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Charting Your Course to Success
From foundational knowledge to advanced leadership skills, NIGP offers a wealth of tools and resources to help you navigate your professional journey and achieve your leadership goals.
Your step-by-step guide to a successful career in public procurement.
Get 20% off by registering 60 days prior to the course start date.
All the tools to help you successfully prepare for certification.
Closes June 30.
NIGP and Sourcewell are dedicated to lifelong learning and professional development for every member.
Start your job search in the field of Public Procurement.
A Network of 18,000+ Professionals working in the field of Public Procurement.
As volunteers serve the Institute, the Institute serves the profession, and the profession serves society.
Each year, NIGP recognizes members who have achieved hallmark status in the eyes of their peers.
Fostering stronger relationships between suppliers and our members.
Register early—members get 20% off when enrolling 60+ days before courses start.
Boost efficiency, transparency, and accuracy in proposal management to improve contract outcomes.
Charting Your Course to Success
From foundational knowledge to advanced leadership skills, NIGP offers a wealth of tools and resources to help you navigate your professional journey and achieve your leadership goals.
Your step-by-step guide to a successful career in public procurement.
Get 20% off by registering 60 days prior to the course start date.
All the tools to help you successfully prepare for certification.
NIGP and Sourcewell are dedicated to lifelong learning and professional development for every member.
Start your job search in the field of Public Procurement.
A Network of 18,000+ Professionals working in the field of Public Procurement.
As volunteers serve the Institute, the Institute serves the profession, and the profession serves society.
Each year, NIGP recognizes members who have achieved hallmark status in the eyes of their peers.
Fostering stronger relationships between suppliers and our members.
Charles Spencer
I started my procurement career 24 years ago in Plantation, Florida, and I am proud to say that I have stayed there to this day. Like many procurement professionals, I fell into procurement by accident. I didn’t know anything about NIGP or the diversity within procurement. I just knew that I wanted to get more involved and become certified. I stumbled across NIGP in my search for certification, which is what led me to my first Forum, which was taking place in Orlando, Florida.
If I could describe that first Forum experience in one word, it would be inspiring. The event opened my eyes to the collection and diversity of thought within the procurement atmosphere. It was amazing to be surrounded by procurement colleagues I didn’t even know existed, dealing with the same challenges I was facing and handling them in different ways.
You’ll likely hear others talk about the energy in the room at Forum. And indeed, there is a very palpable energy. But the energy I gathered from these individuals was overwhelming, to be honest. I actually started second-guessing myself, thinking I wasn’t worthy of being around these established, confident procurement leaders. Fortunately, I had a mentor who told me to take my time, introduce myself, and take in as much as possible.
And I did. I had more than my fill of great ideas from Forum. When I returned to the office, I was inspired to do so much more within my agency. I have had the same experience with every Forum I’ve attended since then. I come back feeling almost reborn into the profession. It’s a little overwhelming, but then I get into the mix and come back inspired to implement new ideas to serve my agency and the public better. I welcome new challenges and am reminded of all my colleagues across the continent who are available to help if I need some support in any manner.
The value of Forum goes beyond the sheer energy in the room, although that is, of course, part of the magic. But being able to come back to your agency and make changes that have a noticeable, positive impact is a key reason I keep coming back.
For example, I attended one Forum session about contractor and stakeholder engagement. It inspired the idea of holding internal stakeholder training classes, which I implemented. Now, we hold annual training classes for our internal stakeholders. We also do external training with future contractors on how they can best do business with the city of Plantation.
Another key topic that has come up at Forum is transparency. I actively work to promote the highest level of transparency here in Plantation. I publicly post everything we do in a monthly procurement gazette that identifies all the things that our team has done over the past month. This is particularly helpful for our city council members who want to keep up with what we’re doing but might not have the time to take a deep dive into our website or talk to me every month.
Forum isn’t one of those events that inspires you at the time but doesn’t motivate you to make any real change. Instead, it’s an event that challenges you to change the status quo. I always come back with great ideas. Some can be implemented immediately, while others need some time to go through the approval process.
I like to say that there are no titles at Forum – we’re all just trying to do what’s best for our agencies and the profession. So, forget about whether you’re brand new to procurement or leading a procurement team. Either way, you’re going to get out of Forum what you put into it. With that in mind, here’s my advice for first-time Forum attendees.
I’m looking forward to meeting new people and learning from the spectacular lineup of speakers at this year’s Forum. I can’t wait to see you there!
Rogelio Anasagasti
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May 14, 2025