Dear AZ NIGP Members,
July was an exciting month. For the first time EVER, members of the Capitol Chapter were invited, and over 125 folks attended the Copper Chapter Meeting virtually. Along with the general meeting, there was a presentation by a Trial Attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division. The discussion included collusion, bid rigging, and what to look out for as a procurement professional. We are grateful to our sister chapter for the invitation to further collaborate as Arizona procurement professionals.
Our chapter will return the favor on September 16th by inviting the Copper Chapter to OUR Chapter Training Meeting. So save that date too and get registered at our website now! The speaker will be Sean Carroll, the former Chief Procurement Officer for the State of New York. He will be speaking about how to deal with crisis situations. This year has been so cool as we ramp up to increase the collaboration between our two chapters.
We currently have over a dozen procurement professionals that are members of both chapters! They see the value each chapter brings. Both chapters do so much to support the public procurement community and it is sensational that we are so willing to help and work with each other.
NIGP Forum was held July 27-30 in Denver, Colorado and virtually. Arizona had nearly 85 procurement professionals register for the in-person event. Last year, our chapter boasted the most in-person attendees by Chapter and we may be carrying the banner again this year. Congrats to all those that were able to attend in either format. It is not only an opportunity to increase your own professional development but also display our professionalism as public procurement officials!
Special shout out to Lisa Goodman and her Reverse Vendor Trade Show Committee. Our RVTS was honored by NIGP at the President’s Luncheon during Forum. Folks in the audience were extremely impressed as our RVTS accomplishments were described. Our Chapter shows the way again!
Looking forward to the August 5th Career Seminar II which will be in-person only. The Executive Board is working on finding some portable hybrid meeting equipment to allow our in-person meetings to adequately go hybrid at various locations. We want on-line folks to be able to hear, and also not take away from the in-person experience. The goal is to have all in-person meetings be available hybrid by next year. Again, the September 16th Chapter Training Meeting will be held virtually to maximize that attendance.
At that Career Seminar II, our own State Procurement Administrator will be speaking on the topic of, “A Glance into the Future of Statewide Procurement”. Dr. Kristen Hurtado of the Center for Procurement Excellence will also be discussing, “Navigating Procurement Challenges in Service Contracts: Strategies for Success.” We hope to see many of you there. We will also once again be honoring those individuals from our Chapter that successfully completed their certification as CPPB’s and CPPO’s in this spring test cycle.
Finally, remember to check out the calendar on our website to register for upcoming NIGP Courses and opportunities. As always, reach out to me anytime at
Bill Munch for all things AZNIGP!
Thank you for being a part of the Arizona Public Procurement Family…
Sincerely,
Bill Munch, NIGP-CPP, CPPO, CPPB
AZNIGP 2025 President