With Delbert Singleton Jr. and Stacy Adams, we dive into South Carolina’s competitive negotiations model—a source selection method designed for high-stakes buys like ERP, digital services, and cloud—where the team establishes a competitive range and negotiates in parallel with multiple finalists. By moving beyond apples-to-apples checklists, we explore how trade‑offs, enhancements, and smarter risk allocation can surface more value than a traditional RFP ever could.

We walk through the full arc: building an acquisition team, doing real market research, crafting a different kind of solicitation, and running an initial evaluation that focuses on capability and value potential. Then comes the critical shift—setting a tight competitive range (often three), negotiating detailed terms with each finalist, and conducting a second, final evaluation on the negotiated contracts. You’ll hear why suppliers appreciate the chance to clarify issues and propose better solutions, how the process remains transparent and criteria-led, and where a selection executive provides oversight to catch bias and keep the record defensible.

Along the way, we talk code changes, protest realities, and the kinds of outcomes this method unlocks: lower risk, better terms, and modern functionality that evolves as fast as the market. We also reflect on the human side of procurement—from museum exhibits that communities can touch to emergency logistics that keep people safe—showing why process integrity and public impact go hand in hand.

If you care about getting complex procurements right, hit play and join the conversation. Subscribe, share with a colleague who handles major acquisitions, and leave a review with your biggest procurement challenge—we may tackle it next.

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In part two of our discussion with Sherry Neas from North Dakota, we lay out a practical playbook that starts with a precise legislative summary, aligns interpretations with partners like risk management and the AG, and then moves through manuals, training, website updates, and template revisions that vendors can actually follow.

We talk about capacity like operators do: splitting the team so daily buying continues while a focused group drives implementation on deadline. Sherry shares how to use bill tracking tools to catch amendments that change scope at the last minute, and how to communicate updates to counties, cities, schools, and vendors in plain language. We also dig into sponsor relationships and why a short, proactive email confirming a policy launch or contract award earns lasting trust at the capitol. When vendors escalate, transparency about protests and resolution processes turns conflict into clarity.

If you care about public procurement, legislative implementation, vendor communication, and building leaders who think in laws and deliver in practice, this one’s for you. Listen, share with your team, and leave a review telling us your best post-session habit.

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In part one of our discussion with Sherry Neas, Division Director of Shared Services for North Dakota’s OMB, we walk through a practical framework for pre-session preparation, stakeholder alignment, and testimony that actually moves the needle.

We start with the pre-legislative rhythm: weekly collaboration with higher ed, monthly sessions with state agencies, and a quarterly procurement advisory council that surfaces policy gaps early. Sherry explains how to decide what belongs in statute versus guidelines, why governments express authority matters, and how opening a law invites amendments you need to anticipate. Then we dive into testimony craft—writing with busy legislators in mind, using concrete examples, pausing for questions, and closing with a crisp call to action. We talk media training, committee protocol, and choosing speakers who want the podium and can handle rapid-fire questions.

Once the session heats up, systems and teamwork take over. Sherry details a bill tracking workflow, cross-division assignments, and the necessity of freeing someone’s time to focus on legislative work. We get into internal approvals—how subject matter experts, legal counsel, leadership, and the governor’s office align positions with policy, resources, and fiscal notes. When stakeholders disagree, she shows how to prevent surprises by briefing sponsors and chairs early, proposing amendments, and keeping associations in the loop. And when controversy sends a bill to conference committee, Sherry treats it like a complex RFP: listen first, map concerns, iterate toward solutions, and support the carrier with clear talking points.

If you’re a procurement leader navigating legislative season, this conversation offers a repeatable playbook: begin with the end in mind, engage stakeholders early, testify with clarity, and build relationships through respect and helpfulness. Subscribe, share with your team, and leave a review telling us your best tip for surviving the session storm.

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