Helping Public Managers Get The Most For Your Tax Dollar (NAPSA)—While elected officials debate tax rates and thesize of the deficit, one organization is working to help government agencies get the most for the money they spend. The National Institute of Governmental Purchasing, NIGP, is described as the largest not-forprofit educational association devoted exclusively to public purchasing agencies in the United States, Canada and othernations. P, AP The organization trains senior procure- incereset”"| ment and pur- chasing people at public agencies so they know how to save money, get the most for taxpayer dollars, and operate in the most cost-efficient and responsible manner. Its standard is simple: “Excellence in Public Procurement.” The Institute is committed to helping “reduce the burden of government.” This is the guiding principle behind the consulting services it provides through its Procurement Management Assistance Program. The NIGP Procurement Management Assistance Program is designed to supportall procurement related consulting needs of governmental purchasing and materials managementorganizations. Client agencies have turned to the Institute for help with their efforts to centralize, decentralize, reorganize, reengineer, right-size, automate, benchmark...and more. Consultants are available to guide agencies through business process reviews as well as purchasing sys- NIGP is committed to helping “reduce the burden of govern- ment” by improving public procurementpractices. tem conversions and assessments of their readiness for electronic commerce. NIGPalso sponsors an Annual Forum and Products Exposition. Said to be the only educational conference exclusively for individuals in public purchasing, this is a once-a-year opportunity for people in the field to engage in professional development and to discover new products and services. By attending the event, government managers can share new ideas and innovative techniques, network with their peers and learn what’s being done to meet the demands of customers and constituencies. The next NIGP Annual Forum and Products Exposition—their 60th—takes place July 30 to August 3, 2005 in Anaheim, California. To learn more about the conference, the organization and the range of services that NIGP offers, visit their Web site at www.nigp.org.
