Course

Specialization Certificate: Technology Procurement

Name: Specialization Certificate: Technology Procurement
Author: NIGP

Date: 07/14/2025 - 07/16/2025
Start Time: 8:00 AM Eastern Time
End Time: 5:00 PM Eastern Time
Hosted By: Virginia Association of Governmental Procurement, Inc. Chapter of NIGP
Instructor: Mr. Kirk W. Buffington, MLS, NIGP-CPP, CPPO, FNIGP, MBA, C.P.M.
Director, (RETIRED), Finance, Risk Management, Procurement
Mr. Kirk W. Buffington, MLS, NIGP-CPP, CPPO, FNIGP, MBA, C.P.M.
kirk.buffington@att.net — Phone: 954-608-7455
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: 28
CEUs: 2.8

Focus Areas:

Specializations
Specialization Certificate: Technology Procurement

Increasingly, governmental entities are embracing technology and IT infrastructure solutions in their desire to interact more strategically and beneficially with the communities they support. As a result, procurement professionals are expected to procure and negotiate contracts and agreements with more complex terms and conditions. Performing these tasks, however, requires the procurement professional to evaluate a multitude of topic-specific factors that affect stakeholders and the governmental entity alike. Promoting an overview of technology procurements, NIGP’s Technology Procurement Specialty Certificate provides learners with an introduction to terminology, research practices and opinions, solicitation methods, strategies for risk identification, and common mistakes procurement professionals encounter when negotiating and managing awarded IT contracts. This Specialty Certificate introduces and promotes IT best practices by identifying concepts, common risks and issues, and the precise role of the procurement function and public procurement professional in governmental entities, empowering procurement professional to achieve a legal, flexible, and fair agreements or contracts with confidence.

Pricing:

Price	Cost	Begins	Ends
Specialization Certificate: Technology Procurement (Member: Early)	$520.00		05/15/2025
Specialization Certificate: Technology Procurement (Member: Standard)	$650.00	05/16/2025	07/10/2025
Specialization Certificate: Technology Procurement (Non-Member: Standard)	$750.00		07/10/2025

Specialization Certificate: Technology Procurement (Member: Early) $520.00
Specialization Certificate: Technology Procurement (Non-Member: Standard) $750.00
(prices valid until May 15, 2025)

Spots available: 24

Objectives

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

Determine the appropriate procurement method for IT products, services, and/or solutions.
Develop the solicitation document associated with IT products, services, and/or solutions.
Identify proposal risk and evaluation methods for IT procurement.
Develop an IT demo process.
Develop final IT contract documents.
Prepare for post-award activities unique to IT.

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 NIGP Foundations of Technology Specialization 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 72% or higher.

Competency Alignment

NIGP’s Specialization Certificates require a strong foundation in the Public Procurement Competency Framework and are designed to be more advanced learnings.

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

Local Contact

Name:	Jianchong Luo
Phone:	804-501-5688
Email:	LUO001@henrico.gov

Sessions

July 14, 2025

Specialization Certificate: Technology Procurement

July 14, 2025
Specialization Certificate: Technology Procurement

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.

Register Today