the In-Voice Kentucky Public Procurement Association December 2014 Volume 35, Issue 3 Special Interest Articles Look Back at the 29 th Annual Forum & Expo First Timer Feedback From the President’s Pen Silent Auction 2014 Hear Yea, Hear Yea Here Are The 2015 Classes Join A Committee Your KPPA Board 2014 KPPA Award Winners First Place Essay 2014 KPPA Manager of the Year Nomination Form 2014 Buyer of the Year Nomination Form Section Highlights Q & A Tips, Trivia & Thoughts 3 Personality of the Quarter 6 Local Government News Members on the Move 7 Dates to Remember 11 About Our Organization 11 LOOK BACK AT THE 29 th ANNUAL FORUM & EXPO By Felicia Biggerstaff (CHFS) This year at the 2014 KPPA Forum procurement professionals took a walk down Procurement Street in Louisville, KY. Larry Johnson began our journey with the topic of mastering the storm of change. Don Buffum, CPPO, the 2014-2015 NIGP President navigated us onward through emergency procurements, choosing the right type of bidding process, and told us what was happening with NIGP. Another one of NIGP’s favorite gals, Barb Johnson, CPPO, CPPB, steered us further down the alley into scandals and headlines. While a variety of numerous other speakers kept us busy through the first block of Procurement Street, our second block became even more engaging. On Silent Auction Lane there were baskets galore for bidding. Buyers challenged each other for great items and helped to raise money for KPPA. Networking with vendors on Products Exposition and Luncheon Boulevard was a key objective during the conference. The vendor exposition and luncheon was fun for both vendors and buyers; it included a race car, flashing lights, construction equipment, food, and games. Speaking of fun, Tom Mabe entertained us with his comical charms for an evening that left everyone feeling energized and ready to take on the most spirited telemarketer. The KPPA conference had everything for the procurement professional. It provided direction for the beginning buyer, as well as developmental opportunities for the experienced professional. The annual KPPA conference provides every Kentucky Procurement Professional opportunities in education, networking and the most up to date Finance directives. Be sure to mark your calendar for next year’s conference. Keynote Speaker Larry Johnson addresses forum attendees on Wednesday morning. NIGP dignitary Barb Johnson and KPPA President Ben McCray visit with vendors during the Expo on Thursday. Tom Mabe entertained a group at the networking event on Thursday evening.
Transcript
the In-Voice Kentucky Public Procurement Association December 2014
Volume 35, Issue 3
Special Interest Articles
Look Back at the 29th Annual Forum & Expo
First Timer Feedback
From the President’s Pen
Silent Auction 2014
Hear Yea, Hear Yea Here Are The 2015 Classes
Join A Committee
Your KPPA Board
2014 KPPA Award Winners
First Place Essay
2014 KPPA Manager of the Year Nomination Form
2014 Buyer of the Year Nomination Form
Section Highlights
Q & A
Tips, Trivia & Thoughts 3
Personality of the Quarter 6
Local Government News
Members on the Move 7
Dates to Remember 11
About Our Organization 11
LOOK BACK AT THE 29th ANNUAL FORUM & EXPO
By Felicia Biggerstaff (CHFS) This year at the 2014 KPPA Forum procurement professionals took a walk down Procurement Street in Louisville, KY. Larry Johnson began our journey with the topic of mastering the storm of change. Don Buffum, CPPO, the 2014-2015 NIGP President navigated us onward through emergency procurements, choosing the right type of bidding process, and told us what was happening with NIGP. Another one of NIGP’s favorite gals, Barb Johnson, CPPO, CPPB, steered us further down the alley into scandals and headlines. While a variety of numerous
other speakers kept us busy through the first block of Procurement Street, our second block became even more engaging. On Silent Auction Lane there were baskets galore for bidding. Buyers challenged each other for great items and helped to raise money for KPPA. Networking with vendors on
Products Exposition and Luncheon Boulevard was a key objective during the conference. The vendor
exposition and luncheon was fun for both vendors and buyers; it included a race car, flashing lights, construction equipment, food, and games. Speaking of fun, Tom Mabe entertained us with his comical charms for an evening that left everyone feeling energized and ready to take on the most spirited telemarketer. The KPPA conference had everything for the procurement professional. It provided direction for the beginning buyer, as well as developmental opportunities for the experienced professional. The annual KPPA conference provides every Kentucky Procurement Professional opportunities in education, networking and the most up to date Finance directives. Be sure to mark your calendar for next year’s conference.
