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 the BGCA national office is strategically allocated by his team to ensure each club has the resources it needs. It’s a massive responsibility to bear. But it’s also a big part of what keeps Chris and his team improving processes, strengthening relationships, and striving to be their best every day. In this episode of Inside Public Procurement, Bonfire host Maria Volakhava sits down with Chris and his colleague Jordan Rodges for a journey into the world of purpose-driven nonprofit procurement. The pair share their firsthand experience managing procurement at one of America’s top youth organizations—diving into these hot topics, and more: ● What makes nonprofit procurement unique ● The biggest challenges that nonprofit procurement teams face ● How BGCA navigates challenges like vendor diversity, complex contracts, and financial planning ● Managing the ebbs and flows of nonprofit budgets ● Strategies for measuring procurement’s cost-saving successes Enjoy the show! And don’t forget to connect with Chris and Jordan on LinkedIn. You can find this interview, and many more, by subscribing to Inside Public Procurement on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or gobonfire.com/podcast. Listening on a desktop and can’t see the links? Just search for Inside Public Procurement in your favorite podcast player.

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 Bonfire, a Euna Solutions brand, sits down with Sherry Weir (partner at Kearney & Company) and Andrew Janos (Director of Procurement and Material Management for Fairfax County) to discuss how you can help your organization stay accountable. Hear about: The importance of understanding grant requirements The journey of a federal grant, from “pre-award” to “post-award” The difference between a subrecipient and a contractor How to optimize your grant compliance Plus much more!

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 talk about: Why the phrase “do more with less” should be retired Procurement’s secret advantage for bringing in new talent How becoming a strategic partner to your customers improves capacity, among other things The marriage of the procurement and grants offices And so much more! You can find this interview, and many more, by subscribing to Inside Public Procurement on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or gobonfire.com/podcast. Listening on a desktop and can’t see the links? Just search for Inside Public Procurement in your favorite podcast player.

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 Riddell from Bonfire, a Euna Solutions brand, and Cliff Chroust from Ventura County, CA took a deep dive into reporting and compliance for grant funding—and how to turn these practices into standard operating procedures in your organization. Listen to the full episode to learn more about: Education and standardization of policies and procedures Why you should take the time to create ironclad digital document storage The benefits of digital evaluations Increasing stakeholder engagement and accountability How to keep up with changing reporting, compliance, and best practices And so much more. You can find this interview, and many more, by subscribing to Inside Public Procurement on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or gobonfire.com/podcast. Listening on a desktop and can’t see the links? Just search for Inside Public Procurement in your favorite podcast player.

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. Supplier diversity and other diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives are hugely important to impactful sustainable procurement. This seems like a huge project to take on—and it is. However, it’s important to lean on your peers, start small, and really determine what sustainability means to you and your organization. Our guests on this episode say the key is mindfulness—being conscious of what you’re buying, why, and where it’s coming from. We had the pleasure of chatting with two sustainable procurement champions from the Ontario College Procurement Managers Association (OCPMA). Carol Izzio, Director of Procurement at Sheridan College, and Christine McParland, Director of Residence & Ancillary Services at St. Lawrence College, have been in the trenches of creating sustainable procurement policies and procedures. There’s a lot of experience between them, and they have so much wisdom to give anyone interested in starting their own initiatives. Tune in to hear more about: The importance of planning and incremental progress Busting old school misconceptions about sustainability Being more mindful in your purchasing Ways to get started on your sustainability policies The importance of procurement visibility in these initiatives You can find this interview, and many more, by subscribing to Inside Public Procurement on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or gobonfire.com/podcast. Listening on a desktop and can’t see the links? Just search for Inside Public Procurement in your favorite podcast player.

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 about their experiences working alongside public procurement teams all day, every day. Listen in to hear more about: What procurement tech is and the different functions it can support The three tiers of procurement tech readiness and need Solving the capacity conundrum and scalability Your internal and external stakeholders’ role in choosing tools A weird amount of food and lake-related metaphors You can find this interview, and many more, by subscribing to Inside Public Procurement on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or gobonfire.com/podcast. Listening on a desktop and can’t see the links? Just search for Inside Public Procurement in your favorite podcast player.

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. We cover a lot in this discussion, but it all hinges on two themes: vendor relationships and procurement visibility. We touch on: How to strengthen your vendor relationships Showing face in your organization and actively engaging with your end users The importance of scheduling and time management for collaborative procurement Effectively working as part of centralized procurement And, perhaps most importantly, we answer the hotly debated question: is a hot dog a sandwich? Listen to the full conversation with Dr. Avona McHoney to hear her take on all of these topics and more. You can find this interview, and many more, by subscribing to Inside Public Procurement on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or gobonfire.com/podcast. Listening on a desktop and can’t see the links? Just search for Inside Public Procurement in your favorite podcast player.

