The Boilerplate

Oregon Public Purchasing Association currently has 486 active members! OPPA seeks to benefit the public procurement profession and increase its members' values to their employers through education, networking, outreach and established programs.

The Program Chair, Christine Moody, along with a huge team of volunteers, put together several events in 2019: January Workshop, the spring Regional Conference, where we invited all the members of Area 8 NIGP Chapters to attend, and the Fall Conference. All were highly attended and extremely successful. We recorded many of the events and have published these on our OPPA Youtube.com

channel for our members benefit.

The Professional Development Chair, Jennifer Huston, with her team of volunteers, successfully provided the

best education and training opportunities for our members throughout the year.

The Mentorship Committee’s Tomorrows Teachers/Master Class, Tara Maffeo and Tracy Fisher, and their

team of volunteers successfully cultivated another group of graduates of new trainers.

The Membership Committee submitted OPPA membership documentation for required Chapter reporting to

NIGP; we have about 343 dual members (these are members of both NIGP & OPPA), 137 OPPA only

members. OPPA encourages those that aren’t NIPG members to become a member: the costs are

recuperated quickly when taking NIGP courses when paying the member fee vs non-member fee. One of the

benefits of NIGP Membership in 2019 was the brand-new program NIGPs VCON. This event was a big

success…procurement professionals from across the world attended this virtual conference. Another benefit:

in 2019 NIGP has launched a brand-new Professional Development + Credentialing program-please check

out this YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbwXtk_1k78&feature=youtu.be. This is a

fantastic way for you to get recognition and certification at your own pace.

March is typically Procurement Month, which OPPA celebrated with the Oregon Governor’s proclamation…

and OPPA also proclaimed March 13 as Professional Buyer’s Day.

Early in the year, the Communications Chair, Emilie Schulhoff, set up an OPPA Instagram account

(oppaoregon) and updated the OPPA Facebook page (Oregon Public Purchasing Association).

In October, OPPA and Columbia Chapter held another hugely successful Reverse Vendor Trade Show. A huge thank you to RVTS Chair, Diane Seaton, and her large team of volunteers from OPPA and Columbia

Chapter; it takes a community to put that event on, and you all knocked it out of the park.

OPPA celebrated 50 years in 2019. During the Fall Conference, we had many past presidents of OPPA attend the Awards Banquet, Jeff Baer, Gail Carter, Rob Rickard, Craig Johnsen, Kim O’Neil, Diane

Murzynski, Christine Moody, and Donnell Fowler – it was really great to have all of them there.

As always, keep an eye on our website, Facebook and Instagram for all OPPA and NIGP educational and

professional growth and networking opportunities.

I’m looking forward to 2020, and your new OPPA leadership team: Camber Schlag President, Stephanie

Lehman Vice President, Kaliska King Treasurer, and Bethany Wachtler Secretary!

Sincerely,

Eric Wicks, CPPB

OPPA President

President’s Message What’s Inside

President’s Message Pg. 1

eProcurement & UPPCC

Pg. 2

NIGP Forum Pg. 3

NIGP Forum Pg. 4

Holiday Safety and Wellness

Pg. 5

Giving Campaign Pg. 6

Member’s Corner Pg. 7

Volume 10, Issue 1 Dec 2019

P A G E 2

Is eProcurement the Next Step in Government Purchasing?

It can be challenging to implement a new centralized system. The changes can be uncomfortable. They can test our abilities

and our nerves. However, we deserve the best tools to do our jobs as efficiently as possible, and the taxpayers deserve the

best bang for their tax dollars.

With a new software system, there are a lot of unknowns: How do I do my job? Why isn’t this working the way I thought it’s

supposed to? Why doesn’t this system know what I want it to do and just do it? Then again, there are a lot of things that go

right and even surprise us: Wow, I’ve been doing this the hard way for two weeks, and now I can just hit this button and the

system does it for me?

Looking at this issue from the taxpayer perspective, eProcurement is a win-win. People in the private sector are using, or

are moving to, centralized systems. Have you ever ordered groceries, motor oil and grandma’s birthday present all from the

same online retailer? Taxpayers expect to be able to access agency departments via the internet, so we will eventually need

to move to that level of transparency. Isn’t that what we’re moving towards anyway: greater transparency? Taxpayers

expect government agencies to use tax dollars as efficiently as possible and to be as transparent as possible.

Here are some facts: having multiple shadow systems decreases efficiency and increases the possibility of human error. A

centralized system leads to increased efficiency and transparency.

UPPCC Announces New Recipients Of The CPPO and CPPB Herndon, VA - July 8, 2019 - The Universal Public Procurement Certification Council (UPPCC) is pleased to announce and congratulate the 139 individuals who have successfully completed the spring 2019 UPPCC certification examinations.

The highly coveted Certified Public Procurement Officer (CPPO) and Certified Professional Public Buyer (CPPB) credentials, are recognized throughout the public procurement profession and demonstrate an individual's comprehensive mastery of public procurement. The CPPO and CPPB are widely recognized as the industry standard.

Of the newly certified individuals, 114 earned the CPPB certification and 25 earned the CPPO certification. This newest class of professionals brings the total number of certified CPPBs to 10,634 and CPPOs to 2,839. View the complete list of all newly certified individuals from the May 2019 exams at www.uppcc.org/May-2019.

UPPCC is currently accepting online application submissions for the October 14 - 26, 2019 testing window. Visit UPPCC's web site for upcoming deadlines and registration information at www.uppcc.org.

Stay current! Be sure to update your MyUPPCC contact information to ensure that you receive all news and updates regarding your certification from UPPCC. And, even if you are not certified, but considering it, set up a new MyUPPPC account, so that you can receive all information and updates regarding certification!