Keynote Speaker Larry Johnson addresses forum attendees on Wednesday morning.
NIGP dignitary Barb Johnson and KPPA President Ben McCray visit with vendors during the Expo on Thursday.
Tom Mabe entertained a group at the networking event on Thursday evening.
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Louisville Water Company Procurement Staff (L-R.: Carol Lyons – Procurement Supervisor, Renee Fromme –
Buyer II, and Robin Heitz – Buyer I)
FIRST TIMER FEEDBACK I thoroughly enjoyed my first KPPA Conference. I am already looking forward to next year’s conference and joining one of the committees! At the first timer’s meeting a staff member said to me, “This conference will be the best one you have ever been to” and I couldn’t agree more. The KPPA staff, sessions, location, and hotel atmosphere were awesome! The speakers and classes were all relevant to the issues we deal with on a daily basis. I especially enjoyed the final speaker whom I found to be very entertaining and engaging. His stories, humor, and vivacity were contagious! I would like to also to extend a big thank you for making a first timer like me feel welcomed! - Brichelle Hall (CHFS, BHDID-Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities) This was the first time for my staff and I to attend the KPPA Forum & Expo. The Forum & Expo was very organized. Everyone was very nice and friendly to us first timers. We were able to meet and network with many Procurement professionals. The education sessions were helpful and gave us further insight on Public Procurement. I believe that my staff and I will be able to draw on the sessions and be able to bring back some of the knowledge to our daily job and life. We enjoyed the KPPA Forum & Expo, and plan to come back in future years. - Carol Lyons (Louisville Water Company)
FROM THE PRESIDENT’S PEN Is it just me or has 2014 flown by??? I wanted to thank the Board of Directors and each of our members that served on committees once again for helping make it a great year for KPPA. I am looking forward to serving as President for 2015 which will be the 30th Anniversary for KPPA. While we have said good bye to Carolyn and Ken as they completed their terms on the Board, I know they will continue to be involved. I also want to thank Denise for the time she served on the Board. I am excited to have Pamela Canary and LaDonna Purcell joining the Board of Directors to provide more diversity to our organization and give us additional perspective from local
governments and universities. I am also pleased to have Laura Hagen back as a Board member. She has worked very hard for the last two conferences to help make our vendor expo a success. We have already started to make plans for all of our 2015 events. I welcome suggestions from each of you so that we can continue to make KPPA better for years to come. I also want to encourage everyone to get involved by serving on a committee. It is a huge task to make these events happen and help is always needed.
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TIPS, TRIVIA, AND THOUGHTS Grammar Tip: Dew, Do, Doo and Due The original pronunciation of “dew” and “due” rhymed with “pew”, but American pronunciation has shifted towards sounding all of these words alike, and the result is much confusion in standard phrases. On a damp morning there is dew on the grass. Doo on the grass is the result of failing to pick up after your dog. The most common confusion is substituting “do” for “due” (owing) in phrases like “credit is due,” “due to circumstances,” and “bill is due.” “Do” is normally a verb, but it can be a noun with meanings like “dos and don’ts.”
SILENT AUCTION 2014 First of all we would like to thank all the Vendors, Agencies and Individuals that donated items that helped make our event such a success. We also appreciate everyone that helped at the auction in any way; we could not be successful without all of you. The retail value of items donated this year totaled $8,190.75, and we earned $3,259.00 through the auction. Special thanks to Missy Jeffers, GAPS, and 21C Hotel for donating the items that generated the most revenue in their donor type category.
