Competency Module: Specification Development

Description

Proper specifications, pricing strategies, and terms and conditions help promote maximum competition in the marketplace, making them an asset to public procurement professionals and end users alike. But the ability to determine viable supplier testing, demonstration needs, or other additional requirements can make specification development a difficult task for even the most veteran procurement professional.

Objectives

In order to successfully earn a digital badge, learners must:

• Assist the end user in developing and preparing effective and open specifications, pricing strategies, and terms and conditions to promote maximum competition in the marketplace.
• Assess stakeholder standardization requirements to determine supplier testing or demonstration needs.

Intended Audience

Designed to promote applicable experiences for practitioners working in the public sector, NIGP’s Pathways competency courses empower learners with the ready-to-implement actions they need to succeed in public procurement. This introductory course is designed for:

• Public procurement and central warehouse professionals who serve as assistants, coordinators, buyers, or equivalent functions within their respective entities.
   
• Non-procurement managers and supervisors who are responsible for either the procurement function or staff who provide procurement functions under delegated authority.
   
• Professionals who are employed by governing entities and special authorities (such as K-12 and higher education, publicly-owned utilities, transportation providers, and other publicly-funded or created organizations) that either serve within or manage the procurement function.

• Suppliers or representatives of suppliers seeking to understand the public procurement function from a holistic level, including the policies, standards, and procedures by which public entities must function.