NW Purchasing Conference 2008 – Workshop Titles and Descriptions
CHOOSING TO SUCCEED! – Presented by Dr. Ross Reck
See You at the Top - Your success in business and in life is all about other people—you can’t achieve it by yourself, you need all the help you can get! And, the more help you get, the more successful you’re going to become. This program points out how the biggest obstacle to our success is human nature. We come into the world already programmed to look out for number one—this is our survival instinct. The problem is that looking out for number one is great for survival, but disastrous for achieving a high level of success. Choosing to Succeed! shows attendees how to take control of human nature and harness it on their behalf. This program also addresses the two big success ironies:
This program then shows you how to develop your own personal army of advocates—an enthusiastic army of people who absolutely can’t do enough for you. When this army starts to fall into place, being successful at just about anything becomes a piece of cake.
INSTANT TURNAROUND! – Presented by Dr. Ross Reck
Getting Employees Excited About Coming to Work and Working Hard - People are the only resource available to a business who behavior you can influence. No matter how hard you try or how much money you spend, you can’t get a machine, a building or a pile of raw materials to work harder—what you see is what you get. People, on the other hand, intentionally regulate the amount of effort they put into their jobs based upon how they feel they’re being treated by their boss. If they feel they’re being treated well, they will become excited about giving their absolute best efforts which means they’ll work way beyond their job descriptions. If they feel their efforts are unappreciated they’ll pull back and do only what they have to do to keep their jobs. And, if they feel they’re being abused, they’ll either get even by figuring out a way to sabotage their boss’ performance numbers or they’ll look for a job somewhere else.
People attending this program will learn why most current management practices fail to motivate employees to perform at a high level. They will also learn about new management practices that do motivate employees to perform at a high level. In addition, they will learn why upper level managers need to be team players.
Cost Counts in a Negotiation – Presented by Mike Taylor, C.P.M.
When negotiating a purchase order or contract, the more you understand about the seller’s cost the better the negotiated outcome can be. That is, by looking at the various cost elements involved in establishing the seller’s price, we can find opportunities to be creative in negotiating cost savings.
With direct cost elements, it is usually obvious how to improve the bottom line and lower the selling price. Changing the raw material, shipping terms, components, labor mix, schedule, etc. are common ways to improve the pricing structure. Even when considering indirect costs, there are some negotiating strategies that can improve the negotiating outcome.
In this workshop we’ll explore the concept of using cost information to negotiate a better contract. We’ll talk about the kinds of cost information that can be useful and explore some negotiating strategies using that information.
Consider for a minute that negotiating a better contract isn’t always about saving money. A more valuable, cost-effective and complete contract is also a much better contract.
Electronic Records – Presented by Mike Taylor, C.P.M.
Over the past 10 years we have been gradually weeding the piles of paper out of our contracting process. The resulting pile of electrons doesn’t take up nearly as much room. That’s the good news.
Unfortunately the bad news is that it isn’t easy to store the electrons in a way that satisfies government record requirements. Many auditors, corporate tax accountants and attorneys are more accustomed to reviewing paper files. And this presents a problem for us. How to store contract related files electronically and still satisfy the auditors.
In this workshop we will talk about electronic record requirements and review some options for getting rid of paper files.
The Future of Supply Management – Presented by Darin Matthews, CPPO, C.P.M.
There is no better time than today to be a part of the purchasing and supply management profession. With increased opportunities for advancement, supply professionals are quickly becoming key, strategic players for their organizations. This session will talk about the advancement of the profession in recent decades, as we have gone from the “back room to the boardroom”. Research indicates that most organizations are committed to strategic procurement, which creates new opportunities and challenges. Perspectives will be offered on what lies ahead for procurement, and also what skills will be needed to ensure success.
The Value of Professional Certification – Presented by Darin Matthews, CPPo, C.P.M.
More and more purchasing and supply management professionals are pursuing professional certification. Similar to having a licensed engineer, registered nurse, or certified accountant on staff, a certified purchasing professional brings value and creditability to an organization. Many programs exist for today’s purchasing professional, including the CPSM (Certified Professional in Supply Management). This session will talk about this new qualification program offered through the Institute for Supply Management (ISM), as it is destined to become the premier certification for the supply management profession.
Accountability and Performance - Presented by Dave Davis
We hear these words a lot, but do they really apply to what we do? Yes! We can have a powerful influence if we know how to measure and present a compelling case for our program. This workshop will explain the logic behind good accountability and performance measurement and provide real examples of convincing measures.
Seven Practices of Highly Effective Contracts Organizations – Presented by Andrea Melius
This is an anecdotal observation of what makes a contracts organization function well and what causes them to flounder … or maybe even get in serious trouble.
Managing for Success in a Political Environment – Presented by Dave Davis, CPPO
As public servants we must know how to justify resources for our programs and build supporting coalitions under changing political priorities. This session will discuss strategies for aligning mission, support, and capacity to achieve success.
State of Washington P-Card Program With US Bank – Presented by Neva Peckham
This session will provide an overview of the 2008 program with JP Morgan Chase and the new US Bank contract implementation. Session information will include highlights of the US Bank Access Online feature of the new p-card contract.
Environmentally Preferred Purchasing – Presented by Christine Warnock, CPPO
Learn about State of Washington initiatives in green purchasing and the state contracts which support these efforts.
Benefits of Cooperative Purchasing – Presented by Jim Borrow
KCDA, OSP, ESD’s – all are great resources. Hear from the Executive Director of KCDA how to maximize your dollars through cooperative procurement opportunities and getting started with inter-local agreements and bid language for sharing your contracts.
Purchasing Meets Technical! – Presented by Pete Braun
Successful procurements are the result of cooperative relationships between the individuals from purchasing, the technical representative and the vendor. Pete will focus on the definitions of success and the relationships between these individuals and their organizations.
Combating the Logistics Perfect Storm – Presented By Lee Buddress, Ph.D., C.P.M.
Unlike in the past, the logistics system in this country is near capacity. Today, many firms have moved from carrier strategies aimed at cost reduction to ones focused on obtaining needed capacity. There is a chronic shortage of long haul truck drivers and train engineers.
This is compounded by a severe shortage of diesel mechanics. Ports are perpetually congested, in part from delays from trucking and rail services. Hiways and other infrastructure elements are deteriorating.
The American Society of Civil Engineers issued a report card for the nation’s infrastructure: Average Grade, “D”. This means congestion, delays and increased and less dependable lead times. In the face of these and other logistical challenges, supply managers must become more active managers of logistics requirements.
Skyrocketing fuel prices have become the excuse for cost increases in almost everything. According to a recent national assessment, the cost of transportation now approaches ten percent of the value of the average product. All of these conditions argue for increased emphasis on managing the logistical functions. Supply professionals must become more expert in logistics management. Contracts must be structured to accommodate today’s logistics market realities.
Inventories may need to be forward-positioned to insure availability in the face of increased global supply chain risks. This session will illustrate the extent of the logistical situation, not only domestically, but globally. Methods to improve logistics performance and reduce logistics risks will be discussed.