Missy donated items (Nurium and a Stella & Dot purse) retailed at $300.00 and generated winning bids totaling $94.00. GAPS donated an item (a Gift card Bouquet) totaling $195.00 with a winning bid of $125.00. 21C Hotel donated a one night stay for 2 with dinner and breakfast at Proof on Main
with a retail value of $695.00 and we received a winning bid of $200.00. The Silent Auction is a fun and exciting way to raise funds that are used to help maintain educational levels and provide informative seminars to enhance our performance in public procurement. I'm not sure which is more fun---watching people "scout out" the room as they place bids, while other hide under the table and jump out to write down the "winning bid" or the joy on the face of the onlookers as the bidders "fight to the end, to win". Next year we will strive to make the Silent Auction more adventurous, so please start thinking about items/experiences you would like to see in the 2015 auction. Many vendors make donations to events based on first come first serve; therefore, asking in January instead of May for a donation could possibly work to our advantage. Thanks again to all and Happy Bidding next year!
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HEAR YEA, HEAR YEA HERE ARE THE 2015 CLASSES
KPPA is working with NIGP to schedule a total of 10, yes 10, classes for 2015. NEVER BEFORE HAS KPPA UNDERTAKEN SUCH AN ENORMOUS TASK REGARDING PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION. At this time, you can sign up for 4 classes. As a reminder, NIGP offers an early registration discount of $25 if you register more than 60 days prior to the class start date. There is a $50 day late fee if you register within the last 30 days of the class start date. The registration fee for the 3-day class is $670 and the 2-day class is $480. At this time, KPPA will not be offering reimbursement for these classes. All classes will be held in Frankfort. There is a well kept secret to registering. REGISTER NOW!!!!! You can help make the class a “GO”. All to often members will go to the NIGP website and see that there are 0, 2, or 5 people signed up for the class and then they say ”well I’ll wait until there is a class AND THEN I’ll sign up.” The real problem to this is that everyone waits until there IS a class and then there ISN’T a class (because no one signed up). Sign up early so that the class WILL happen. NIGP requires a minimum of 8 students for these classes. These 4 classes are scheduled with an Instructor and are on the NIGP website at http://www.nigp.org/eweb/StartPage.aspx?Site=NIGP&webcode=SemSched INTRODUCTION TO PUBLIC PROCUREMENT MAR 18-20 (WED-FRI) DEVELOPING & MANAGING RFPS APR 15-17 (WED-FRI) CPPB PREP APR 21-22 (TUE-WED) CPPO PREP APR 23-24 (THU-FRI) NIGP is in the process of scheduling the other 6 classes below with our requested dates. The dates are tentative until an Instructor is assigned. Please check the NIGP website to check on when they are added. CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR JUL 15-17 (WED-FRI) LEGAL ASPECTS OF PUBLIC PROCUREMENT AUG 19-21 (WED-FRI) STRATEGIC PROCUREMENT PLANNING SEP 16-18 (WED-FRI) SOURCING IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR NOV 4-6 (WED-FRI) CONTRACTING FOR CONSTRUCTION SERVICES AUG 13-14 (THU-FRI) GET WHAT YOU NEED THROUGH SUCCESSFUL OCT 29-30 (THU-FRI) NEGOTIATION STRATEGIES NIGP Forum at Kansas City, MO Aug 1-5, 2015 KPPA Forum in Louisville, Oct 10-14, 2015
JOIN A COMMITTEE An organization is only as strong as those members who support its goals. Through the efforts of our committees, we continue to serve our membership and enhance an environment of professional development.
We need your time and talent to continue our success. If you can help, log on to the KPPA website (www.kppanigp.org) and click the
“Committees/Volunteers” link and the "Join this committee" link.
KPPA In-Voice Volume 35 Number 3 December 2014
6 PERSONALITY OF THE QUARTER
Peggy Stratton, Director of the Division of Purchases for the Transportation Cabinet, began her career in the Department of Revenue Inheritance Tax Branch. In 1989 Peggy came to the Transportation Cabinet with Motor Vehicle Licensing. Peggy started with the Division of Purchases in 1991 and through the years worked her way from administrative roles to Branch Manager then to Assistant Director. In 2008 she was hired as the Director of Purchases. Under Peggy’s direction KYTC procured necessary goods and services to survive the 2009 Ice Storm, Hurricane Ike, tornadoes and many floods. Peggy lives in Lawrenceburg with her husband Tim and son Kyle. She is an avid gardener and enjoys spending time with friends and family. Please join the Division of Purchases on December 22, 2014 from 2:00-4:00 in the Mero Street Café to wish Peggy well on her retirement. Peggy has requested no gifts - feel free to bring cards with words of encouragement and well wishes.
