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May 14, 2025
As anyone in procurement knows, talking to people about your job can be hard. Whenever I mention what I do to people, I can count down the seconds until their eyes glaze over. As a huge procurement nerd, it's isolating to have no one to share my passion with. That was my experience until I went to NIGP Forum.
First Impressions
I've been a member of NIGP since around 2011, but my first Forum wasn't until 2017 in Salt Lake City. I still have the lanyard and pins I got that year—and I've also saved all the ones since then.
I first became interested in NIGP after taking a few classes. They were so valuable to my job and I wanted to get more involved with this organization. So, I joined the Illinois Association of Public Procurement Officials (IAPPO) and ran for a board seat, which came with the benefit of being sponsored to attend NIGP Forum.
Attending Forum in Salt Lake City was life changing. I remember listening to the speakers and just thinking that everything they talked about was such a good idea. I was suddenly exposed to people working at all levels and in all types of procurement. Being surrounded by passionate and knowledgeable people on procurement felt inspiring and made me believe anything was possible for the future of my procurement career.
I was excited to implement everything I learned when I went back to work. The only downfall was that I soon found myself missing the amazing people I had met at Forum.
NIGP Forum is a Place for Connections and Growth
The most exciting thing about Forum for me is the network of incredible people you can access, and you create it by simply introducing yourself and talking about your career. Every year, I meet people who go on to become some of my closest friends. I have made friends who live halfway across the country. We stay in touch through hours-long phone calls about everything from procurement to our personal lives.
Meeting once a year at NIGP Forum just isn’t enough, and I was looking for a way to stay connected in-between. After the Forum in 2024, I suggested starting a virtual book club for leadership books with a few others, and they jumped right in. Now, we meet every other week to check in with each other about the book and everything else going on in our lives and work. It's become a place where we can get support for work stress or ask for ideas for projects we're dealing with. Having a sounding board outside of our organizations has been immensely helpful.
During COVID-19, I really missed the in-person connection of NIGP Forum. I decided to run for the NIGP Member Council. I didn't make it the first time, but because of the people I had met at Forum and the connections I had made, I was encouraged to run again. Now, I'm serving my second term on the NIGP Member Council.
Advice for First Timers
Extroverts like me love the energy and excitement of NIGP Forum, but I know it might be intimidating to some people. Here are a few pieces of advice for new attendees:
- Remember procurement is not black and white: Procurement is very gray, and the way to start learning how to navigate that gray area is learning how other states, jurisdictions, and other types of public entities do procurement. NIGP Forum is the perfect place to do that.
- Introduce yourself: You don't have to go to the events for first-timers—although they are fun. You can just sit down at a table and introduce yourself. Look at someone’s tag to find out where they work or what they do and start a conversation. I’ve met some lifelong friends that way.
- Build your network: Make those connections because there's always a way to improve on doing a procurement process. Often, we get stuck within our siloed organizations. It's nice not to be surrounded by people who think, "Oh, procurement, it's so difficult, so much red tape." This is an opportunity to use red tape to build your connections.
My first time at NIGP Forum ultimately changed my life. Now that I’m on the Member Council, I get to help plan events for first-time participants. We're always so excited to welcome new people and are looking for ways to engage people. Know that no matter where you are coming from or how long you’ve been in public procurement, you are welcome. Please feel free to find me and say “hi” at Forum! I can’t wait to meet you.
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Next blog in Forum Stories
How Forum Is Making a Positive Impact on Public Procurement
Art Moore, NIGP-CPP, CPPO, CPPB
