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Procurement Operations Insights
Dustin Lanier, Founder and Principal Consultant, shares seven (7) things he has learned in the last 14 year of building Civic Initiatives.
As procurement professionals respond to multiple disasters, it is a good time to refresh on FEMA and procurement, both during the initial response and then throughout the long recovery ahead.
As procurement professionals support emergency response and recovery during the hurricane season, it is timely to refresh on best practices in disaster response procurement.
Recently, we started a conversation about the significant similarities between government and nonprofit organizations, particularly in the realm of procurement and contract management, where we have the honor of serving both sectors.
Did you know there are over 1.48 million active 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations in the United States? According to the National Council of Nonprofits impact report from a few years ago, they found that almost 32 percent of the funding for non-profits was from Government Grants and Contracts - and that was before ARPA and recent grant programs, so that number is a floor.
Government and non-profit organizations share several similarities, including how public procurement is conducted. Both sectors share the fundamental goal of achieving value for money while fulfilling their missions to serve the public good.
Civic Initiatives YouTube Channel
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, a time dedicated to raising awareness and reducing stigma surrounding mental health. It is crucial to recognize the role that public procurement plays in providing essential services to individuals in need.
2023.10.04: Timely Payments and Public Procurement
Our approach to vendor payments is not just a finance issue - it has a direct impact on the success of our procurement activities. In this article, I delve into the top 7 reasons why making prompt payments to vendors should be a regular topic of interest in public procurement.
2023.08.03: Mindful Measurement: Benchmarking in Public Procurement
There is a quote attributed to quality guru Peter Drucker “What gets measured, gets managed...”
2023.06.15: Don't Cover the Stove In Caution Tape
...one of my favorite analogies when it comes to procurement. I talked about running procurement against guiding principles, about not "covering the stove with caution tape." What is that about? It's understanding that procurement is a tool that if people become afraid of, they will treat it in a particular way - or if they understand it is a tool that has a strategic role, they might run it a different way.
2023.05.30: Building Bridges: Connecting Finance and Procurement Part 2 of 2
A story in five parts:- Procurement is a fully professionalized function (AND)- Finance and Procurement are highly aligned in mission (BUT)- To make Procurement thrive requires the correct support (SO THAT)- Citizens are served with the strongest characteristics of both (HOWEVER)The story has a twist ending if you are “small but mighty”
2023.05.22: Building Bridges: Connecting Finance and Procurement Part 1 of 2
Dustin speaks about connecting finance and procurement at the GFOA conference.
2023.05.17: The Financial Data Transparency Act: Get On The Glidepath
The Financial Data Transparency Act (FDTA) was passed as a part of the National Defense Authorization Act on Dec 23, 2022. Originally a stand-alone bill, it creates requirements for local governments to meet open data standards for financial reporting over a period of several years, with standards established by federal agencies led by the SEC and Treasury.
2023.04.26: Five Keys to Strategic Partnerships
"If you want to go fast, go alone - If you want to go far, go together." African Proverb
Why should any organization – public or private – choose to establish strategic partners instead of building everything in-house? After having run a business for almost 14 years, and supporting procurement shops in strategic thinking, I think it boils down to five tests.
2023.03.30: What's Your Why - Higher Education Public Procurement
2023.01.19: Navigating Staffing Constraints
In a special conference panel with California public procurement leaders, Dustin moderates a solution-oriented conversation covering clever points for human resources and staff retainage.
2022.11.23: Bringing Up the Next Generation of Procurement All-Stars
2022.10.17: Affiliated Experts - a New Program of Service
2022.09.15: Procurement as a Service
With baseline operations and special projects both atop the priority list, how the four profiles utilizing Procurement as a Service are supported unique to their needs model.
