Civic Initiatives

Wishing all Q3 anniversaries CONGRATULATIONS! A heartfelt thank you to our amazing team at Civic Initiatives ! Meet our team https://lnkd.in/gVzMB4z4 #PublicSector #CivicInitiatives #PublicProcurement

PODCAST POSTED: https://lnkd.in/gvNARBiP It's #ꜰɪᴠᴇꜰᴏʀꜰʀɪᴅᴀy on October 25th! I'll curate out five things every Friday that are worth weekend reading time for people interested in #publicsector operations and #publicprocurement.   𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁, The Procurement Excellence Network shares that the Bloomberg Philanthropies has launched the largest-ever Global Mayors Challenge. Fifty finalists will receive $50,000, and 25 cities with the most innovative ideas will each be awarded $1 million, alongside operational assistance. Cities from anywhere in the world with 100,000 residents or more can apply until December 20, 2024. https://lnkd.in/gx7qu36K   𝗦𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱, The Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management shares a new study on how public procurement can influence adoption of circular economy practices, which is a model for production and consumption that aims to reduce waste and extend the life cycle of products. If that’s your thing, this is your document!  https://lnkd.in/gjHKsMki   𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗱, Tenders Club shares the new G7 Toolkit for AI in the Public Sector report, which focuses on establishing flexible frameworks and responsible procurement of AI in the public sector. https://lnkd.in/gHqCvTaG   𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘁𝗵, the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) shares the seven most interesting findings from a recent member survey related to their ongoing effort to rethink financial reporting https://lnkd.in/gG4WzZf3   𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆,  Dean Kashiwagi has new thoughts to share with you on preventing vendor protests during the procurement process, with his belief that they stem from a convoluted process and a lack of openness within government operations.  https://lnkd.in/ghJMF_Eb What interests you? Chime in and Happy Friday!   #Procurement Civic Initiatives  

Cost-saving strategies in public sector procurement help governments secure the best value while ensuring transparency and efficiency. Here are five effective strategies to consider: 1. Reviewing Pricing Across Vendors and Contracts: Conduct regular reviews to identify pricing differences from various vendors supplying multiple departments. Compare current contract pricing with publicly available cooperative contracts to ensure competitive rates and leverage savings opportunities. 2. Demand Management: Control unnecessary purchases and prioritize essential, sustainable procurement. Effective demand management helps reduce overall spending by aligning purchases with actual needs and avoiding waste. 3. Data Analytics: Leverage spending data to uncover potential savings opportunities, assess vendor performance, and benchmark pricing against industry standards. Data-driven insights can lead to smarter procurement decisions and better resource allocation. 4. Strategic Sourcing: Shift from reactive to proactive procurement by analyzing market trends and anticipating future needs. This approach allows governments to better plan, negotiate favorable terms, and secure cost-effective contracts before demand spikes. 5. Building Supplier Relationships: Establish long-term partnerships with key suppliers and engage them early in the process. Collaborative relationships can foster cost-saving innovations and improve service levels over time. In implementing these strategies, it's essential to balance cost savings with public sector obligations like transparency, fairness, and delivering high-quality goods and services. Civic Initiatives can assist public sector entities in this space. Put our procurement consultant team to work for you: https://lnkd.in/g8yXJPsf #PublicSector #CivicInitiatives #PublicProcurement

In two weeks, I'll be attending the Oklahoma Association of Public Procurement 2024 Conference, and presenting my new speech around #GenAI in public procurement, with content relevant to both individuals and organizations - on how to leverage this capacity as a teammate, not a tool. We'll also be participating in the socials and the reverse vendor fair, promoting our new statewide contract in Oklahoma and pending new project work! If you are attending let's connect! #PublicProcurement #OKAPP #PublicSector #Procurement Civic Initiatives