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Please contact ? if you know of a KPPA member who has recently received an award, certification, or promotion and would like to be recognized in the newsletter. We want to recognize all accomplishments of our members!
MEMBERS IN MOTION
After 25+ years of service Peggy Stratton, Director of the Division of Purchases for the Transportation Cabinet, will be retiring December 31, 2014.
Congratulations to Don Speer (Finance and Administration Cabinet, Office of Procurement Services) who became a grandpa on October 24th when Elias Graham Speer arrived at 4:54 pm. Elias was 7 lbs., 3 oz., and 21 inches.
Brittany Burton joined the Transportation Cabinet, Division of Purchases October 1st. She came from the Department of Corrections. Russell Lewis Curry thoroughly enjoyed his first KPPA Forum. He is the son of Amy Monroe (CHFS-OATS) and was born September 4th at 12:05 pm. Russ was 7 lbs., 6 oz., and 20 inches. CHFS-OATS, Division of Procurement got two new employees in July. Erin Egan moved from KYTC on July 1st where she had been for 6 years and Lana Durbin came from CHFS-Hazelwood on July 16th where she had worked for 14 ½ years.
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YOUR KPPA BOARD
NEWLY ELECTED OFFICERS Ben McCray, CPPB – President Stacy Phillips, CPPO, CPPB – Vice President Amanda Greer, CPPO, CPPB, MBA – Secretary Kathy Robinson, CPPO, CPPB – Treasurer NEWLY ELECTED BOARD MEMBERS LaDonna Purcell Laura Hagen Lindsay Jackson (Reelected) Kathy Robinson (Reelected) Pamela Canary
KPPA President Ben McCray presented the outgoing KPPA Board Members with a KPPA Tervis as a thank you for their hard work and
dedication while serving on the Board of Directors. (L-R: Ken Koester, Carolyn Turner, Denise Finn, & Ben McCray)
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2014 KPPA AWARD WINNERS
2014 KPPA Manager of the Year Jacqueline (Jackie) Watkins, CPPO, CPPB, accepts award with Department of Military Affairs staff.
KPPA President Ben McCray and Denise Finn present the 2014 KPPA Buyer of the Year award to Laura Hagan, CPPO, CPPB.
LaDonna Purcell, CPPO, CPPB, accepts the 2014 Agency of the Year on behalf of the Morehead State University Procurement Services.
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FIRST PLACE ESSAY Leadership in the 21st Century – What Does It Mean To You?
By: Claudette Tracy (CHFS) Leadership is a vital role in any successful organization. Webster’s Dictionary defines leadership as “the power or ability to lead other people; capacity to lead.” But, what does that look like for the 21
st Century
workforce? Today’s successful business leader possesses the ability to embrace change, to interact with and value people within the organization, and to learn and receive new technology.
“The entrepreneur always searches for change, responds to it, and exploits it as an opportunity” – Peter Drucker. We live in a world where change is the norm. Complacency will hold an organization back from success. A 21
st Century leader needs to cultivate a positive attitude towards change. Staff needs to feel
safe about the changes in their environment. The workforce lives in a constantly changing business environment and to succeed, the 21
st Century leader needs to be able to change with it. This can include
giving up certain practices that have caused great success in the past. Great leaders will need to know what should change at a company and what can’t be altered without negative consequences. A great leader will also need to be resilient.
This leads to the second point which is learning to interact with and value people within the organization. A good leader will encourage conversation and differing opinions. You want to be open-minded to other ideas. “Today’s successful business leader is decisive, insightful and constantly challenging company conventions to keep ideas flowing,” says management consultant Mark Stevens, author of Your Management Sucks. One idea is to conduct research to identify barriers in the workplace allowing employees to identify ways of improvement. This also allows companies to measure how willing their employees are to the changes. This will help identify how successful these changes will be once in place. Anyone can say they value their employees, but actions may say otherwise. Organizations that value their customers have a much higher success rate than those that do not. By utilizing each employee’s input, they are given a voice and feel validated. Show your appreciation for others. When you value and respect your employees, they will in turn value and respect you. This allows them to know you can be trusted and the changes you install have been thought out and are for the good of the entire organization.
