Educational Procurement Journal - September 2007 - (Page 10) “ Whether large or small, public or private, institutions of higher education can be daunting places for businesses, especially small businesses that may not have a dedicated sales force.” Solicitation Notification. Are solicitations posted electronically? Where? Are they e-mailed or mailed to a select group of vendors? How do vendors get on your list? Small Business or Supplier Diversity Programs. Promote it if your school has one. Even if you don’t, you can still provide pertinent information, such as definitions (use your state/federal guidelines), marketing tips, contact information for support groups, leads to other organizations and contact and Internet information for Small Business Administration and similar offices. Green Purchasing Initiative. If your school has a sustainability policy, explain the details and the benefits. Discuss your environmentally responsible Purchasing policy. Tips on Navigating Your School’s Web Sites. The more robust a Web site, the more time-consuming it can be to find information. Make it easier by providing a list of useful URLs. What’s Next? Is it permissible to contact campus departments directly? If appropriate, provide the vendors with contact names, phone numbers and e-mail addresses. Have them meet with your Purchasing staff at the end of orientation. Assess Your Success. Follow up. Send a thank-you note. Include a brief survey of the orientation session. This will help you measure your program’s effectiveness. A Vendor Orientation program does require an investment in time and resources. At the University of Colorado, we believe that the benefits of strong vendor relationships are well worth it. Sandy Hicks, CPPB, is Director of Purchasing for the University of Colorado. In her current position, Ms. Hicks is responsible for overseeing the procurements of the three-campus University of Colorado (CU) System. She currently serves as the 2nd Vice President of NAEP. She is Past President of the NAEP Rocky Mountain Region and served as the Program Committee Co-Chair for the 2007 NAEP Annual Meeting. e-Mail: sandy.hicks@cu.edu Charlene Lydick, C.P.M., is a Manager, Purchasing Services, and the Small Business Liaison Officer (SBLO) at the University of Colorado (CU), a threecampus system. In addition to managing CU’s Small Business Program, Charlene supervises an Assistant SBLO, a team of three contract administrators and a team of three Purchasing Agents. With a background in private sector procurement, Charlene entered the world of public purchasing and higher education in 2003. e-Mail: charlene.lydick@cu.edu 10 EDUCATIONAL PROCUREMENT JOURNAL September 2007 http://www.HGACBuy.org http://www.HGACBuy.org
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