Overview
The value of collaboration across a region is clear: we can achieve operational efficiencies for our staff, our suppliers, and our taxpayers by working together. Still, the effort required to jumpstart collaboration in a region can be a high barrier to getting started. In this session, we’ll dive deep into the transformational work underway in Orange County, California and the Procurement Alliance, a regional collaborative effort that spans more than 30 public entities. We’ll share about the vision for the group, where that vision has encountered challenges and been successful, and discuss the tradeoffs we made along the way. By sharing our experience in a candid and real way, we hope to help others interested in leveraging collaboration to save time and taxpayer dollars, plus nurture local and diverse businesses. This session will involve presentation as well as interactive discussion - so come prepared to think about and discuss your own experience and goals, too!What You'll Learn
2. Develop strategies and examine practical tactics for implementing regional collaboration, including overcoming challenges in working together as a region.
3. Make new connections with leaders from across the country looking to share learnings at this session and beyond.
Presenter Bio(s)
Maria Agrusa serves as the Procurement Officer for the County of Orange, CA. She is responsible for overseeing the County’s procurement organization that includes over 250 Deputy Purchasing Agents across 22 County departments responsible for over $3B of spend. Over the last 15 years, Maria has served in various Procurement Leadership positions with OC Public Works, OC Waste and Recycling, and the OC Health Care Agency giving her expertise in not only Commodities and Professional Service contracts but also Human Service, Architect and Engineering and Construction contracts. Prior to joining the County of Orange, Maria spent seven years at Raytheon focusing on military defense contracts both domestic and international. Maria earned her Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) from Pepperdine University and is a Certified Procurement Professional Officer (CPP) through the National Institute of Government Purchasing. In 2020 Maria received the California State Association of Counties (CSAC) County Procurement Officer of the Year Award. She was also recently elected to the California Association of Public Procurement Officials (CAPPO) Board.
Attendance for Individuals
In order to receive one contact hour, each member needs to register for the webinar individually in advance and then watch the live webinar. Your credit is tabulated by match between your login and your registration.
Attendance for Groups
There is a Group Sign-In Form provided
with each webinar. The group sign-in form does not register anyone for the
webinar, it just verifies live attendance. Each person will receive their login
email on the day of the webinar – this verifies their registration.
The group sign in form verifies that they watched the live webinar.