Educational Sessions
The PA Procurement Expo takes educational opportunities very seriously so we strive to offer a dynamic program of educational sessions providing instruction on doing business with government, procurement best practices, strengthening your business efficiency capabilities, and much more!
The 2023 sessions are still in the planning process. Check back often for updates.
In the meantime, browse the 2021 offerings below to get a feel for the variety of education you can expect in 2023.
Benefits of Purchasing Through the COSTARS Program
Session designed for:
Procurement professionals that receive public funding for the procurement of supplies and services
| COSTARS is the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's cooperative purchasing program. Join the COSTARS team to learn about the COSTARS Program, including brief overviews of COSTARS contracts, the COSTARS website, utilizing member resources, and how to become a COSTARS member. This session is designed for purchasers.
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Supplier Roadmap / JAGGAER
Session designed for:
Suppliers
| This presentation is designed for Commonwealth suppliers to gain an understanding of the JAGGAER Solution. Topics will include supplier registration, the proposal process, submitting a bid, and resources available to suppliers.
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DGS Small & Small Diverse Business Program
Session designed for:
Suppliers
| This presentation is designed to educate small and small diverse business owners on how to do business with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Topics include an overview of PA DGS’ Smalland Small Diverse Business Program, how to register your business as a self-certified Small Business or a DGS verified Small Diverse Business, the benefits of registering, and how to locate contracting opportunities. |
Stress Management
Session designed for:
All Expo participants
| It is not uncommon for individuals to endure stress from time to time. However, over this last year, for many people stress has been at an all time high and our “new normal” is to be constantly exposed to different stressors that include but not limited to excessive workloads and deadlines, marathon virtual meetings, managing work and family obligations, to name a few. This workshop will address how stress affects our mental and physical health and and how we can recognize and reduce stressors and stressful situations, better manage and thrive in a more productive work life balance.
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DGS IT Procurement
Session designed for:
All Expo participants
| Technology is the foundation of professional life as we know it today. No matter where we work, when a system goes down, panic sets in. The first rules in a crisis are stay calm, and know your resources. Join Isaiah Adio, Chief of IT Procurement at the Department of General Services, for a look in DGS's IT Procurement Division, a go-to resource for IT Services and product procurement. In this session, attendees will learn about available IT contracts, changes over the last year in the Commonwealth's IT procurement, and a view into current IT projects to keep in mind for future procurement needs. |
Own Your Professional Development: Resources and Strategies for Growing as a Procurement Professional
Session designed for:
All Expo participants
| Presented by NASPO. The public procurement profession is changing now more than ever. These new challenges and opportunities require you to evolve as well. This session will help you identify areas for professional growth and begin developing a plan to achieve them. The presenter will also provide resources, toolkits and educational opportunities that are available to everyone.
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Incumbent Negotiations
Session designed for:
State agencies & procurement professionals that receive public funding for the procurement of supplies and services
| Negotiation is the art of compromise. The most successful negotiations result in an outcome that not only satisfies but benefits all parties. Come prepared to take notes as pariticpants will leave this session with tips on providing the most value to your organization through artful negotiations.
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Invest in Your Team: A Strategic Approach to Staff Development
Session designed for:
State agencies & procurement professionals that receive public funding for the procurement of supplies and services
| Presented by NASPO. Staff retention, and development continue to be critical issues within public procurement. The COVID-19 Pandemic has drastically changed how procurement leaders engage and develop their staff. This session will explore innovative strategies to develop talent and build a culture of excellence in your office, including a look at the resources, toolkits, and templates NASPO makes available to help you succeed. Participants will also engage in an interactive discussion to share their own challenges and brainstorm solutions.
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Effective Management
Session designed for:
All Expo participants
| Are you an effective leader or manager? Do you know the difference? Management is a vital part of any agency or business. How well a business is managed can make or break it - and in this new normal of decentralized work and communication, it can be even more challenging to lead and manage teams and workflow. This workshop is especially for individuals in management or those who aspire to be in management who have an interest in learning the tools and tips for being an effective leader and manager. Learn how to motivate team members, boost employee performance, build effective teams, delegate work, and inspire team members to excel.
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COSTARS - Defining Construction &
Installation in COSTARS-exclusive Contracts
Session designed for:
Procurement professionals that receive public funding for the procurement of supplies and services
| Construction and installation are one of the most questioned aspects of the scope of several COSTARS-exclusive contracts. Join the COSTARS Commodity Specialists who will define when these two project components fall within the scope of COSTARS contracts and discuss the “why’s” of when they don’t . They will also address your alternative options and resources for scenarios where construction and installation are not applicable to the contract scope.