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. In this episode, Bonfire’s Barb Lima moderates a conversation between: Hend Salem, Manager of Strategic Sourcing - Non Clinical at The Ottawa Hospital Carol Izzio, Director of Procurement at Sheridan College Christine McParland, Director of Residence and Ancillary Services at St. Lawrence College Luca Del Grosso, Manager of Procurement at Technical Standards and Safety Authority Tune in as panelists give their take on creating clear and accessible policies and procedures, the importance of leadership support, how to approach internal client education, creating a system of checks and balances, and introducing sustainable procurement initiatives in the mix. You can find this interview, and many more, by subscribing to Inside Public Procurement on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or gobonfire.com/podcast. Listening on a desktop and can’t see the links? Just search for Inside Public Procurement in your favorite podcast player.

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, District Coordinating Supervisor - Purchasing at Clayton County Public Schools—had a lot to say about this. From navigating the marriage of new tech and legacy systems, to implementing and enforcing best practices, to being strategic about workload distribution, we cover a lot in this chat. Listen in to hear these seasoned public procurement veterans give their take on tackling these challenges for smoother outcomes. You can find this interview, and many more, by subscribing to Inside Public Procurement on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or gobonfire.com/podcast. Listening on a desktop and can’t see the links? Just search for Inside Public Procurement in your favorite podcast player.

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 procurement pros face. It adds an element of professional courtesy to help bolster relationships with the people you’re working with. Outlining expectations and doing a little research on the goods or services you’re purchasing shows you respect their time and are willing to work more collaboratively. All this goes a long way to ensuring everything is getting completed accurately and on schedule. On this episode of Inside Public Procurement, we had the pleasure of chatting with Edward McAdoo, Senior Buyer for Sandy Springs, Georgia at Bonfire’s Atlanta User Meetup. Edward brings a unique perspective into how professionalism and communication have changed the game in his role—and why others should adopt a similar approach. You can find this interview, and many more, by subscribing to Inside Public Procurement on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or gobonfire.com/podcast. Listening on a desktop and can’t see the links? Just search for Inside Public Procurement in your favorite podcast player.

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 vendor diversity really means in practical terms Learn why vendor diversity is important to fostering healthy competition and vendor transparency Discover the critical steps for launching a successful vendor diversity initiative See how to bust down the barriers that prevent diverse suppliers from bidding on government contracts Plus, listen in on a Q&A with procurement professionals just like you! You can find this interview, and many more, by subscribing to Inside Public Procurement on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or gobonfire.com/podcast. Listening on a desktop and can’t see the links? Just search for Inside Public Procurement in your favorite podcast player.

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 Administrator and Supervisor, Harris County Edward Romero, Executive Director of Operations and Business Services, San Antonio Independent School District Annie Collier, Executive Director of Contract and Procurement Services, Austin Independent School District. Hear their take on improving relationships and educating internal clients, collaborating with other departments to create efficiencies, leveraging the knowledge and experience of other agencies, getting the best outcomes from cooperative purchasing, and so much more. You can find this interview, and many more, by subscribing to Inside Public Procurement on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or gobonfire.com/podcast. Listening on a desktop and can’t see the links? Just search for Inside Public Procurement in your favorite podcast player.

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: Michael Alguire, Purchasing Manager, County of Gray; Bhavna Sharma, Procurement Specialist, Laurier University; Jan Oliver, Assistant Director, Strategic Sourcing, Procurement Services, York University; and Tony De Sciscio, Manager, Procurement and Contracts, Toronto Public Library. Here are some highlights from the session: · Why it’s so important to make space for procurement professionals to share their experiences · How insight sharing breaks down silos · Why a culture of collaboration benefits both procurement teams and the clients they serve · Bonus: Each panelist shares their favourite sticky takeaway from the event! You can find this interview, and many more, by subscribing to Inside Public Procurement on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or gobonfire.com/podcast. Listening on a desktop and can’t see the links? Just search for Inside Public Procurement in your favorite podcast player.

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 Contract Specialist at North Carolina State University; Adam Stearns, Director of Purchasing at Magnolia ISD; and Glenn O’Steen, Manager, Procurement at Columbia County, Georgia. Listen in as panelists discuss how tech impacts: Vendor service, diversity, and engagement RFP creation and collaboration Evaluations Client service Cost savings And much more. Sit back, enjoy, and learn how you can use tech to see similar benefits. You can find this interview, and many more, by subscribing to Inside Public Procurement on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or gobonfire.com/podcast. Listening on a desktop and can’t see the links? Just search for Inside Public Procurement in your favorite podcast player.