PODCAST POSTED: https://lnkd.in/gVN3YEJ4 It's #ꜰɪᴠᴇꜰᴏʀꜰʀɪᴅᴀy on October 18th! I'll curate out five things every Friday that are worth weekend reading time for people interested in #publicsector operations and #publicprocurement.   𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁, #NASCIO and the National Association of State Procurement Officials posted a new joint report on ai in procurement titled "AI-Powered Procurement" focused on state procurement practices. It was driven by Ana-Maria Dimand, LL.B., Ph.D. and Andrea S. Patrucco. A nice timely document! https://lnkd.in/g6mx_zmd   𝗦𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱, Check out new federal guidance on the responsible acquisition of ai in government , a 36 page document full of thoughtful guidance even if you are not spending federal dollars:   https://lnkd.in/gkssTpNq   𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗱, The Open Contracting Partnership has a new report with three areas it finds would improve procurement technology if we were designing for a human centered approach:  https://lnkd.in/g4cX7wVT   𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘁𝗵, Tammy Rimes, MPA in concert with PlanetBids put forth a post on contract management, with three areas of focus and actions to better monitor our agreements https://lnkd.in/gQRCkqXV   𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆,  The Procurement Excellence Network has room for up to 10 government agencies on how to design strategic contract management plans in a bootcamp to promote active contract management strategies – apply before next Friday!  https://lnkd.in/gSuRjzzQ What interests you? Chime in and Happy Friday!   #Procurement Civic Initiatives

The National Association of State Procurement Officials Supplier Summit kicks off in San Antonio with a morning kickoff from Jaime Schorr! Happy to learn and support! #PublicProcurement #PublicSector #Procurement Civic Initiatives

Civic Initiatives offers expert #Benchmarking & Data Analysis services to help organizations understand how their spending aligns with industry standards, uncovering greater efficiency and cost savings opportunities. Our team supports organizations with spend analysis, providing a thorough review to deliver valuable insights into spending patterns. • #SpendAnalysis offers critical insights into procurement habits, vendor performance, and cost efficiencies. With this data, organizations can make more informed decisions for future procurement strategies and identify potential opportunities. • Benchmarking enables organizations to assess their procurement efficiency by comparing their spending patterns to those of similar entities or industry norms. Civic's benchmarking insights empower organizations to strategize and negotiate more effectively with vendors. Identifying Cost-Saving Opportunities • Discover areas for cost reduction without compromising quality. • Ensure maximum value for every dollar spent. Civic transforms raw data into strategic insights, driving efficiency, value, and sustainable procurement. To request a PDF Data Sheet on our service areas, visit https://lnkd.in/gbVGFkXm. #PublicProcurement #PublicSector #CivicInitiatives #DataAnalysis

Next Monday I'll be at the Virginia Association of Governmental Procurement Fall Symposium, with my fully updated #GenAI speech "Elevation:" - Why has State and Local government lagged behind the private sector and federal partners? -How can organizations rethink what they are actually trying to do with this unique capacity and design to its strengths - And, how do we keep staff skillup at the center of the conversation. I gave an abbreviated version of this speech at #NIGPForum2024, this will be the first time I'm doing this particular speech for an hour and designed as a full room presentation. If you are attending, let's plan to talk. I'll also be doing this speech in Oklahoma in November and CAPPO in January - do you host a procurement conference? Happy to talk about why this is a good fit for you. #PublicProcurement #PublicSector #Procurement Civic Initiatives

The National Procurement Institute, Inc. conference ready to get underway! Great venue, hard to not look out the window at the Denver mountains the whole time - the 38th floor with great windows. If you are attending let's definitely chat! #PublicProcurement #PublicSector #Procurement Civic Initiatives

It's #ꜰɪᴠᴇꜰᴏʀꜰʀɪᴅᴀy on October 11th! I'll curate out five things every Friday that are worth weekend reading time for people interested in #publicsector operations and #publicprocurement.   𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁,  Barrett and Greene Inc. share the US Government Accountability Office report on #ARPA expenditures, updated through March 31st, showing 84% allocation as of that date. Still a lot to do before Dec 31! https://lnkd.in/gGqnP2p3   𝗦𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱, the National League of Cities has a webinar for you on Thursday, Oct. 17 at 1 PM EST for the release of our annual City Fiscal Conditions Report, which analyzes the financial health of municipalities across the United States. https://lnkd.in/g8fucwh4   𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗱, The Council of State Governments shares a batch of recent legislation on #GenAI from across the states for your perusal: https://lnkd.in/g577Dhgd   𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘁𝗵, the Procurement Excellence Network shares new stories around leveraging problem-based procurements (or outcome-based depending on your cultural vocabulary). These focus less on requirements and more on receiving solution-based responses: https://lnkd.in/ghvN-awU   𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆,  the National Association of State Procurement Officials shares a new commissioned report on "Supplier Diversity in State and Local Agencies: Review of Current Perspectives, Policies, and Practices"  https://lnkd.in/gapJnsR3 What interests you? Chime in and Happy Friday!   #Procurement Civic Initiatives