NASPO Pulse

Radios in Fish Tanks: Testing the Durability of Procurement Solutions

• National Association of State Procurement Officials

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Modernization sits at the heart of Florida's procurement transformation. Jessie Marks, Florida's Chief Procurement Officer, shares her fascinating 18-year journey from part-time administrative assistant to CPO, revealing how the relationship-building and clear writing skills from journalism perfectly translated to crafting thoughtful procurements and saving taxpayer dollars. Marks details how her team leverages AI technology, cloud-based solutions, and automated reporting systems to increase efficiency while maintaining transparency. The cloud-based platform they've implemented provides real-time updates on active solicitations and contracts, eliminating the guesswork and bottlenecks that once plagued their process. Rather than making decisions in a vacuum, Florida's approach emphasizes data-driven strategies and stakeholder buy-in.

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Julia McIlroy:

Hi and welcome to NASPO's Pulse, the podcast that focuses on current topics in public procurement. I'm your host, Julia McIlroy. Today's guest is Jesse Marks. Jesse is the Chief Procurement Officer for the state of Florida. We'll be discussing procurement modernization and Florida's procurement certification program. Hi, Jesse, Welcome to Pulse.

Jesse Marks:

Hi Julia. Thank you for the warm welcome.

Julia McIlroy:

I'm so glad you're here. So, Jesse, I'd love to hear about your background, your professional life and what led you to public procurement.

Jesse Marks:

I'd like to think procurement found me really In 2007,. I was a full-time reporter when I applied to a position with the state of Florida. I landed my first job in a procurement office and I was a part-time administrative assistant. The state of Florida typically will have you do more things than just your primary position, and so that kind of morphed quickly into an e-procurement administrator role. I immediately fell in love with the lingo culture and, most of all, saving taxpayer dollars through thoughtful negotiations. It's one of the best parts of my job. Fast forward 18 years later and I'm honored to serve as Florida's chief procurement officer at the Department of Management Services, which I've called home now for 11 years.

Julia McIlroy:

Wow, so great. What an interesting career to go from journalism to procurement. That's wild.

Jesse Marks:

Yeah.

Julia McIlroy:

Do you use any of those skills? Do you think in in your position as cpo?

Jesse Marks:

absolutely, they're transferable. You know, with journalism you have to be a people person and build relationships. That's definitely, you know, part of it with procurement and a large part on the supplier side the customers, our, our stakeholders being able to write clearly and specifically really transferred to a well-written and thought out procurements and scopes of work. So yes, I'd like to think so.

Julia McIlroy:

That makes sense and, of course, the pillars of procurement being transparency, fairness, ethics, so I could see how that would. Absolutely journalism would dovetail with procurement. That's great, so interesting. So, Jesse, when we talk about modernizing procurement, what does that mean to you and what should it not mean?

Jesse Marks:

So that's a great question, julia. You know, modernizing procurement, I think for most folks, is doing more with less. Right In Florida, we're increasing more utilization of AI technology, cloud-based solutions for increased accessibility, using lessons learned and really taking the time to debrief after each procurement and contract life cycle. I think that's so important because there's no perfect procurement or contract and we can always perform a look back as a team to say, ok, what can we do better next time? Right, we also use automation tools for electronic routing in our internal approval process. So, as far as what it does not mean, I think it doesn't mean making procurement decisions that aren't data driven right, not performing critical outreach and getting buy-in from our customers, our vendors, our stakeholders, which are ultimately our business partners, and not providing procurement professionals professional development and networking opportunities. I think that's so critical to strengthen the bench here in Florida, and we do a great job of that, and so I think those are the main kind of high level points we focus on for modernizing procurement.

Julia McIlroy:

So I especially like your point about debriefing after major RFPs, contracts et cetera, because there's always an opportunity to learn, to improve, and especially for folks in your organization that have not been in procurement as long as you have, it's really an opportunity to teach them. This is what went well, this is where we can improve, so I appreciate the fact that you have dedicated yourself and your department to those teaching opportunities.

Jesse Marks:

Thank you, Julia. It's been a very helpful tool.

Julia McIlroy:

So, Jesse, what legacy processes or systems have been the biggest barriers to modernization, and how have you tackled them?

