Every year, around 3.6 million kids get opportunities to pursue their dreams with the support of Boys & Girls Clubs of America. That incredible impact takes the work of hundreds of thousands of people in more than 5,000 club locations across the country.Among them, hustling behind the scenes at the national office, is BGCA’s hard-working procurement team led by Director of Procurement, Chris Burton. From large federal grants to generous private donations, every dollar that passes through ...

Procurement departments know that federal grants play an important part in achieving their community goals. The good news is that there’s never been more funding to go around. The bad news? Making sure all that money gets to the right places-and stays there-requires a lot of work in the form of reporting and compliance, and the rules are always changing. In this week’s episode, we invite you to listen in on a roundtable discussion at the 2023 NIGP Forum, where Stephen Cook from Bon...

A “one-size-fits-all" solution is not something that applies to the procurement capacity puzzle, as so many factors can influence how your team handles projects: staffing, process, demand, technology, etc. It’s a tough conundrum but it is solvable. Our guest on this episode of Inside Public Procurement, Danny “Rockstar” Mays, Director of Procurement at Maryland Judiciary, chats with Euna’s Ian Roberts about how you can start creating solutions to these multi-faceted challenges. They...

In the day-to-day of public procurement, things like sound recordkeeping or rigorous compliance checks can often get lost in the shuffle. Now, with so much grant funding coming to fruition, a lot of heavy reporting requirements are coming with it. If the thought of adhering to these regulations makes you sweat, this episode can help! This episode of Inside Public Procurement listens in on a webinar we held with the California Association of Public Procurement Officials (CAPPO). Jen ...

Sustainability is not the buzz word it once was. Nowadays, it’s a tangible initiative. The private sector has been increasingly pushing sustainability in their procurement over the past few years, and it’s now starting to take hold in the public space. The idea of sustainable procurement has been around for a while, but it’s important to point out that the definition has changed a little bit. It’s not just about environmental sustainability anymore; it brings in the social aspect as well...

The crusade against paper-based processes is still very prevalent in some cases—and when you think about digital transformation, that’s most likely what comes to mind—but it’s a lot deeper than that. Digital transformation encompasses a lot of the moving parts needed to be efficient, effective, and scalable as a procurement department in a modern digital landscape. On this episode of Inside Public Procurement, we sat down for a chat with Bonfire’s own Anthony Berry and Willow Stuart abou...

Procurement is the behind-the-scenes team keeping the show running for end users—whoever that may be in the public sector. With so many little complexities allowing procurement to function as intended, engaging with your leadership, end users, and vendors makes the process so much smoother. On this episode of Inside Public Procurement, we had the absolute pleasure of chatting with Dr. Avona McHoney, Contract Services Administrator for the Atlanta Public Schools’ Facility Services. W...

Compliance and internal risk management in procurement is tricky business. A lot can go wrong, landing your team—and sometimes your whole organization—in hot water. We had the opportunity to host a panel discussion with four seasoned procurement pros during our OntarioTalk event, and they had a lot of great advice on the subject. While this discussion was intended for public procurement departments in Ontario, most of this advice applies to any and all public agencies. I...

How many procurement pros cringe when they hear “do more with less”?You’re far from alone. Tightening operations budgets, hiring challenges, tech struggles, lack of buy-in—these are all things stressing everyone in public procurement out.We recently had the opportunity to get together with Bonfire clients at our Atlanta, Georgia User Meetup and talk about the concept of “do more with less”. Our panelists—Lynn Lewis, Procurement Team Lead for Henry County Public Schools and Arnita Watson, Dist...

Public procurement is a team sport, and you know what a winning team prioritizes? Communication!Even a small misunderstanding can mean costly errors and lost trust from everyone involved in a solicitation, so an emphasis on communication is key.No matter who you’re speaking with—your internal requestor, evaluators, or vendors—making sure you’re communicating all expectations early on and quickly responding to questions can open up new opportunities and overcome a lot of common hurdles procure...

