Course

Core Certificate: Foundations of Sourcing and Contracting

Date: 01/16/2024 - 01/18/2024
Start Time: 10:00 AM Eastern Time
End Time: 7:00 PM Eastern Time
Instructor: Ms. Bobbie Tolston, NIGP-CPP, CPPO, CPPB
Ms. Bobbie Tolston, NIGP-CPP, CPPO, CPPB
bobbiewilkerson85@gmail.com — Phone: 443-796-5676
Bobbie Tolston, NIGP-CPP, CPPO, CPPB Bobbie has over 20 years of managerial expertise in public procurement. She was the former Supervisor of Procurement for Harford County Public Schools from 2017-2022. Bobbie is currently the Energy Conservation Resource Manager for Harford County Public Schools (HCPS) where her responsibilities include: the development, implementation, coordination, and monitoring of the HCPS energy management program, coordination of the utility management/conservation program, development of employee training programs for schools and offices to promote and awareness of the energy management program and the efficient use of energy throughout the district. Acts as the MBE Liaison by and administers the State mandated Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) requirements involved in the procurement of facility projects, including goal setting, reporting, etc. Bobbie has a broad range of professional experience. She has managerial experience with implementing change by using technology and best practices. She has been a change agent for agencies such as water utilities, local, and municipal government agencies. As a lifelong learner, she utilizes her knowledge to encourage professionals to expand their knowledge through education. She serves on the NIGP Talent Council and is a Liaison to the Mentorship Committee. She is a Pathways Instructor for NIGP, where she has contributed her expertise as a subject matter expert for content development for courses including Foundations of Sourcing and Contracting, Evaluation Methods, Negotiations, Specification Development and Sourcing and Contracting Methods. She is one of the Founding Members of the Radio NIGP show since its inception in March 2021. Bobbie introduced the show with the “Word of the Day” segment until May 2022. She launched a new segment on the show titled "Deeper Dive—make a splash” in July 2022.
Level: Foundation
Format: Virtual Instructor-Led
Contact Hours: 22.5
CEUs: 2.3

Focus Areas:

Every day, public procurement professionals across North America are challenged to fulfill the needs of their entity as balanced against the needs, wants, and desires of their stakeholders, ensuring that all procured commodities are acquired in the right manner, based on the correct criteria, and within the appropriate price range. Designed to provide entry-level public procurement professionals with the tools they need to ensure the appropriate goods and services are procured, NIGP’s Foundations of Sourcing and Contracting Core Certificate empowers learners with applicable, implementable solutions to some of the procurement function’s most challenging topics. Addressing the actionable solutions to sourcing and contracting methods, specification development, evaluation methods, and negotiations, Foundations of Sourcing and Contracting promotes the tenants and key principles of the public procurement function, empowering learners with NIGP-advocated best practice guidance to become more skilled in their role as they perform the procurement function on a foundational level.

Pricing:

Price	Cost	Begins	Ends
Core Certificate: Foundations of Sourcing and Contracting (Member: Standard)	$625.00	11/18/2023	01/15/2024
Core Certificate: Foundations of Sourcing and Contracting (Non-Member: Standard)	$725.00		01/15/2024

Core Certificate: Foundations of Sourcing and Contracting (Member: Standard) $625.00
Core Certificate: Foundations of Sourcing and Contracting (Non-Member: Standard) $725.00
(prices valid until Jan 15, 2024)

Spots available: 9

Objectives

Upon successful completion of the certificate, the certificate holder will be able to:

Identify the appropriate source selection method and describe the components required to successfully meet the needs of the end user.
Identify advantages and disadvantages of contracting for commodities.
Assist the end user in developing and preparing effective and open specifications, pricing strategies, and terms and conditions to promote maximum competition in the marketplace.
Evaluate offers, make awards and/or negotiate an optimal contract solution.
Identify and describe the different types of evaluation methodologies and their associated application.
Explain the process of receiving, opening and analyzing offers, methods for award, and award strategies.
Identify and select the most responsive offer(s) and responsible supplier(s).
Prepare to conduct a negotiation by engaging in market research, determining negotiating strategy and goals, and selecting the negotiating team.
Conduct and document negotiations with each selected offeror to determine the proposal that best meets entity needs.
Establish a performance assessment plan to ensure that all stakeholders are complying with the procurement as established in the contract.

Intended Audience

This offering is targeted to individuals who meet or exceed the following professional demographics: 

Entry-level public procurement and central warehouse professionals who serve as assistants, coordinators, buyers, or equivalent functions within their respective entities.

Non-procurement managers and supervisors who are responsible for either the procurement function or staff who provide procurement functions under delegated authority.  
Professionals who are employed by governing entities and special authorities (such as K-12 and higher education, publicly-owned utilities, transportation providers, and other publicly-funded or created organizations) that either serve within or manage the procurement function. 
Suppliers or representatives of suppliers seeking to understand the public procurement function from a holistic level, including the policies, standards, and procedures by which public entities must function.

Completion Requirements

In order to successfully complete the NIGP Foundations of Sourcing & Contracting Core Certificate, learners must:

Complete any pre-work materials provided prior to the course start date.
Attend and participate in the entirety of the instructional event.
Complete the post-course evaluation survey available in Aspire.
Complete the final assessment examination with a 87% or higher within a 120-minute time period.

Competency Alignment

This certificate is designed as an exercise-based learning experience and is tied to NIGP’s Public Procurement Competency Framework. Upon completion of the certificate requirements, learners will have demonstrated the successful knowledge, skills, and abilities in alignment with the following competencies:

Sourcing & Contracting Methods
Specification Development
Evaluation Methods
Negotiations Strategies

Miscellaneous

Payment Information

Register online with credit card
Register online and upload a Purchase Order
Register by fax and download the print & fax form

*FORM OF PAYMENT MUST ACCOMPANY REGISTRATION FORM FOR ORDER TO BE PROCESSED

Methods of Payment Accepted: Check (make checks payable to NIGP), Purchase Orders (via print and fax form or online), and Credit Cards (Master Card, Visa, and American Express).

If paying by check, please make check payable to NIGP and send payment to:
NIGP, Attn: Seminar Registration
440 Monticello Avenue Suite 1802
PMB 63452
Norfolk, VA 23510

Sessions

January 16, 2024

Core Certificate: Foundations of Sourcing and Contracting

January 16, 2024
Core Certificate: Foundations of Sourcing and Contracting

Cancellation Policy

Registration and payment must be received 24 hours prior to the course start date. After this time, registrations will be based on space availability.  A full refund, less a $75 administrative fee will be given for cancellations made in writing 31+ days prior to the seminar date by emailing RegistrationInfo@nigp.org. No refunds are given for cancellations received within 24 hours of the seminar start date. There are no refunds for no-shows. If the seminar is cancelled for any reason, NIGP's liability is limited to the registration fee only.

Attendee substitutions within the same agency may be done at any time with email notification to NIGP. If attending via scholarship, please provide documentation verifying the scholarship issuer's name and contact information in lieu of payment information.

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