About the UPPCC

The Universal Public Procurement Certification Council (UPPCC) is an independent entity formed to govern and administer the Certified Public Procurement Officer (CPPO) and Certified Professional Public Buyer (CPPB) certification programs. The CPPO and CPPB programs are highly regarded and respected among procurement professionals and employers involved in the public sector.To date, the UPPCC has certified well over 10,000 professionals primarily within the US and Canada as well as in other nations around the globe

P A G E 3

2019 NIGP Forum and Products Exposition

OPPA and its Members competed strong and came out with the following awards and recognition at the 2019 NIGP Forum in Austin, Texas.

CONGRATULATIONS to Diane Murzynski, CPPO, CPPB, OPBC (City of Albany) NIGP's 2019 BUYER OF THE YEAR!

CONGRATULATIONS OPPA, recipient of the

NIGP 2019 Excellence in Education and

Professional Development award!

KEVIN YIN was also recognized for his

Leadership and Service for Oregon and

Region 8

P A G E 4

2019 NIGP Forum and Products Exposition

CONGRATULATIONS to our sister Chapter, Columbia Chapter

NIGP's 2019 Medium Chapter of the Year award winner!

P A G E 5

Holiday Safety & Wellness

Winterize your home: install weather stripping, insulation and

storm windows; insulate water lines that run along the exterior

walls; clean out gutters and repair roof leaks.

Check your heating system: have it serviced professionally to

be sure it is clean, working properly and ventilated to the outside;

inspect and clean fireplaces and chimneys; install smoke & carbon

monoxide detectors; have a safe, alternate heating source

Outdoor Precautions: wear appropriate outdoor clothing-a

tightly woven, wind-resistant coat/jacket, inner layers of light,

warm clothing, mittens, hats, scarves and waterproof boots;

sprinkle cat litter, sand or rock salt on icy spots; work slowly when

doing outside chores; carry your cell phone; and for outdoor

recreation- take a buddy and an emergency kit.

Winterize Your Home and Outdoor Precautions

Holiday Safety Tips

Bring your pets inside; if you can’t bring

them inside, make sure they have a

warm, dry, draft-free shelter, plenty of

food and lots of water.

Check on family, friends & neighbors who

are at risk from cold weather (such as

older adults, young children and those

who are ill).

Injuries and accidents can happen at any time, but the holidays and

winter bring activities that can increase the risk. Being aware of

seasonal safety concerns can help you better protect yourself and

your family.

Be Aware of Fire Hazards: winter is the most common time for

residential fires. Don’t leave fireplaces, grills, stoves or candles

unattended. Keep candles away from flammable materials, chil-

dren and pets; make sure your smoke alarm and carbon monoxide

detectors work.

Stay Injury Free: use a step stool if you are hanging decorations

inside or outside your home (don’t stand on furniture).

Take Precautions with Food: don’t gamble with food safety, take

time to handle and prepare food properly.

Drive Safely: drinking & driving rates usually increase over the

holidays so take precautions-If you plan to drink, make sure you

have a ride home; if you are driving, do NOT drink and take extra

caution on the roads; wear your seatbelt.

National Handwashing Awareness Week - Dec 2-8

The purpose of National Handwashing

Awareness Week is to promote how to

keep ourselves and others healthy by

washing our hands and washing them

often. It is very important during key

times like “cold and flu” season and the

holidays.

Step 1 is to develop hand awareness: see the principles

below.

Wash your hands when they are dirty and before eating

Do not cough into your hands

Do not sneeze into your hands

Above all, do not put your fingers in your eyes, nose or

mouth

Step 2-Wash your hands often to stay healthy

Before, during and after preparing food

Before eating food

Before and after caring for someone who is sick

Before and after treating a cut or wound

After blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing

After using the restroom

After touching an animal, animal feed, animal waste

and/or garbage

How to wash your hands “the right way”

1. Wet your hands with clean, running water (warm or

cold), turn off the water and apply soap

2. Rub your hands together with the soap creating a lather.

Make sure to lather the back of your hands, between

your fingers and under your nails.

3. Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds (Need a timer?

Hum the happy birthday song twice)

4. Rinse your hands well under clean, running water.

5. Dry your hands using a clean towel or air dry them.

P A G E 6

Member’s Corner

Is your OPPA profile current?

Life events:

Obtained your CPPO/CPPB

Changed your last name

Retiring

Changed employers

Have a new position

Became a member of NIGP

Become an OPPA Board member

If so, please take a minute to update your OPPA profile at www.oppaweb.org

MemberConnect Looking for advice or opinions from your colleagues in the procurement profession? Need some assistance with creating specifications, but don't want to re-invent the wheel? Here's where you get help. Our MemberConnect service is a List Serve that automatically forwards email from you to members who have subscribed to the service. Replies are also distributed to subscribers; it's a great way to share ideas and learn how other purchasing professionals deal with challenging situations.

To subscribe or unsubscribe from OPPA's MemberConnect go to: https://www.oppaweb.org/insidepages/connect/index.cfm?#memberconnect

Are your certifications expiring? Did you know that all of your OPPA training certificates are in your profile History?

You can also enter any other training you have taken into your profile so you have it all in one place when you go to re-certify.

If you need copies of OPPA agendas for your recertification, you can find these from the Home page under Documents and Files, then Conference Agendas.

Retiring but still want to be involved? Did you know that OPPA has a Retired Membership status? This allows you to remain part of OPPA even after you retire so that you can stay involved, volunteer on committees, and even become a Mentor for other members.

Retired members are:

Exempt from dues

Ineligible to run for any position on the Board

Eligible to serve on any committee

Have the same voting rights of a regular member.

NIGP offers an Associate Membership for Retired members and the UPPCC has a process for Retired status to maintain your CPPB and CPPO certifications: https://www.uppcc.org/Recertification