Over the past few years, we've seen more and more government agencies making vendor diversity a priority in their organizations. While the data we have reflects the steady climb in those initiatives, there are still barriers to driving bid competition with vendor diversity. Tune in to hear Bonfire’s Mitchell Shim, in partnership with NIGP, take a deep dive into the finer details of how to create a thriving vendor diversity program. Here’s a sneak peek of what you’ll hear:Break down what ...

Getting everyone on board with procurement is easier said than done.All procurement pros face the stigma of “red tape” at one point or another even though we all know how vital the purchasing process is.What’s the key here? This panel says: education, breaking silos, and good customer service.Collaboration and education were hot topics at Bonfire’s User Meetup in Austin, TX. On this episode of Inside Public Procurement, listen in on a conversation between:Melissa McCord, Senior Contract Admin...

After a two-year hiatus we were finally able to get together in person with our amazing users at an Ontario Meetup. After the last few years of isolation, they had much to say about the importance of coming together to share ideas, celebrate successes and challenges, and problem solve together. And on this special mini episode of Inside Public Procurement, we’re bringing the highlights straight to you!Tune in to hear from four procurement professionals on the power of collaborating with peers...

The transformative powers of technology on procurement is something we’ll talk about until we’re blue in the face—but hearing from the people who are reaping the benefits really puts it into perspective.On this episode of Inside Public Procurement, enjoy the recording from the case study session we hosted at the NIGP Annual Forum back in August titled “Innovation for Impact”.We sat down with Cheri Estrada, Director of Purchasing at Tacoma School District; Brenda Byers-Banks, Procurement and C...

Public procurement pros are the champions of creating positive, impactful change.Every now and again, take a step back and appreciate the ways procurement has real power to make a difference not just for your team and organization, but your community and peers, too.For Ada County, Idaho, that meant creating a procurement environment that empowered agility, mobility, and a better vendor experience. But, as if creating big internal changes wasn’t enough, Bob Perkins, Ada County’s Procurement Di...

How often have you heard procurement described as the “department of no”?To your internal clients—who want their goods and services purchased yesterday—the systems and processes you’ve put in place to ensure a fair and transparent process sometimes just look like red tape.But forward-thinking purchasing teams, like the one at San Bernardino County, are changing the narrative.In this episode, we sat down with Michelle Churchill and Bruce Cole, Supervising Buyers at San Bernardino County.At ove...

Have you ever met someone who grew up wanting to go into public procurement? When all of their friends were dressing up as doctors and firefighters for Halloween, they came as a purchasing agent? Us neither.Hardly anyone actively seeks a job in public procurement; you just kinda fall into it.So whether someone is coming to the procurement department from finance, public works, planning, or even fresh from school, the field of public purchasing can be a bit overwhelming to say the least. Procu...

New technology can be scary to a lot of people which is why digital transformation can be a huge deal in an organization—especially in public sector agencies where tech is notoriously lagging.Leading a new software implementation doesn’t start with technical things, it starts with the very human elements. Getting people on board with change is one of the hardest parts of the implementation process and involving your team in the transition right from the beginning is a winning strategy.On this...

What do public procurement professionals and superheroes have in common? More than you’d think.While we don’t know many procurement pros with super strength or laser vision, we do know a ton who are the driving force behind their agencies and their communities.Every year, we at Bonfire dig through our databases and gather third-party information to create the State of Public Sourcing report. This report uncovers emerging priorities and trends as well as how outside factors are influencing the...

The mere mention of the word “audit” can cause the collective palms of public procurement to sweat. The reality is, audits are stressful and it’s not a question of if you’ll get audited, but when.Since there’s so much money that flows through public procurement, it’s high on the auditor’s list of risky activities. With a lot of hands in the pot, external pressures, and an increased chance of mistakes and fraud, it’s no wonder public procurement is under such tight scrutiny.So, when the audito...