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Our Spring Conference was held
on Monday through Wednesday, April 26-28, at Nashville
Electric Service in Nashville. TAPP conducted the
first two days of meetings and collaborated with the
Middle Tennessee Public Purchasing Association (MTPPA)
on the third day for some professional development.
World Class Procurement Practices was presented through
NIGP. Attendance was up over recent meetings.
Twenty-six members attended the first two days and
twenty-one attended the professional development class.
That was a direct result of some very long hours and
hard work, especially by Vice-President Brian Wilcox who
put together a program team including Artie Pritchard,
Susan White, and Amanda Cochran. Sondra Howe and Darin
Anderson put together an excellent professional training
program and worked with us on all the front end
planning. Pamela Cotham and Teresa Johnson took care of
all the many details that have to happen to make a
conference successful. And most importantly, our hosts
at Nashville Electric provided meeting space free of
charge for three days, made sure our stay with them was
enjoyable, and went the extra mile to make our
conference successful. Sheila Douglas, Amanda, and
Darin were just super in taking care of us.
Highlights of the conference
included:
--Cooperative Purchasing Opportunities
-- Updates on recent and pending State legislation
--Discussion on fuel hedging
--GSA purchasing programs available to our agencies
--The always favorite Best Practices roundtable
--A wonderful evening of fellowship at Loveless Café
--The auctioning of gifts from members
The highlight of the conference was an off-site visit to the Franklin
Police Headquarters. That brand new facility is a 100%
Leed-certified facility. Led by Brian Wilcox, the tour
was an eye-opening experience of how buildings can be
properly planned and designed over time and brought to
fruition with the input of all stakeholders. From
plants on the roof to motion detecting light systems to
wells for collection rain runoff for recycling, this is
a building that will be a model for the future.
Discussion also took place regarding a proposed amendment to our
by-laws regarding some compensation to officers for
services rendered. This would be in the form of payment
of conferences fees. Those in attendance agreed this
was very worthwhile and needed to attract candidates to
serve. It will appear on the agenda at our Fall
conference.
Please mark your calendars for October 20-22 for our Fall Conference in
Pigeon Forge. TAPP will co-sponsor this conference with
the East Tennessee Purchasing Association (ETPA).
Details will follow.
Finally, we are told that timing is everything. One week after our
conference, Nashville and Middle Tennessee were hit with
a flood not seen in over a hundred years. Among the
structures hit hard were many of the NES facilities,
hundreds of government buildings and properties, and
untold damage to homes. Included in the damage was the
Franklin Police headquarters where we visited.
Nashville, Franklin, Clarksville and other areas were
especially hit hard. Many of our members continue to
have long hours in the cleanup process. We are learning
if our emergency guidelines are working.
Please visit our Meetings site to see pictures from our conference.
Best to all of you. |