Lastly is the value in technology. Technology is changing and evolving every single day. Technology allows the successful leader to be more effective and efficient in their work. Ruth Mayhew’s article entitled “How Is Technology Impacting the Changes in the 21
st Century Workplace?” states “Technology’s
huge impact on globalization enables companies of all sizes to do business with customers all over the world.” Technology has become such an important part of our lives. It allows efficiency and effectiveness which in turn can result in higher profits. Karehka Ramey, of useoftechnolgy.com, states that technology can improve communication, encourage innovation and creativity, improve the human resource management, and save time, as well as create mobility.
Bruce Lee is quoted as saying “Absorb what is useful, reject what is useless, add what is specifically your own.” This quote is very true for today’s leader. They need to take what is useful in his/her organization, use it to project the organization to the top and allow what is ineffective to go by the wayside. Allow staff to show you what they see as most beneficial to them and see where their ideas can be incorporated into the workflow. Use technology in a way that increases these things and makes the organization “top of the class”. You will then be on your way to a successful 21
st century leader.
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Dates to Remember
December Dec 25-26 – Christmas State Holiday January Jan 1-2 – New Year State Holiday Jan 14 – NIGP Webinar: Non-Responsive Suppliers Jan 19 – Martin Luther King Jr. State Holiday Jan 12 – NIGP Online Course Start Date: Contract Administration in the Public Sector Online Jan 20 – NIGP Online Course Start Date: Legal Aspects of Public Procurement Online Jan 28 – NIGP Online Course Start Date: CPPB Prep Online February Feb 9 – NIGP Online Course Start Date: CPPO Prep Online Feb 17 – NIGP Online Course Start Date: Developing & Managing Requests for Proposals Feb 25 – NIGP Webinar: Sole Sources – Contracting without Competition March March 2 – NIGP Online Course Start Date: Strategic Procurement Planning in Public Sector March 18-20 – NIGP Class presented by KPPA: Introduction to Public Procurement
About Our Organization
We’re on the Web! See us at: http://kppanigp.org
The Kentucky Public Procurement Association (KPPA) was established in May of 1985 as the statewide chapter affiliate of the National Institute of Governmental Purchasing and chartered in October of 1990.
Membership Eligibility: Kentucky Public Procurement Association (KPPA) membership is open to all public officials (elected and non-elected), agents, officers and employees of the Commonwealth of Kentucky and it's political subdivision, school districts, and city and county governments. No membership dues are assessed, as established by KPPA by-laws. The Purpose of KPPA is to: • Promote and encourage professional development and competence through continuing
education, seminars and training of public officials; • Promote cooperation and understanding among public agencies and officials; • Provide a professional forum for the exchange of ideas, research, and experiences
among public procurement officials; • Support and promote continuing improvements in the field of public procurement; • Support the principles and concepts of effective competition, increased public confidence
and equitable treatment of all persons involved in public procurement, and; • Support ongoing improvements in public procurement through seminars and technical
workshops; ********************************************************************************************************************************************* To contribute information, make suggestions on content, or provide comments please contact the KPPA Newsletter Committee members.
Amy Monroe (Chair) David Hecker Kelly McKenzie Felicia Biggerstaff Lynne McCroskey Jackie Watkins
Jackie earned her CPPB certification in 1993 and her CPPO certification in 2009. Jackie has earned recertification of her CPPB five times and her CPPO recertification once. Her dual certifications are valid through
2018. Years of Public Procurement Experience
23 ½ Years
Contributions to purchasing (i.e., initiation of innovative concepts, assistance with implementation of new ideas, serve as a member of a special task force or agency team, etc.)