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Emergency Management
Session designed for:
All Expo participants
| Over the last year and a half, we were all reminded just how important it is to have an emergency management plan and continually check in to make revisions as our capabilities change. In this session we'll hear from PEMA on best practices in local and state emergency management, lessons we learned in the commonwealth during the pandemic and looking to the future in our emergency management and preparedness.
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Procurated: Making Well-Informed Purchasing Decisions by Leveraging Your Procurement Community's Experience
Session designed for:
All Procurement Supervisors.
| Choosing the best supplier is an important decision that has the potential to impact the lives of every citizen in Pennsylvania, but the long-standing reference system is broken. Suppliers often provide procurement officials cherry-picked references that impart limited insight on past performance and make it difficult to predict future outcomes. In this informative session, the Procurated team will lay out not only the challenges that the broken reference process creates but also describe how an innovative technology platform, Procurated, is solving this problem forever. Through a first-in-the-nation partnership with COSTARS, Procurated allows Pennsylvania political subdivisions to read reviews from other governments, non-profits and schools across the state so they can make well-informed purchasing decisions. |
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Show Me the Money!
Session designed for:
Suppliers
| This presentation will cover important topics to ensure you receive prompt payment! As the Commonwealth goes paperless, learn about signing up for ACH Direct Deposit, Paperless Remittance Advice data tools, and E-Invoicing. Presenters will provide information on how you can decrease the potential for fraud and ensure your information is secure. Presenters will also review helpful information and the latest news accessible through the PA Supplier Portal and Services for Vendors Web Site.
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11:00 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. ONLY:
Goal Setting with the Bureau of Diversity, Inclusion, and Small Business Opportunity
Session designed for:
All Expo participants
1:30 p.m. - 2:15 p.m. ONLY:
UniqueSource
Session designed for:
State agencies & procurement professionals that receive public funding for the procurement of supplies and services
| Presented by BDISBO. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania completed a Disparity Study in 2018 which made recommendations on programmatic changes to the commonwealth’s small, small diverse and veterans business programs. As such, a new Goal Setting process went into effect August 17th,2020 for all RFPs, RFQs and IFBs for Non-construction bids $250K and over and Construction bids $400K and over. This program requires changes to the process vendors must complete in order to be compliant with the mandated use of small diverse and veteran businesses as subcontractors on bid/proposals.
The UniqueSource program is expanding in ways that will affect all within and who do business with the Commonwealth. UniqueSource and the Commonwealth continue to identify opportunities to create new and exciting employment options for Pennsylvanians’ with a disability. During this session, UniqueSource will briefly explain upcoming programs that will facilitate growth of the UniqueSource program, and UniqueSource will explain their product and service offerings that all Commonwealth agencies and vendors will want to understand for the future.
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Having Difficult Conversations
Session designed for:
All Expo participants
| What keeps us from having the conversations we need to have? Learn how to have the difficult conversations to effectively change together meaning and understanding and become an effective change leader.
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Best Procurement Practices for Local Government
Session designed for:
Procurement professionals that receive public funding for the procurement of supplies and services
| Public procurement is a balance between being fiscally responsible and complying with procurement policies and regulations. COSTARS can be a valuable tool in meeting both of these needs for local public government. This session will highlight how COSTARS contracts fulfill the requirements of the PA Procurement Code, discuss benefits of membership, demostrate how to navigate the COSTARS contracts, and how to work with vendors to obtain the best possible value for your spend. |
Time Management
Session designed for:
All Expo participants
| In life we can control and change many things, but the one thing we have no control over is time. It stops for no one! So how do we better manage it? This workshop will examine how you currently organize your time and help you to identify your priorities and determine the best way to organize your time to be the most productive and efficient within the confines of a given work day. We will also review a few time-saving tools that can help you stay better organized and on time.
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Healthy Government Framework: How We Get There with Lean Tools
Session designed for:
State agencies & procurement professionals that receive public funding for the procurement of supplies and services
| Presented by the Office of Performance Through Excellence.
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Supplier Roadmap / JAGGAER
Session designed for:
Suppliers
| This presentation is designed for Commonwealth suppliers to gain an understanding of the JAGGAER Solution. Topics will include supplier registration, the proposal process, submitting a bid, and resources available to suppliers. |
Marketing to COSTARS Members
Session designed for:
Suppliers
| Existing and prospective COSTARS Suppliers will gain tips for marketing their business to COSTARS members, including examples of ads, websites, events, flyers, and press releases. Composite sales data and how it is developed will be reviewed and analyzed.
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RFP Process
Session designed for:
State Agencies and Suppliers
| The RFP process can be daunting and an investment in time. This session will solve the mystery of RPF's by illustrating the right approach to RFP creation, and explain the process from supplier forums, scoring, goal setting to selection, so you will be more confident as you submit proposals to public sector purchasers in the future.
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