on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or gobonfire.com/podcast.

Listening on a desktop and can’t see the links? Just search for Inside Public Procurement in your favorite podcast player.

Every day at University Health Network (UHN) in Toronto, some of the most innovative patient care and health research in the world happens. While researchers and clinicians make history, procurement professionals work tirelessly behind the scenes to make it all possible.

Juli Smyth, Senior Strategic Sourcing Specialist at UHN, is one of those people. Her innovative approach to procurement supports cutting-edge healthcare and research — and that’s no easy feat in a space that tends to play it safe.

In this episode of Inside Public Procurement, she joins Bonfire host Tuong La for a deep dive into some of the initiatives she’s spearheaded at UHN, from the use of integrated project delivery (IPD) contract formats to competitive dialogue (CD) with vendors in the procurement process.

Given the challenges of the last two years, Juli also shares the highs and lows of healthcare procurement during the pandemic – including the surprising power of the cold call and the generosity that keeps her going.

Connect with Juli on LinkedIn.

You can find this interview, and many more, by subscribing to Inside Public Procurement on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or gobonfire.com/podcast.

Listening on a desktop and can’t see the links? Just search for Inside Public Procurement in your favorite podcast player.

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 can really throw a wrench in dreams of a collaborative, efficient, and transparent public purchasing process.

For Boyd Donavon, Assistant Purchasing Agent for the County of Ventura, being involved in purchasing decisions and planning means more job satisfaction for his peers, open lines of communication with other departments, and building public trust through open and transparent processes.

As a centerpiece to all of these topics, Boyd champions digital transformation in government agencies and sheds light on the County’s efforts to move to eProcurement in 2019, how that affected them during the pandemic, and why others should make the switch.

In this episode of Inside Public Procurement, listen in on this conversation between Boyd and Bonfire CEO Omar Salaymeh and hear about all of these topics—plus how the County of Ventura’s procurement department became heroes during the pandemic.

You can find this interview, and many more, by subscribing to Inside Public Procurement on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or gobonfire.com/podcast.

Listening on a desktop and can’t see the links? Just search for Inside Public Procurement in your favorite podcast player.

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 respond faster and stronger to the next big challenge.

In this episode of Inside Public Procurement, we’re bringing you a recorded webinar featuring the story of UT Health San Antonio, a leading research university in South Texas.

Even before the pandemic, UT Health San Antonio knew their ability to deliver valuable real-world solutions would be hampered by old approaches to sourcing and purchasing. Training future generations of healthcare professionals and driving breakthroughs in healthcare would require a strong procurement strategy.

Strategic Sourcing Specialist Christopher C. Januszewski describes the journey to implement a digital procurement system and build a strategic sourcing department from the ground up. You’ll learn how eProcurement helped centralize and streamline sourcing for the busy research university—and how it can help your organization do the same.

You can find this interview, and many more, by subscribing to Inside Public Procurement on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or gobonfire.com/podcast.

Listening on a desktop and can’t see the links? Just search for Inside Public Procurement in your favorite podcast player.

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 what he calls a “second life” in public procurement. In just a few years, he climbed a steep learning curve to head up procurement for the second-largest agency in the State of New Mexico.

In this conversation with Bonfire host Rachel Friesen, Gary shares his advice for early career professionals on how to use curiosity, learning, and resourcefulness to succeed in public procurement. And he lets us in on a little secret: true success in procurement isn’t about knowing everything, but knowing where to find it.

Get in touch with Gary at garyo.chavez@state.nm.us

You can find this interview, and many more, by subscribing to Inside Public Procurement on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or gobonfire.com/podcast.

Listening on a desktop and can’t see the links? Just search for Inside Public Procurement in your favorite podcast player.

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 task of keeping everyone happy. It’s unsustainable and ineffective. So how do you break the cycle?

In this episode, we invite Tony De Sciscio, Manager of Procurement and Contracts for the Toronto Public Library, onto the podcast to find out.

Tony shares how North America’s largest library system nails the art of fast, efficient project planning and RFP creation that delivers value to the community. At TPL, a mix of strategic and collaborative tools and processes help the procurement team work with hundreds of internal clients to meet the needs of constituents across the city.

Our conversation connects to some of the big themes we’re exploring in our brand-new eBook, The Procurement Manager’s Guide to Rapid RFP Creation, including:

• The trickle-down effect of poor project planning
• Mitigating stops and starts that compromise project timelines
• How to improve intake processes
• Finding efficiencies during RFP creation
• Using procurement data to make better business decisions

Connect with Tony at tdesciscio@tpl.ca

You can find this interview, and many more, by subscribing to Inside Public Procurement on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or gobonfire.com/podcast.

Listening on a desktop and can’t see the links? Just search for Inside Public Procurement in your favorite podcast player.

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.

Through it all, working hand-in-hand with other Ontario universities has been a major strategic advantage, helping her team drive value, purpose, and impact — even with limited resources.

On the podcast, Sandra joins Bonfire host Tuong La to talk strategic transformation and collaboration. Why is it important in procurement? What does it mean to be a good strategist? And how can collaboration supercharge your strategic power?

We dive into these topics and more:

• Making the strategic shift from purchasing to procurement
• How to plan for an uncertain future
• The strategic advantage of co-opetition
• OUPPMA’s model for working together and raising the profile of procurement 

You can find this interview, and many more, by subscribing to Inside Public Procurement on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or gobonfire.com/podcast.

Listening on a desktop and can’t see the links? Just search for Inside Public Procurement in your favorite podcast player.

