JOIN US FOR OUR WEB SERIES
The Center for Procurement Excellence is pleased to announce a free interactive web series, “Ask of the RFP Doctor”. In this first-of-its-kind virtual discussion, procurement experts provide practical advice in addressing today’s purchasing, supply chain, and acquisition challenges. Here’s how it works:
• Teaching Moment (15 minutes): the RFP Doctor will kick things off with a brief presentation targeted at a specific topic
• CPE Virtual Peer Group (30 minutes): next, we will split up into small groups and give attendees an opportunity to network with each other and have a discussion on a relevant topic. Learn More
• Ask the RFP Doctor – Office Hours (15 minutes or until the questions run out!): we’ll come back together for an open Q&A session. Have a challenging RFP ahead? Have a unique situation? Bring your questions and let’s get it figured out!
Third Thursdays of every month starting at 12:00pm Central
Register For Ask The RFP Doctor Event
We will send you your personal admission credentials via email.
Upcoming Ask the RFP Doctor Events
Add them to your Calendar!
20
August
Mandatory vs. Desired
1. Every requirement you mark “mandatory” is a qualified vendor you could lose on a technicality.
2. Your best proposal just went in the reject pile. Not for quality — for paperwork.
3. One agency cut its mandatory requirements list way back. The proposals got *better*. Here’s why.
4. Pass/fail feels safe. It’s quietly costing you your strongest vendors.
5. Is that requirement protecting the project — or just protecting the checklist?
17
September
The Procurement Trust Series, Part 1: Trust Is the New Currency
1. Trust is falling everywhere — and procurement feels it first.
2. When AI makes every proposal cheap and polished, price stops separating vendors. Trust will.
3. How much do buyers, end users, and vendors actually trust each other? We measured it.
4. Your differentiator used to be price. AI just deleted it.
5. The most valuable line item in your next contract isn’t in the budget. It’s trust.
15
October
After the Award: Project Performance, Customer Surveys, & Closeouts
1. You spent six months on the solicitation. What happens in the 36 months after the award?
2. Selection is only half the job. The other half is where the money is.
3. The best input for your next RFP is buried in your last closeout — if you did one.
4. Vendors behave differently when they know someone’s keeping score.
5. Your contract file says “awarded.” Does anything say “how it went”?
19
November
Bonds and Insurance: Are You Asking for Too Much?
1. Those insurance limits in your RFP feel like free protection. You’re paying for every dollar of them.
2. Your bonding requirements might be screening out the exact firms you want bidding.
3. Survey data: what agencies *actually* require for bonds and insurance (you’ll want to compare).
4. Over-insuring doesn’t reduce risk. It reduces competition.
17
December
What AI Just Broke in Your Evaluation Criteria
1. Any vendor can now generate a flawless proposal in seconds. Your evaluation criteria haven’t noticed.
2. When every response is polished, polish tells you nothing.
3. Some of your evaluation criteria just quietly stopped working. We’ll name which ones.
4. The best-written proposal is no longer the best vendor. AI made sure of that.
5. Market pulse: how much AI is actually in the proposals you’re scoring right now?
21
January
Yes, We Can Do That!’ — Collaborating with Your Internal Clients
1. When your internal clients think of procurement, do they hear “yes” — or brace for “no”?
2. Procurement’s biggest competitor isn’t a vendor. It’s the workaround.
3. The first intake meeting decides your reputation for the whole project.
4. Nobody routes around a department they trust.
5. New year’s resolution for procurement: stop being the office of “no.”
CPE Virtual Peer Groups
CPE’s Virtual Peer Groups provide attendees an opportunity to network in one of four areas below. We’ll provide a suggested topic, and invite attendees to provide feedback and advice with each other.
| Peer Group | Description |
|---|---|
| Leadership of Procurement Groups | CPOs, Procurement Leaderships, Executives |
| IT Procurement | All things IT including software, hardware, system integrator, and more |
| Capital Projects & Alternative Delivery | Strategies for large design and construction, including best practices for new alternative delivery methods (DB, PDB, CMAR/CMGC, IPD, P3) |
| Procurement Processes | Statements of Work, Evaluations, Interviews, Clarification, Partnering |