Take Time to Learn the Best Practices for Procurement

By Heidi J. Ellsworth, RoofersCoffeeShop Partner.

The Center for Procurement Excellence can help.

Many roofing contractors are tired of low-bid scenarios.  They understand the importance of quality performance in products and installation that means a long-life for roofing systems.  Low bids can lead to sub-par products and a roofing system that will not last, meaning more money out of pocket for the building owners in the long-term. 

Roofing contractors should be looking for opportunities to learn best practices for procurement practices.  For many contractors, this may seem out of reach but when you think of the number of local government agencies and corporations who utilize Request for Proposals (RFP) procedures and the resulting amount of roofing projects available, it can be a very important part of increasing your local business opportunities.

The Center for Procurement Excellence (CPE) is a non-profit, member-based organization focused on the support, education, and certification of optimized solicitation practices that emphasize speed, minimizing protests and attracting high performing proponents.  CPE actively engages tier-1 universities throughout the US to provide research, educational and training opportunities while supporting further advancement of the profession and solicitation methodology, research, and practice.

They provide training and certification for procurement professionals, RFP templates and standards, and a venue for procurement professionals to network and advance procedures, processes, and systems.  Their CPE Conference, set to be held in Los Angeles March 13-14, 2019, is a premier opportunity to learn from purchasing officers from across the country on what is important to them when deciding on funding maintenance and capital expenditures.

This event will present cutting edge, research-based RFP procurement expertise from leading subject matter experts. Attendees will also be privy to real-world experiences from government and corporate representatives that are utilizing these new processes for their internal projects. Participants will have the option to receive their CPE Certification at the event.

CPE has developed the first and only certifications that are focused entirely on solicitation and procurement procedures. CPE offers two distinct certifications:

Certified Solicitation Professional™ (CPE™)

The Certified Solicitation Professional™ (CPE™) credential is designated for procurement and supply-chain professionals seeking to certify their understanding and knowledge of RFP/RFx solicitations and practices. A CPE™ credential verifies critical solicitation skillsets and increases credibility with internal clients and external vendors. This credential program complies with RFP Certification and Training requirements of many Public agencies. Learn more.

Best Value Professional™ (BVP™)

The Best Value Professional™ (BVP™) designation is the premier credential for professionals that have mastered the most advanced solicitation techniques. The BVP™ is a follow-up to the popular CPE™ credential and focuses on an individual’s ability to integrate best-value procurement techniques to procure and deliver the greatest value to their organization. The BVP™ credentialing process requires training, examination, and evidence of understanding through actual implementation assessments. This thorough evaluation process ensures both conceptual understanding and real-world application. Learn more.

Roofing contractors should consider sending top sales personnel or estimators to this event to learn how to better approach RFP scenarios.  Whether certified or educated, this type of information and networking is valuable to your business and the industry overall as we continue to ramp up the professionalism of roofing professionals.  Early bird pricing is available if you register before January 31. Learn more.

A leading advocate and sponsor if the Center for Procurement Excellence is Tremco Roofing.  To find out more about how Tremco is committed to excellence in the roofing industry, visit www.tremco.com.