CAPPO President's Message - March 2023

Greetings Fellow CAPPO Members

Happy National Purchasing Month!  I hope your agency is celebrating and recognizing the importance of what your team does every day to support your agency and community.  If you do not have anything planned yet, it is not too late and here are some ideas:

Create a budget: Take some time to review your spending habits and create a budget that will help you track your expenses and identify areas where you can save money.

Shop your closet: Instead of buying new clothes, challenge yourself to create new outfits from clothes you already own. You may be surprised at how many new looks you can come up with!

Meal plan: Planning your meals in advance can help you save money by avoiding impulse purchases and reducing food waste. Look for recipes that use ingredients you already have on hand.

Use a shopping list: Make a list of the items you need before you go shopping, and stick to it. This can help you avoid buying unnecessary items and save money.

Compare prices: Before making a purchase, compare prices at different stores or online retailers to make sure you're getting the best deal.

Use coupons: Look for coupons online or in-store to save money on your purchases.

Try DIY: Instead of buying new items, try making your own. There are plenty of DIY tutorials available online for everything from home decor to beauty products.

Buy second-hand: Consider shopping at thrift stores or online marketplaces to find gently used items at a fraction of the cost of new ones.

Share with friends: If you need something for a one-time use, consider borrowing from a friend instead of buying it.

Cancel subscriptions: Take a look at your monthly subscriptions and cancel any that you're not using or can live without. This can help you save money each month.

You may be thinking, “What does this list have to do with me/my agency celebrating National Purchasing Month?  Well, for the most part, not much. Although you may be able to loosely tie some of these “ideas” to your professional life, these are directed at people’s personal purchasing habits.  You also may be thinking. “Why did you provide this list as an example of some ideas?”  Artificial Intelligence is the reason.  As I asked at the 2023 Conference and in the January Edition of CAPPONEWS, “What does the future hold for us?  AI - Artificial Intelligence?”; I stated that it will play a role, but it will not replace us. Plus AI has a long way to go before it is a mature and reliable tool.  The list I provided came from a ChatGPT inquiry for “Free ways to celebrate national purchasing month”.  As you can see, ChapGPT missed the mark on this one.  However, I have seen instances where this technology could be helpful.  In a recent NIGP listserv posting, someone posted results of using ChatGPT to develop specifications for a police vehicle ("Can you write a police vehicle up fit specification?").  The results were surprisingly not bad, although some human intervention is needed to fine-tune the results.  Just like anything you glean from the internet, you need to proceed very cautiously.

Now back to National Purchasing Month, here is a more relevant, human created, list:

• Have your Governing Board Proclaim March as National Purchasing Month
• Create a Daily Purchasing POP Quiz/Question of the Day or “Did you know?”
• Post a “Life of a Requisition” (explain the entire process to your customers)
• Conduct an Open House
• Publish a Newsletter
• Have a Potluck/Lunch with staff
• Conduct a Vendor Expo
• Conduct a Purchasing 101 Workshop
• Conduct an “Office Supply Swap”

These are just a few ideas and I am confident you have more, better ideas.  Whatever you do, have fun and celebrate the importance of the value you provide and share your ideas with CAPPO (either at CAPPO Café and/or via CAPPOCONNECT.

You also may be asking, “What is CAPPO doing for National Purchasing Month?”  I am glad you asked.  At the January Board meeting, the CAPPO Board approved a motion to recognize March 8 as Procurement Professionals Day and on March 7^th the CAPPO Board approved a motion to proclaim March 2023 as National Purchasing Month.

Lastly, and as I have mentioned on several occasions, I would like to hear from you and need your feedback.  On way I plan to obtain it, is by attending Chapter meetings.  So, to the extent possible, I will be reaching out to the chapter chairs to confirm their meeting schedules for 2023 and will do my best to attend a meeting for each chapter.  Do not be surprised if I show up at you next chapter meeting.  Stay safe my CAPPO family and

I hope to see you at a CAPPOCafe, a Chapter meeting and/or the 2024 Conference!