Since accepting her procurement management position with the Department of Military Affairs (DMA) Facilities Division Jackie has implemented a process to ensure segregation of duties within her branch. Prior to Jackie working for DMA, the Facilities Division buyer processed both the contracts and the payments for the same contracts. Jackie implemented a change to cross train employees to ensure that the same staff no longer processes a payment against a contract they have initiated. Jackie worked with staff to identify multiple purchases to the same vendor in order to avoid split purchasing and work towards the establishment of state contracts. Jackie has provided training to federal and state employees on personal service contracts and memorandums of agreement. Jackie has coordinated trainings on the application of funding codes to various procurement and training documents in eMARS to avoid future funding inconsistencies and implement change. Jackie has been assigned as the DMA Facilities point of contact for the current APA Audit of the federal cooperative agreements. Prior to accepting the position in DMA, Jackie had developed and presented a PowerPoint training presentation to the attorneys in the Cabinet for Health and Family Services in 2014 on eMARS and Government Contract Review Committee requirements for MOA’s and PSC’s. Jackie had served as the Cabinet for Health and Family Services’ liaison between
the Legislative Research Commission Program Review and Investigations Committee and CHFS departments for the Personal Services Contract Audit. In this role, Jackie reviewed, revised and compiled department responses to audit findings and communicated them to the Program Review and Investigation Committee. Jackie also testified before Kentucky legislators concerning questions regarding the LRC Audit Report.
Contributions to professional development (i.e., publication of an article on purchasing, served as a trainer or assisted in seminar training, etc.)
Jackie Watkins serves on the UPPCC CPPO Board of Examiners and in this position she regularly reviews and evaluates draft CPPO exam questions to improve the quality of the
CPPO certification exam. She is also responsible for ensuring that the exam questions are part of the LEAP body of
knowledge. At the 2014 NIGP Forum in Philadelphia Jackie also volunteered at the UPPCC Booth to address questions about
professional certifications. For the past two years Jackie has served as a
presenter at the KPPA Conference Roundtable sessions for UPPCC
Certifications. Jackie has provided training materials to individuals seeking their CPPB and CPPO certifications and assisted KPPA
members in completing their certification applications.
Contributions to the employing entity (i.e., assisted in the development or revision of manuals for purchasing personnel, vendors, etc.)
Since accepting a procurement management position Jackie has developed a cross
training and redistribution of duties program within her branch which has resulted in
more staff being involved in procurement functions. Within a month and a half of
accepting the position in the Department of Military Affairs (DMA), Jackie developed
the Centralized Personnel Plan which dictates the cost allocations of approximately
250 employees within the DMA over the applicable federal cooperative agreements for Fiscal Year 2015 pursuant to the guidelines
set forth in NGR 5-1 and CFR, Appendix C. In the past few months Jackie has been
involved in drafting revisions to the Kentucky Revised Statutes addressing the
Installation Management Funds in the DMA. Jackie has also revised DMA
regulations involving the Facilities Division. Jackie coordinated the first ever meetings
between DMA Facilities staff and the federal Maintenance Operations staff to discuss state
procurement rules and federal cooperative agreement reimbursement procedures. This
has resulted in increased communication between the state and federal staff to make
purchases , contracts and reimbursements to the federal cooperative agreements more
efficient. Jackie was responsible for compiling the information for the 2014
DMA Facilities State Annual Report which details the mission of the Facilities Division, the new projects for the Division, the minor
armory maintenance expenditures, the capital expenditures, land acquisitions, and the updated real property inventory for the
past fiscal year. Jackie negotiated and processed an additional $400,000.00 in federal
reimbursements for armory utility bills which were initially charged to 100% state funds
this past federal fiscal year . Contributions to KPPA (i.e.. served as an officer, on the Board of Directors, on committees and/or chairing committees, etc.)
Jackie Watkins has been a member of KPPA since 1991. During this time she served on the KPPA Board of Directors for twelve
years before there were term limits for the Board of Directors. Jackie served as KPPA President for two years in 2005 and 2006.