Jesse Marks:

Oh, that's a tough one. The legacy process that we're most proud of here in Florida is automating our reporting and tracking of procurements and contracts. The biggest barriers really to automating all of these processes were learning new technology and then augmenting any internal different lens for modernization Before Florida would physically route our procurements, new contracts and amendments, and there was no real visibility into the process in where the bottlenecks were. Now we're happy to say there's no guessing game what phase of the procurement or contract we're in. My team uses a cloud-based platform to provide real-time updates for active solicitations and contracts, so if leadership or a customer requests a status update or if I need to check in and see how long it's taking an approver to sign off, I can pull up our portfolio for a quick answer. It also reduced our manual reporting efforts, where we went from three reports to one.

Julia McIlroy:

That's great. I'm wondering do your end users or your customers, are they able to log into that cloud-based system, or do they have to contact you and then you go in?

Jesse Marks:

That's a great question. So our external customers do not have visibility into that tool yet we are looking into enhancing that cloud-based platform and the accessibility Our internal users can if we provide access. So, example, we provided our executive leadership suite access to our reporting and tracking and instead of, you know, a quick email or a few phone calls every week, they can just log in and check to see where we are in the procurement process in the event a vendor or, you know, a stakeholder calls and asks them.

Julia McIlroy:

So it really cuts down on that. You know research and kind of turnaround time, where now we get that quick answer and there's no doubt that stakeholders do contact administrators or others and want an update on a procurement when they could contact procurement, but that's okay.

Jesse Marks:

Yeah, it happens sometimes.

Julia McIlroy:

It does happen, and so it's great that you've given others access to that cloud-based system so that they can check the process or progress of a particular procurement. That's great.

Jesse Marks:

Oh, thank you, Julia.

Julia McIlroy:

So, Jesse, can you walk us through a modernization effort that created noticeable value for your state or your suppliers?

Jesse Marks:

Absolutely, and this is actually part of Florida's Cronin submission this year. So Florida's contract management team has implemented a new supplier engagement process and the whole intent is to build stronger supplier relationships, enhance industry awareness and ensure this continuous improvement at a statewide contract level. Other states listening to this podcast might ask how can we implement this for our state? What worked well for Florida was that we implemented virtual business review meetings and, most importantly, the on-site visits with our Florida-based suppliers, and this really really helped us build strong professional relationships and gain real-time operational insight into many things time operational insight into many things, for example, supply chain disruptions, tariff concerns and questions, staffing levels and much more. So we found here in Florida that suppliers really appreciate when we come to their home turf and we found that they're more likely to open up to us and it shows them that we care and that they matter.

Julia McIlroy:

And there's no doubt that modern procurement is built on relationships with suppliers. It's no longer adversarial. I mean, you can make it that way, but you're going to have unhappy suppliers and we want happy suppliers that will help us, especially when we need them. It sounds like you've really made an effort in strengthening those relationships.

Jesse Marks:

Oh, thank you, Julia. Yeah, our team's found that our suppliers are just as much our customers as our agencies are eligible users, and it's a two-way street and we have to build bigger and better relationships with one another.

Julia McIlroy:

So, Jesse, what skills or mindset do today's procurement professionals need to thrive in a modernized environment?

Jesse Marks:

Yeah, julia. I think the most important thing is I always encourage my team to be professionally curious and to question everything, to question the supply chain processes, to ask is there a better way to accomplish a specific goal or task? I really feel that modern procurement professionals should be digital and data-driven. We cannot make these critical decisions for our future and our enterprise at the state level in a vacuum. We have to be relationship-oriented to really build upon these relationships that we already have and to be good business partners. And I also feel that procurement professionals have to master market analysis and really understand the market and industry for the specific commodity or service they're purchasing.

Julia McIlroy:

Jesse, is your department, your department's buyers? Are they divided by category, commodity or area? How is the workload distributed?

Jesse Marks:

That's a great question. So on our procurement and contract side of the house, julia, we have three main bureaus. We have two procurement bureaus. We have an IT and special projects procurement bureau, and that really focuses on any commodity or service that's IT driven, along with special projects, and that could be preparedness or response of emergencies or law enforcement related. And then we have the Goods and Services Procurement Bureau, which is any non-IT commodity and service Think of office supplies, janitorial services. And then, last but not least, we have our contract management group and they manage all of the existing contracts that we have on a statewide level.

