Events

The NIGP Annual Forum and Products Exposition is the largest North American educational conference exclusively for individuals in Public Purchasing! This is a once-a-year opportunity to engage in professional development and to discover new products and services in the Products Expo.

NIGP and the Tampa Bay Area Chapter of NIGP hosted the 61st Annual Forum and Products Exposition. The 2006 Forum was held August 5-9, 2006 at the Tampa Convention Center.

SPIRIT OF NIGP / PRESIDENT'S AWARD

The Spirit of NIGP Award is presented by the President of NIGP and is awarded only when deemed appropriate. The prestigious award was presented, during the 2006 NIGP Forum, to Shafiq Choudhary, CPPB, CPM, Contract Specialist.

Darien Matthews, President of NIGP, presented the surprise award to Shafiq Choudhary in front of 1,400 attendees at the NIGP Awards Luncheon, "I want to acknowledge a key leader whose intentional choices and personal decisions have been a huge difference to those around them. I've entitled this year's Presidential Award the Spirit of NIGP Award to reflect the heart, soul and lifetime determination demonstrated by this individual", said Matthews.

"This award is given to an individual who epitomizes the Spirit of NIGP. This person is a highly skilled and dedicated contract specialist for a very large governmental agency. But his heart is dedicated to the individual people within the profession - for this is where you'll find his true heart and soul. If you sit on a committee with him, he'll be the first to welcome you into his home where you will experience the richness of his culture and faith - and you will be embraced as a member of his family. At his own expense, he has purchased team shirts for the Forum Committee from his homeland of Pakistan. And if you are ever faced with a tragedy, he'll be the first to open his hands and wallet - as evidenced by his personal contributions to the Mississippi Chapter after Hurricane Katrina. Please join me in thanking Shafiq Choudhary, a Contract Specialist for the District of Columbia Office of Contracting and Procurement, for his incredible Spirit that serves as a beacon for us all."

All Shafiq's OCP colleagues, in attendance at the Forum, were at the awards ceremony and provided a standing ovation.

NIGP selects OCP for Best-of-the-Best Technology Award

Darin Matthews, President, National Institute of Governmental Purchasing, presented the Best of the Best Award to the OCP IT, Procurement Administration, and Business Operations Units at the NIGP Annual Forum, August 8, 2006 in Tampa, FL.

"NIGP agency awards go to those public procurement organizations that have developed Best Practices and Innovations for their entities", said Matthews. "We received so many entries, a record breaking twenty-five, in 2006 that we had to offer two workshops to feature presentations from the best of the best. We classified the award winners within six unique categories...... with Technology being one."

Dwayne Paxton, IT Manager, who presented the applications at the workshop said, "Having recognition from peers across the country instills a sense of pride and recognition that OCP is, indeed, a leader in supporting the contracting process with innovative technology applications."

Herb Tillery, Deputy Mayor for Operations and Interim Chief Procurement Officer notified the Mayor and Cabinet of the award in this memo: "Mayor Williams, Last week, OCP received a Best Practices Award at the National Institute of Governmental Purchasing conference in Tampa Fl. This award was presented in recognition of the many web based applications my team at OCP created to fill the gap left by the lack of full implementation of the ASMP PASS system. We've come a long way creating our own in-house applications to better support the procurement functions of this government. I just wanted you all to know that national procurement professionals have recognized it also," concluded Tillery.