Prior to that she served as KPPA Vice-President for three years and KPPA
Secretary for three years. During her term on the KPPA Board Jackie served as the chairperson of the following KPPA
committees: Awards and Scholarship Committee; KPPA Workshop Committee; Education and Professional Development
Committee; Membership Committee; Policy Committee; and the
Chapter of the Year Committee. Jackie has also served as a member of the Newsletter Committee, the Budget Committee, The
KPPA Conference Committee, the Vendor Recruitment Committee, and the Audit
Committee. Even after being past president of KPPA Jackie has continued to be very
active in KPPA Committees having served on 8 KPPA committees in 2013 and serving
on the KPPA Membership Committee,
QCT Committee and Newsletter Committee in 2014. After accepting a procurement
management position with the Department of Military Affairs (DMA) in 2014, Jackie
continued to devote her efforts to KPPA by gaining approval for eight employees in her DMA Facilities Division to attend the 2014 KPPA Annual Conference when there were no DMA Facilities’ employees approved to
attend the KPPA Conference in 2013. In 2014 Jackie represented the DMA
Facilities Division at the KPPA Reverse Vendor Trade Show. Jackie also brought an employee to represent the DMA Facilities
Division at the Reverse Vendor Trade Show who had never attended a KPPA Conference
in the past. This employee did an excellent job answering vendor questions during the show. Since I have supervised Jackie over the past few months I have noticed that she is always trying to get employees who are
new to public procurement involved in KPPA and excited about their professional
development. Contributions to NIGP (i.e., attended the NIGP annual forum and classes, served as a panelist for a breakfast session at the NIGP annual forum, served as an NIGP instructor, served on NIGP committees and/or the Board of Directors, etc.)
Jackie Watkins was appointed to and has served on the NIGP Scholarship Committee since 2010. During this time she has reviewed and evaluated scholarship applications from NIGP members from chapters across the United States. The NIGP Scholarship Committee has awarded over $100,000.00 in professional development and academic scholarships to NIGP members during her service to the committee. Jackie has served on the NIGP QCT Team at eight different NIGP Annual Forums. Jackie was appointed to the UPPCC Board of Examiners and is currently serving on her second term. In this position she regularly reviews and evaluates draft CPPO exam questions to improve the quality of the CPPO certification exam. She is also responsible for ensuring that the exam questions are part of the LEAP body of knowledge. Jackie has attended seventeen NIGP Annual Forums personally paying for a portion of her attendance at three of the NIGP Forums.
Any additional pertinent information that might be
Jackie is currently the Administrative Branch
applicable to the nomination (i.e., a narrative that describes why you feel this individual is deserving of the Manager of the Year award) Attach additional sheets if necessary
Manager of the Operations Branch within the DMA Division of Facilities where she oversees the following areas: purchasing, contracting, Procard, budgeting, armory Installation Management Funds in accordance with KRS 36.085 and KRS36.086 , utility payments and minor armory maintenance for the armories statewide, and the reimbursements from federal cooperative agreements in accordance with the guidelines set forth in NGR 5-1 and CFR, Appendix C. During the state fiscal year the Facilities Division contracted for maintenance and repair activities totaling 2 million dollars and had $28,577,465. 00 in expenditures for capital construction projects. Besides Jackie’s work in her procurement management position in the Department of Military Affairs and her involvement with KPPA, NIGP and the UPPCC Board Of Examiners, Jackie is very involved with community volunteer activities. Jackie is a volunteer in the Children’s Worship and Wonder Program at Bridgeport Christian Church which educates children ages 4 to 5th grade. Jackie was also selected to serve as a mentor to a ten year old baptismal candidate in her church. As part of this mentorship program Jackie attended bible study sessions with her mentee, participated in community volunteer activity programs such as Life House for Animals, and attended worship services at other churches. Jackie is also an active member of the Missions Committee at Bridgeport Christian Church. This committee provides assistance to entities that serve individuals in need and shops for Christmas gifts for poverty stricken teenagers. Jackie volunteers at the Franklin County Soup Kitchen and at the Thompson Hood Veterans Center in Wilmore Kentucky.
2014 KPPA BUYER OF THE YEAR
Nomination Form
Name of Nominee Laura Hagan
Professional Certifications CPPO certification obtained in 2012
and
CPPB certification obtained in 2011
Years of Public Procurement Experience 5 years and 9 months
Contributions to purchasing (i.e., initiation of innovative concepts, assistance with implementation of new ideas, serve as a member of a special task force or agency team, etc.)
