Core Certificate: Foundations of Technology Procurement
Course

Core Certificate: Foundations of Technology Procurement

  • Date: 10/14/2025 - 10/16/2025
  • Start Time: 8:00 AM Eastern Time
  • End Time: 5:00 PM Eastern Time
  • Instructor: Mr. Kirk W. Buffington, NIGP-CPP, CPPO, C.P.M., FNIGP
    Director, (RETIRED), Finance, Risk Management, Procurement
    Mr. Kirk W. Buffington, NIGP-CPP, CPPO, C.P.M., FNIGP
    Professional Certification(s) obtained: FNIGP, CPPO, C.P.M., NIGP-CPP Experience: Kirk Buffington retired in June 2019 from the City of Fort Lauderdale, FL, where he had spent the last five years as Director of Finance, Risk Management and Procurement. Services. Before serving in that capacity, he served the City as Deputy Director of Finance, Director of Procurement Services, and Deputy Director of Administrative Services. Before coming to the City of Fort Lauderdale, Kirk was the Purchasing Agent for Osceola County, FL. In addition, Kirk has purchasing experience with the Orange County School Board, as a Grocery Buyer with the Wal-Mart Corporation, and as a Receiving Supervisor with the Walt Disney World Co. Kirk has a B.S. in Business Administration from Florida State University and an M.B.A. from Webster University, St. Louis, MO, with a concentration in Procurement and Acquisitions Management. In August 2023, he received a Masters in Legal Studies (M.L.S.) from the University of Cincinnati Law School. Kirk has also completed the Cornell University's certification program in Cybersecurity Leadership. Mr. Buffington served as President of the Florida Association of Public Purchasing Officers and was elected to the National Institute of Governmental Purchasing (NIGP) Board of Directors in July 2003, and served as President of NIGP from 2008-2009. Kirk received the 2013 Distinguished Service Award, the second-highest honor bestowed upon individuals by NIGP in the public procurement profession. In August 2023, Kirk became a Fellow of NIGP. In addition to his activities with NIGP, Mr. Buffington has also served the National Purchasing Institute, NPI, on their Selection and Evaluation Committee for the Achievement of Excellence in Procurement Award. Kirk was chair of the NIGP FORUM Selection Committee, Mr. Buffington co-authored the NIGP LEAP text “The Legal Aspects of Purchasing,” now in its third edition, and has published numerous articles in the NIGP Tech Bulletin and various articles concerning Procurement Case Law both in local news blogs and in nationally peer-reviewed academic journals. He currently authors the Legally Speaking blog for NIGP. Kirk has been an NIGP Instructor for over twenty years and has taught numerous classes on multiple topics in those twenty years. His specialties include PCard adoption and usage, legal and compliance issues, business and finance-related topics and issues, risk management, and strategic planning.
  • Level: Advanced Practitioner
  • Format: Virtual Instructor-Led
  • Contact Hours: 24
  • CEUs: 2.4
Skills in Governmental Technology Procurement, IT Infrastructure Solutions, and Stakeholder Evaluation are crucial for successful contract negotiation and decision-making. NIGP’s Specialization Certificate: Technology Procurement is a comprehensive, hands-on learning experience focusing on terminology, solicitation methods, and risk identification. This course equips you with the knowledge and strategies needed to navigate complex IT contracts confidently. Gain valuable insights into post-award activities and become an advanced practitioner in technology procurement, enhancing your career prospects in the public procurement sector.
Pricing:
PriceCostBeginsEnds
Core Certificate: Foundations of Technology Procurement (Member: Standard) $670.0008/16/202510/12/2025
Core Certificate: Foundations of Technology Procurement (Non-Member: Standard)$770.00 10/12/2025
Core Certificate: Foundations of Technology Procurement (Member: Standard) $670.00
Core Certificate: Foundations of Technology Procurement (Non-Member: Standard) $770.00
(prices valid until Oct 12, 2025)
Spots available: 15

Objectives

  • Apply leadership principles to manage resistance to technology change. 
  • Implement proactive strategies for staying up to date on technology trends.
  • Develop AI governance policies that balance innovation with compliance. 
  • Employ strategies to bridge knowledge gaps and reduce stakeholder frustrations.
  • Establish a partnership between procurement and IT departments. 
  • Implement strategies to increase the consistency of technology procurements. 
  • Reduce the vulnerability of cyber-attacks to the entity.
  • Improve the technology evaluation process.  
  • Ensure demos demonstrate how they meet an entity’s needs.  
  • Create a demo scorecard that agrees with the evaluation criteria in the solicitation and plan negotiations.
  • Reducing exposure to the entity by identifying risk in the technology contract. 
  • Determine strategies for negotiating with suppliers to obtain the best possible terms for the entity. 

Intended Audience

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

  • Mid-level public procurement and central warehouse professionals who serve as senior buyers, managers, directors, or equivalent functions within their respective entities.   

  • Non-procurement managers and supervisors who either provide procurement functions that support entity programs under delegated authority, or who already have a good understanding of basic procurement principles but wish to get more in-depth, hands-on training.   

  • Professionals who are employed by local governing entities and special authorities (such as K-12 and higher education, publicly owned utilities, transportation providers, and other publicly funded or created entities) who either serve within or manage the procurement function.  

  • Supplier managers and supervisors seeking to understand the public procurement function from a more in-depth holistic level, including the policies, standards, and procedures by which public entities must function.  


Completion Requirements

In order to successfully complete the Core Certificate, learners must:
 

  • 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 an 84% or higher.
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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
12007 Sunrise Valley Drive, Suite 110
Reston, VA 20191
 


Sessions

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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Core Certificate: Foundations of Technology Procurement

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