Improving an Industry's Contracting Environment
For an industry association, facilitated work by senior industry executives representing customers and their suppliers to determine how to improve the industry’s contracting practices. Prepared and conducted a survey to generate data for this project.

Understanding How Board Policies Affect Performance
For a national trade association seeking to help public agency board members understand how policies they establish impede or facilitate agencies' ability to achieve cost-effective procurements, wrote a guide to the procurement process for board members. The guide has been the association’s best-selling publication.

Improving Intra- and Inter-Organizational Relationships

Rolling Out Projects Smoothly and Cost Effectively
Developed project management training for operations and staff personnel to help participants learn to work collaboratively for an agency trying to improve project roll out. Participants analyze their experiences and learn project management techniques to develop new ways of working and develop their capacity to think systemically.

Revamping Business Processes
As part of a team of consultants reviewing operations at a major public agency, headed the review of procurement and inventory management. Focused on developing systemic understanding of business processes, e.g. vendor management, procurement cycle, alternate sourcing, so that the agency could decide how to improve operations.

Managing Supplier Relationships
Revamped a contract administration course to help participants appreciate the interrelationship of customer and supplier interests and learn to make sense of and apply their own experiences managing contracts to thorny contract problems.

Changing Organizational Structure
In conjunction with implementation of an enterprise resource planning system, assisted an agency in reorganizing their procurement function. Conducted an organizational review to help the agency understand and address inter-departmental conflicts and work process problems.

Gearing Up to Take On More Complex Projects
For an agency that wanted to assure it was ready to take on more complex projects, conducted a review to facilitate board and staff decision-making about changes needed to assure that business processes would support more complex projects.

Evaluating Potential Contractors
Developed an evaluation system for stakeholders representing various organizations selecting a construction manager (CM/GC at risk) for a major redevelopment project. Methodology considered the qualifications wanted and information necessary to assess them, as well as the evaluators' different professional disciplines.

Improving Performance

Learning to Think Systemically
Helped participants in procurement, negotiation, and contract administration classes learn to think systemically about problems. Facilitated the development of their ability to make sense of their experiences and so develop the capacity to better manage the contracting process and relationships with suppliers.

Developing Feedback Skills
Developed a workshop to help social service agency staff members better understand how to give and get feedback to and from co-workers.

Structuring Effective Procurements
Advised a variety of agencies on how to structure procurement policies, as well as specific solicitations, to achieve effective procurements. Helped agencies understand policy choices and develop effective solicitations.