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 commitment to improving processes and delivering value to her community led her deeper into the world of public procurement — and how that same growth mindset fuels her work today.

We discuss:

• Disrupting the stereotype of procurement as an “administrative cog”
• Driving efficiency gains with eProcurement
• Evolving from tactical to strategic partners
• The fine balance between accountability and efficiency
• Why “doing things the way they've always been done” will never do

You can find this interview, and many more, by subscribing to Inside Public Procurement on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or gobonfire.com/podcast.

Listening on a desktop and can’t see the links? Just search for Inside Public Procurement in your favorite podcast player.

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 customer service at the forefront.

Join us as we discuss:

• What it was like for Adam to switch to procurement from the public sector
• The importance of focusing on your customers and end users
• How to thrive off of stakeholder feedback
• The search for new ways to utilize technology

You can find this interview, and many more, by subscribing to Inside Public Procurement on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or gobonfire.com/podcast.

Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Inside Public Procurement in your favorite podcast player.

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 Carrie says, that “little children don't dress up as purchasing agents for Halloween,” it’s safe to say she’s carved out an impressive career.

Through it all, she’s seen the profession evolve, processes change, and public purchasing come into its own. In this episode, she sits down with Bonfire CEO Omar Salaymeh to discuss the past, present and future of procurement, including:

• Learning the ropes with some of the country’s strictest procurement laws
• The trouble with being “the department of no” and how to get a seat at the table
• Generational shifts and the evolution of procurement as a profession
• Navigating the eProcurement learning curve and why she’ll never go back

You can find this interview, and many more, by subscribing to Inside Public Procurement on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or gobonfire.com/podcast.

Listening on a desktop and can’t see the links? Just search for Inside Public Procurement in your favorite podcast player.

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 professionals can invest in it today.

We discuss:

• The history of the supplier diversity role
• Who should be considered a diverse supplier
• How you can support diverse suppliers
• How DEI leads to supplier diversity
• The steps for starting a supplier diversity program 

You can find this interview, and many more, by subscribing to Inside Public Procurement on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or gobonfire.com/podcast.

Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Inside Public Procurement in your favorite podcast player.

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 priorities and challenges right now.

Hear lively conversation and thought-provoking ideas from our three expert panelists:

• Michael Brinton, Assistant Director, Contract Compliance Manager, Metropolitan Transportation Commission
• Jennifer Frates, Chief Procurement Officer, Barnstable County
• Omar Salaymeh, CEO, Bonfire

Together, we break down the major findings from the report and explore how public procurement opportunities and challenges evolved alongside the pandemic, impacting everything from project volumes to eProcurement adoption.

Michael, Jennifer, and Omar share real talk about what they see coming next for public procurement processes, strategies, challenges and priorities in 2022 — and how you can be ready.

You can find this interview, and many more, by subscribing to Inside Public Procurement on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or gobonfire.com/podcast.

Listening on a desktop and can’t see the links? Just search for Inside Public Procurement in your favorite podcast player.

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 eProcurement head-on.

We explore both sides of the issue and Craig shares insights from his time working with the City of Lethbridge, Cayman Islands government, and other organizations to improve procurement processes and results.

We discuss:

• Making tough decisions about who should pay for eProcurement
• Negotiating the risks of a vendor paywall
• Strengthening (and repairing) vendor relationships through eProcurement
• Improving processes to keep stakeholders engaged and satisfied
• Choosing the right procurement technology with Craig’s “Amazon test” 

Reach out to Craig at wayfinder@telus.net

You can find this interview, and many more, by subscribing to Inside Public Procurement on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or gobonfire.com/podcast.

Listening on a desktop and can’t see the links? Just search for Inside Public Procurement in your favorite podcast player.

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 show to explain how private and public procurement compare and what they can learn from each other.

Topics covered:

• Strategies for evaluating proposals that go beyond price and lead time
• How each approaches established project bidders lists
• The universal value of ethics and fairness
• Building a bridge between public and private procurement 

You can find this interview, and many more, by subscribing to Inside Public Procurement on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or gobonfire.com/podcast.

Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Inside Public Procurement in your favorite podcast player.

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, Team Lead, Contracting & Procurement Services & Document Management at WCB Alberta, will help you get off on the right foot. A supply chain management guru, Kristina joins the show to share the secrets you need to know.

In this episode, we discuss:

• How the pandemic woke people up to the importance of supply chain management
• How to approach strategic transformation in your industry
• How to approach procurement ethics

You can find this interview, and many more, by subscribing to Inside Public Procurement on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or gobonfire.com/podcast.

Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Inside Public Procurement in your favorite podcast player.

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 streamlined processes in his department and allowed him to focus on the important pieces of the RFP process.

We discuss:

• The benefits of eProcurement
• Running an efficient RFP process
• Managing multiple procurements
• The two components of contract management
• The importance of training

Reach out to Tyler at tyler.liu@icbc.com.

You can find this interview, and many more, by subscribing to Inside Public Procurement on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or gobonfire.com/podcast.

Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Inside Public Procurement in your favorite podcast player.

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 you win over stakeholders and improve compliance across the board.

We discuss:

• Making the transition from school districts to municipalities
• Why compliance is so important
• Navigating stakeholders and getting buy-in
• How eProcurement has been game-changing in their purchasing decisions

Reach out to Peggy at pferrin@paradisevalleyaz.gov.

You can find this interview, and many more, by subscribing to Inside Public Procurement on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or gobonfire.com/podcast.

Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Inside Public Procurement in your favorite podcast player.