Engaging the next generations of public procurement professionals is more critical than ever as the role of procurement professionals continues to evolve. What better way to engage the next generation than challenging students to solve some of public procurement’s most significant challenges? And just like that, NASPO’s first public procurement case competition took shape.
In late October, NASPO’s inaugural case competition brought together Chief Procurement Officers (CPOs), procurement officials, academics, and undergraduate supply chain students from across the nation to Iowa State University, one of NASPO’s Academic Partners, in Ames, Iowa.
Thanks to the expertise of the judges, such as Thor Vue (CPO for Alaska), George Schutter (CPO for the District of Colombia), Allen Meyer (CPO for Iowa), and Mary Nelson (Buying Acquisitions Specialist for Minnesota), the students were peppered with questions about the viability of their solutions. By no means did the judges hold back, and by no means did the students’ answers disappoint. Teams were up for the challenge!