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 Director, led the charge to tackle outdated legislation and introduce a new state bill that benefits all Idaho public agencies through cooperative purchasing. Cooperative purchasing in public procurement can make a world of difference—especially for smaller agencies. The little guys gain more purchasing power and all participating agencies can breeze through procurement since all the heavy lifting is already done. For everyone, it means negotiating lower prices and gaining the ability to be more frugal with taxpayer funds. On this episode of Inside Public Procurement, we sit down with Bob to talk about being the driving force behind switching to paperless procurement and creating a bill that would allow Idaho public agencies to leverage cooperative contracts. We also discuss how both he and his team at Ada County are always working to improve their processes, create a better experience for vendors, and advocate for cooperative purchasing. Have questions? Reach out to Bob at bperkins@adacounty.id.gov You can find this interview, and many more, by subscribing to Inside Public Procurement on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or gobonfire.com/podcast. Listening on a desktop and can’t see the links? Just search for Inside Public Procurement in your favorite podcast player.

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 over 20,000 employees, Michelle and Bruce serve a huge internal client base. And they’ve made it their mission to shift their agency’s perspective of procurement, once seen as a roadblock, now established as a trusted and strategic advisor to their organization. In our conversion, hosted in-person at this year’s NIGP Forum in Boston, Bruce and Michelle tackle topics such as: How manual errors and RFP addenda eroded trust with internal clients and vendors How procurement technology has freed up the purchasing team’s time to get out of the weeds and think more strategically The importance of user-friendly software to ensure buy-in from evaluators and vendors Connect with Bruce at bcole@pur.sbcounty.gov and Michelle at Michelle.Churchill@pur.sbcounty.gov. You can find this interview, and many more, by subscribing to Inside Public Procurement on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or gobonfire.com/podcast. Listening on a desktop and can’t see the links? Just search for Inside Public Procurement in your favorite podcast player.

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. Procurement is a whole new, scary world complete with a new language, processes, rules, and tools. What’s a newbie to do? One thing that public procurement doesn’t get enough credit for is how friendly and helpful the community is. Procurement pros are always ready to share their knowledge, experience, and advice to help others. For Keith Allen, Senior Buyer at Jackson County, Missouri, leaning on a mentor and his peers has been one of the most crucial parts to him finding his rhythm in public procurement. Not only that, as a fresh mind in the department, Keith identified a lot of opportunities and helped the County ditch dozens of drawers of paper records, among other innovations. Keith sat down with us at the NIGP Annual Forum in Boston to talk us through his transition into procurement from finance, advice for new procurement pros, the power of new perspectives, and the best way to make seafood pasta. You can find this interview, and many more, by subscribing to Inside Public Procurement on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or gobonfire.com/podcast. Listening on a desktop and can’t see the links? Just search for Inside Public Procurement in your favorite podcast player.

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 episode of Inside Public Procurement, we sat down to chat with Kyle Jurgens, Category Specialist in procurement at the University of Saskatchewan. Kyle received the Leadership award—nominated by multiple colleagues—in this year’s Bonfire Procurement Awards after successfully leading the implementation of eProcurement at USask. Kyle shares his wisdom on leading change in your organization, what engaging stakeholders and obtaining buy-in looks like, and why procurement digital transformation is a team sport. You can find this interview, and many more, by subscribing to Inside Public Procurement on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or gobonfire.com/podcast. Listening on a desktop and can’t see the links? Just search for Inside Public Procurement in your favorite podcast player.

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 current reality of public procurement teams. The 2022 report is here and we are blown away by the heroic efforts in the face of huge increases in project volumes and tighter human resources—among other challenges. Through analyzing data from nearly 500 public agencies, we identified five key areas that procurement pros like you are flexing your superpowers: Vendor Diversity Collaboration Client Service Digitization Cost Savings On this episode of Inside Public Procurement, we sit down with our very own Emily Lambert, Manager of Content Marketing at Bonfire and the force behind the State of Public Sourcing report. Emily walks us through the findings of the report and what they mean for the future of public procurement, how to leverage these insights to unlock your own superpowers, and why you should embrace the community of your peers and their experiences. Get your free digital copy of this report at gobonfire.com/super-sourcing. You can find this interview, and many more, by subscribing to Inside Public Procurement on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or gobonfire.com/podcast. Listening on a desktop and can’t see the links? Just search for Inside Public Procurement in your favorite podcast player.

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 auditor inevitably comes knocking, are you prepared? Mark Funkhouser, President of Funkhouser and Associates and Former Mayor of Kansas City, works with public agencies to improve many aspects of their operations. With an auditing background, Mark has unique insight into what triggers a procurement audit and how to prepare for and prevent a lot of common mistakes or oversights that can land you in hot water. In this episode of Inside Public Procurement, Mark talks to Bonfire’s Director of Client Experience Rachel Friesen about the importance of creating a system of checks and balances for your procurement processes, red flags auditors look for when conducting a procurement audit, why thorough staff training is a vital part of audit-proofing your procurement, and how to plan ahead and mitigate risks before they become a problem. You can find this interview, and many more, by subscribing to Inside Public Procurement on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or gobonfire.com/podcast. Listening on a desktop and can’t see the links? Just search for Inside Public Procurement in your favorite podcast player.