The myth says procurement is the holdup. We put that belief under a bright light with Oklahoma’s Chief Procurement Officer, Amanda Otis, and trace exactly how a team moves from jungle to clarity—no playbook, tight resources, and high expectations. Amanda shares how a legal mind mapped undocumented processes, separated statutory “musts” from inherited habits, and rebuilt the office around category management so expertise links directly to spend and supplier markets.

We get into the nuts and bolts: using PeopleSoft for e-procurement and sourcing without piling on complexity, leaning on AI to distill 500-page documents into crisp briefs (with human review), and adopting OneNote to tame the flood of work that email and spreadsheets couldn’t handle. Trust becomes the center of gravity. Amanda explains why fast acknowledgments, reliable follow-through, and monthly “Central Purchasing Listens” sessions turned an “ivory tower” into a responsive service partner. Skeptics on the team weren’t ignored; they were invited into experiments with a simple promise—try it, measure it, change it if it fails within six months.

Join us for a straight-talking playbook on modern public procurement: category management, transparent metrics, trust-building, and structured innovation that actually ships. If this episode sparks ideas for your team, follow the show, share it with a colleague, and leave a quick review with your favorite takeaway so more practitioners can find it.

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Modernization sits at the heart of Florida's procurement transformation. Jessie Marks, Florida's Chief Procurement Officer, shares her fascinating 18-year journey from part-time administrative assistant to CPO, revealing how the relationship-building and clear writing skills from journalism perfectly translated to crafting thoughtful procurements and saving taxpayer dollars. Marks details how her team leverages AI technology, cloud-based solutions, and automated reporting systems to increase efficiency while maintaining transparency. The cloud-based platform they've implemented provides real-time updates on active solicitations and contracts, eliminating the guesswork and bottlenecks that once plagued their process. Rather than making decisions in a vacuum, Florida's approach emphasizes data-driven strategies and stakeholder buy-in.

Ready to transform your own procurement approach? Subscribe to NASPO's Pulse for more insights from public procurement leaders across the nation, and discover how relationship-building, technology, and professional development can elevate your procurement outcomes.

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What happens when you combine theater, legal expertise, and a passion for public service? Gene Burk, Connecticut's Director of Procurement Programs and Services, brings his unique background to transform how government procurement serves citizens.

Burk's refreshingly simple method for measuring success—"Ask"—highlights his commitment to continuous improvement through stakeholder engagement. By organizing his team to proactively seek feedback and understand real-world needs, procurement becomes a strategic partner rather than a bureaucratic hurdle. This approach extends to supplier relationships too, recognizing that creating positive experiences for vendors ultimately benefits citizens through better contracts and service delivery.

Subscribe to NASPO's Pulse podcast for more insights from innovative leaders who are reimagining public procurement as a strategic enabler of government services.

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