Educational Opportunities
The following educational opportunities are offered through the Columbia Chapter NIGP in partnership with OPPA.
Face to Face Courses
Developing and Managing RFP's
Date and time: February 1 - 3, 2012 8AM - 5PM
Seminar Location: Portland, OR
Presented by: Kevin Yin
Sourcing in the Public Sector
Date and time: February 15-17, 2012, 8AM - 5PM
Seminar Location: Wilsonville, OR
Presented by: Jeff Baer
CPPB Preparation for the Exam
Date and time: March 27-28, 2012, 8AM - 5PM
Seminar Location: Wilsonville, OR
Presented by: Rob Rickard
Legal Aspects of Public Purchasing
Date and time: April 9-11, 2012, 8AM - 5PM
Seminar Location: Portland, OR
Presented by: Edward Pabor
Upcoming Webinars:
What's in the Fine Print and Why: Part Two Standard P.O. Terms and Conditions for Services
Date and time: February 16, 2012, 10 AM - 11:30 AM
Presented by: Michael Bevis, CPPO, CPSM, CPM, PMP
Procurement Tales from the Dark Side: The Legal Aspects of Procurement Risk
Date and time: February 23, 2012, 10 AM - 11:30 AM
Presented by: Richard Pennington, CPPO, J.D., L.L.M
Upcoming Workshops:
Columbia Chapter All Day Workshop - Ethics & Crucial Conversations
Date and time: February 8, 2012, 8 AM - 4 PM
Presented by: Rob Russell
For information on classes sponsored by the Columbia Chapter contact:
Kathi Braeme-Burr, CPPB
Acting Professional Development Director, NIGP Columbia Chapter
Procurement Analyst, Multnomah County
503.988.5111 x22596
A Message from NIGP National Regarding Fee Changes:
As you may know, the NIGP Board of Directors convened May 6-7 for its annual spring meeting to review program initiatives, recommended policy changes and to adopt the budget for the coming 2012 fiscal year.
There are three principle course registration-related outcomes from this Board meeting that I wish to bring to your attention.
· REGISTRATION FEES CHANGES FOR ONE-, TWO- AND THREE-DAY COURSES
Included in the adopted FY 12 budget are new fees for NIGP courses. The new standard registration fees highlighted below will take effect July 1, 2011.
One-day courses $275
Two-day courses $460
Three-day courses $650
The early registration discount of $25 for registrations received more than 60 days prior to the start of the course remains unchanged, as does the late fee of $50 for registrations received within 30 days of the start of the course.
For any currently scheduled courses taking place on or after July 1, existing registrants and registrations submitted between now and June 30 will be charged at the currently posted FY11 fees. Again, the new fees take effect July 1.
· CHANGES TO STUDENT MINIMUM REQUIREMENT FOR ONE-DAY COURSES
Effective July 1, the minimum requirement for a one-day course will be 10 students. Minimums for two- and three-day courses remain unchanged at eight.
· INDIVIDUAL CANCELLATION POLICY REVISION
The board adopted a no refund policy for individual cancellations requested within 30 days from the start of the course. Individual cancellations received prior to 30 day from the start of class will be eligible for refund. This policy change is effective immediately.
This important change benefits hosting chapters by protecting them from the possibility of course cancellation as a result of a last-minute individual cancellation. Further, through this revision, the policy now aligns with the existing policy requiring course hosts to confirm at the 30 day mark that the student minimum is met.
In recent months we have experienced a few cases when a seminar met the minimum at the 30 day deadline but due to individuals cancelling after the 30 day mark, the chapter became financially liable to make up the difference or chose to cancel the course. This policy change allows the chapter to offer the course without the financial burden of making up the difference or choosing to cancel and affecting the professional development of the other registrants.
NIGP is ever-mindful of the challenges our members face to justify professional development expenses and recognize that a price increase does not make that funding request any easier. This made for a difficult decision, yet reflects the increasing expenses associated with instructor travel and achieving a sustainable, overall break-even point for our professional development offerings. Currently, there are many cases when NIGP loses money on a course because of low ‘required students’ minimums and a fee structure that does not reflect the total costs of offering each class. The change in price for each course type reflects the disparity between the price charged and actual direct and indirect costs of delivering each program.
Thank you for chapter’s ongoing support of professional development and the educational opportunities you provide to your membership and all procurement professionals. Should you have any questions or concerns about these changes or their implementation, don’t hesitate to contact me at crawn@nigp.org or 703-736-8900 x251
Sincerely,
Carrie Rawn, CMP
Executive Director, Programs
NIGP
