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Colorado Procurement News

September, 2023

News for the Statewide Procurement Community from the State Purchasing and Contracts Office

From the CPO

Summer is winding down, and now that it's September it's time to move into the next phase of the new Contract Management Policy, which went into effect in FY23. Each agency is required to provide all contract managers with annual contract management training, and to report back to the SPCO on that training by September 30th. Thank you to all the procurement officials who have already reported, and I look forward to seeing the complete results!

I would also like to congratulate Barb Musick on being a nominee for the NASPO Emerging Leader Award! I appreciate her leadership and the way she brings the best out of her team to help meet the SPCO's goals and objectives while improving our efficiency and processes. 

Sincerely,

Sherri Maxwell, CPPB
Chief Procurement Officer

SPCO Staffing Update

We are excited to announce our new Central Contracts Unit Manager, Ryan Yarrow! Prior to his new role, Ryan worked for four years with the Colorado Department of Human Services as a Procurement Manager and for two years with the Department of Health Care Policy & Financing as a Purchasing Agent.  Originally from Clemson, South Carolina, Ryan moved to Denver to attend law school at the University of Denver where he earned his juris doctorate.  On the weekends, Ryan likes to frequent Denver parks with his dog, Atticus, and he enjoys having game nights with his friends. Welcome, Ryan!

Exec PAC Update

Chris Frenz (Department of Human Services) and Nancy Dierker (Governor's Office of Information Technology) completed their terms on the Executive Procurement Advisory Committee in June, and we'd like to thank them for their service! 

Ion Cotsapas (Department of Natural Resources) was appointed by Sherri Maxwell, and Renee Kennedy was elected by the procurement officials. Welcome to the council, Ion and Renee! 

Accessibility & Procurement

As the State's accessibility standards continue to evolve, it's important that we all stay up-to-date on the latest developments. OIT, who is responsible for these standards, has a webpage dedicated to Accessibility for Procurement. They also publish a monthly accessibility newsletter, which you can subscribe to here. 

Accessibility requirements are also included in the SPCO's solicitation and contract templates.

NASPO Procurement Pulse

Have you read NASPO's blog- Procurement Pulse? They cover a wide range of procurement-related topics from 'AI in Procurement' to 'Tips and Resources to Organize Your Procurement Method'. Visit their website to read and subscribe to the blog!

Did You Know?

Did you know the SPCO has a program to help vendors understand how to do business with the State? It's called ACCESSColorado and includes information and links as well as a recorded webinar. You can refer vendors who have questions on how to get started to the page linked above, or to barbara.musick@state.co.us. 

Live Procurement Training

These training courses are currently being offered via Zoom. Visit the SPCO Procurement Training page for more information. 

Statutory Violations Prevention
11/14/2023 | 1:30pm - 3:00pm
Register
1/9/2023 | 1:30pm - 3:00pm
Register

Controller Pre-Delegation Training
11/21/2023 | 1:00pm - 4:00pm
Register
2/20/2023 | 1:00pm - 4:00pm
Register

Contract Drafting Boot Camp
12/28/2023 | 8:00am - 3:00pm
Register
4/25/2023 | 8:00am - 3:00pm
Register

COPROU Procurement Learning Library

These training courses are available to State procurement professionals through the Colorado Procurement University (COPROU). Visit the SPCO Procurement Training page for more information. 

Basic Procurement Certification

• Foundations of State Procurement 
• Methods of Source Selection 
• Ethics and Conflicts of Interest
• Overview of Commitment Documents 
• Statutory Violations and Unauthorized Purchases 

Procurement Official Series

• Procurement Official Training  
• Protests and Appeals Processes  

Purchasing Certification

• Documented Quotes - Coming Soon!

Contact thomas.wilson@state.co.us with questions about training. 

Reminder: All NASPO-designed

Procurement U courses are now free!

The National Association of State Procurement Officials (NASPO) offers all of their Foundational Procurement courses for free! 

Visit Procurement U to view the course offerings, which include:

• Introduction to Specification Development (NEW!)
• Introduction to Terms & Conditions
• Market Research Strategies, and more!

You can create a free Procurement U account and sign up for these courses here. Note that most Procurement U courses are self-paced, so you can start them at any time.

Questions? Email procurementu@naspo.org.

Name: Nathan Manley

Title: Central Contracts Specialist

Organization: State Purchasing & Contracts Office

Tell us a little bit about your background: I’m a Colorado native, raised in south Denver, and but for a three-year stint in New England to attend law school, I’ve lived here my entire life—mostly northern Colorado. I play a
handful of instruments (namely guitar, piano, and mandolin) and compose instrumental music as I find time to, which I’ve done for the last twenty years or so. Though I started my college career as a piano performance major, I eventually transitioned to literature.

How long have you been with your current organization? Since April, 2023.

How did you get into the procurement field? When I left for law school, I’d hoped eventually to find a career that would make good use of the skills I’d cultivated as an educator—not knowing what that might look like exactly. I’d hoped also to find work that touched on remediating our environmental crises; habitat fragmentation has been a pet worry of mine now for many years. As it happened, contract review turned out to be a pretty natural fit for me (some days it’s shockingly similar to grading papers), and in this particular role I get to work with good folks on good projects over at the Department of Natural Resources almost every day.

Did you work in other professions, and if so where and for how long? I taught rhetoric and composition as an adjunct professor for five years before I became an attorney—first at UNC as I completed my graduate work and subsequently at Front Range Community College.

Please share a professional or personal accomplishment you're proud of:  I write poems and verse translations from classical Latin, so I’m proud of (and grateful to many different friends, fellow scholars, and editors for) my growing publication record. I’m particularly proud of a recent collection called Ecology of the Afterlife, for which I also undertook scientific illustrations.

Tell us something interesting and unique about yourself: I’ve got a little polydactyl tabby cat who likes to nap in sunbeams as they fall around the
house throughout the day. I pretend to charge him an hourly rate for it, which always get a rise out of my wife. It really won’t be long before his debts are utterly insurmountable. Does this qualify as interesting? You be the judge!

State Price Agreement Updates

• The SPCO is in negotiations for new agreements with a number of Computer Equipment vendors. The current agreements in this category expire on October 31, 2023. Many agreements are currently in the final stages of negotiations. You can contact Theresa Fraijo for more information. 
• Additional agreements for 2024 or newer fleet vehicles continue to be executed. Be sure to check BIDSColorado.com regularly as new agreements are posted (or sign up below to receive weekly updates!) Contact Amy Risley if you have any questions.