Procurement training sessions offered

The Office of Procurement and Contracts will be conducting several Procurement Training sessions in September and October. All departmental purchasing contacts must attend one of the scheduled meetings. Other interested parties may also attend on a space available basis.

What are the top five reasons requisitions are rejected or delayed? Why do I need to purchase from State Contract and when should I try to negotiate a better price? When must we get quotes? How can I make sure we get what we need and not spend too much? Where can I go for help when a big project is in front of me? How can I make a small purchase without jumping thru a bunch of hoops? What is a P-card and how do I use it? I am making a big investment in this equipment, how do I look at the total cost over the life to make sure we are getting the best deal? What do I need to know concerning service contracts? What agreements can we at the department sign and what must we send to Procurement and Contracts?

If you are looking for the answers to these questions or have any questions concerning the procurement process at MSU, please plan to come to the Campus wide Procurement Training. We will feed your mind and top it off with a good dose of coffee and cookies.

The training sessions will take place at the following dates and times. All sessions will be at the CAVS building. All participants must pre-register by sending an email to jshaw@procurement.msstate.edu. Provide your name, department and the date/time you wish to attend.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008, 8:30--noon

Wednesday, September 24, 2008, 1:00 - 4:30

Thursday, September 25, 2008, 8:30--noon

Tuesday, September 30, 2008, 1:00--4:30

Wednesday, October 1, 2008, 8:30--noon

Thursday, October 2, 2008, 1:00--4:30

Upon the completion of these training sessions, any department desiring individual or group training for staff (faculty, researchers, etc) may submit a request for such training. We are here to help you get what you need. Open communications and understanding of the process is the key to effective, efficient, and accountable procurement.

Please let us know if you have any questions.

Don Buffum
dbuffum@procurement.msstate.edu