Laura has been a valuable employee to the Division of Purchases, as well as, the entire Transportation Cabinet since joining our team November 1, 2008. Most recently in calendar years 2013 and 2014 she conducted several high profile and innovative procurements for the Transportation Cabinet related to the Louisville Bridges Project, including specialized Legal Services, Toll Advisory Services, and Financial Statement Compilation Services. The Toll Advisory Services was a bi-state procurement (a first for the Division of Purchases); it included an evaluation team comprised of Kentucky and Indiana officials. Laura accepts challenges and assignments head-on and with confidence. In 2013, she also helped develop the scope of work for an RFP for International Fuel Tax Agreement (IFTA) processing services. The RFP was issued by Finance but it was a cooperative purchase that included a total of six states (KY, CA, CT, MI, MD, and NH). Kentucky was the lead state. In June 2014, Laura solicited quotes for a Transportation procurement and awarded a contract for emergency repair of a structural defect on a north bound bridge on I-75 in Whitley County. This allowed Transportation to re-open the closed lane to motorists before the 4th of July holiday which eliminated traffic delays, potential for vehicular accidents, and/or delayed response times for emergency vehicles.
Contributions to professional development (i.e., publication of an article on purchasing, served as a trainer or assisted in seminar training, etc.)
Laura has served as a trainer and provided one-on-one on the job training for new buyers within Transportation Division of Purchases and/or end users throughout the Cabinet particularly end users who work with Personal Service Contracts and Memoranda of Agreement.
Contributions to the employing entity (i.e., assisted in the development or revision of manuals for purchasing personnel, vendors, etc.)
Laura has recently volunteered and assisted with revisions to our Policy Manual, Pocket Purchasing Guide, and Procurement Training Power Point Presentation.
Laura serves as our Division’s Reporting Lead. She is responsible for creating, maintaining, and running Info Advantage reports as needed. She attends all eMARS User Group meetings to stay informed of changes in the reporting process including the upcoming upgrade.
Laura currently manages approximately 180 PSC and MOA contracts and approximately 200 Master Agreements. Laura coordinated the office’s efforts to rebid/renew 300+ PSC/MOA contracts for the new biennium effective July 1, 2014.
Contributions to KPPA (i.e.. served as an officer, on the Board of Directors, on committees and/or chairing committees, etc.)
Since she became a member of KPPA in 2008, Laura has served on numerous KPPA committees including Conference, Awards & Scholarship, and Vendor Recruitment. In 2013, Laura was chairperson of the Vendor Recruitment Committee which was a huge success with a total of ninety (90) vendors participating by purchasing booths and/or sponsoring the 2013 KPPA conference. Laura served on the KPPA Board of Directors from May 2012 to December 2013 to finish out a term when another board member retired.
Contributions to NIGP (i.e., attended the NIGP annual forum and classes, served as a panelist for a breakfast session at the NIGP annual forum, served as an NIGP instructor, served on NIGP committees and/or the Board of Directors, etc.)
Laura attended the 2011 NIGP annual forum and classes in National Harbor, Maryland.
Laura has completed the following NIGP courses: Intro to Public Procurement, Effective Contract Writing, Developing and Managing RFP’s, and Contract Administration.
Any additional pertinent information that might be applicable to the nomination (i.e., a narrative that describes why you feel this individual is deserving of the Manager of the Year award) Attach additional sheets if necessary
I feel Laura has been and will continue to be a very valuable asset to our office and state government as a whole. She is conscientious, detail oriented, hard-working and professional. She has always demonstrated an eagerness and determination to learn and advance in her career. She took the personal initiative to seek and gain two professional certifications. In addition, Laura was recently selected and is currently participating in the Transportation Cabinet’s Advanced Leadership Academy (ALA). She is a member of the class of 2016. The Advanced Leadership Academy is the premier two-year leadership training academy currently operating in state government. The ALA Program includes formal mentoring, shadowing, and experiential training opportunities for selected employees who must meet certain requirements and be recommended by an employee’s first and second line supervisors. The
(ALA) Program identifies and develops the employee’s leadership skills and prepares them for future potential management opportunities in the Transportation Cabinet or other state agencies.