Julia McIlroy:

I love when you said that you encourage your staff to question everything and to be curious, because that's really an opportunity for growth for everyone. And when someone says, hey, why do we file? Let's just say, or um, yeah, we'll say file items in a certain way, and you say, well, we file them by requisition number and by fiscal year, because and it's an opportunity to explain why you do something and also look at that process and see if it makes more sense to do it differently. So that's great, that you encourage your staff to question everything. So, jesse, it's a perfect opportunity for us to segue into Florida's procurement certification program. Could you please tell me about it?

Jesse Marks:

Yeah, of course Florida has a robust professional development program.

Jesse Marks:

You know we have a lot of top tier trainers and program that we worked really hard over the years to build and it keeps on growing.

Jesse Marks:

Statutes requires that competitive negotiations have one Florida certified contract negotiator on the negotiation team if the value of the contract is in excess of $1 million in a fiscal year, and a certified project management professional for contracts over $10 million in a fiscal year. And these are statutory requirements that I don't think a lot of other states have. And so we recognize that we are mandated right to train folks throughout the state and we always are getting creative about how can we train more people more efficiently. And so Florida certifies approximately 150 PMPs and 300 FCCNs negotiators per fiscal year. So Florida also recently partnered with NASBO to roll out this professional development and certification to approximately 150 eligible users as a pilot program this year and it has been a resounding success. So this is a huge benefit to our local governmental entities and higher education entities and they've been eagerly waiting on this professional development opportunity for years and we're so excited to finally be able to deliver this to them.

Julia McIlroy:

Jesse, do you know when the statute went into effect?

Jesse Marks:

Yeah, that's a great question, Julia. These statutory requirements have been in effect since at least 2007.

Julia McIlroy:

Jesse, do you know what the catalyst was for the statute?

Jesse Marks:

Absolutely so. The catalyst came from our Florida legislature where they wanted transparency and visibility into the competitive procurement process and they wanted to make sure. Our statute says that folks have to be and teams have to collectively have experience and knowledge in the subject area sought in the procurement. And so, with the Florida Certified Contract Negotiator, that's a critical role in the competitive process and, on the project management professional role, that is also extremely important because if you have a procurement that's 10 million or more in a fiscal year, it's normally a large and complex procurement. So they want that certified expertise and PMP to be able to manage and deliver that procurement from start to finish.

Julia McIlroy:

That makes a lot of sense. So the state you train over a hundred people per fiscal year and so you end up with lots of project managers throughout the procurement process, which is wonderful. It only strengthens the process for the state.

Jesse Marks:

Absolutely, and we like to think of ourselves as the hub for the state of Florida procurement professionals. We have bi-monthly purchasing directors meetings where I meet with the other state agencies statewide, and sometimes they'll say hey, you know, we have a really large procurement coming up. We need a PMP, can you help us find one? And so we like to keep a pulse on that and assist our state agencies as needed and just provide that great customer service.

Julia McIlroy:

That's fantastic. So I'm wondering how easy or not do you think it would be to replicate this certification program in another state, even if there's no statute in that state, especially with NASPO now involved?

Jesse Marks:

Oh, absolutely, I think it's very transferable. Involved oh, absolutely, I think it's very transferable. We've really paved the way with subject matter and content and just best practices right Throughout you know, approximately 20 plus years we've learned lots of tips and tricks for lead negotiators and how to serve and manage large negotiations. We'd also be happy to help train other states, in conjunction with NASPO for the PMP side of it and just being able to really combine procurement and projects together for the best possible outcome.

Julia McIlroy:

I love the collaboration with NASPO, with your department. It sounds like it's been a big hit, so that's great.

Jesse Marks:

Thanks, Julia.

Julia McIlroy:

So, Jesse? Lastly, I'd love to hear about your most memorable, interesting or unique procurement.

Jesse Marks:

Well, thanks, julia. I will say that we don't always have a lot of fun procurements right, but I will say that one of the most interesting procurements and negotiations I led was for the purchase of Florida's statewide law enforcement radio system. And you might say well, what is that? So think of towers that you're strategically placing in Florida for law enforcement officers to be able to communicate with one another and other critical parties throughout Florida.

Jesse Marks:

And during the negotiation process, the vendors, they demoed the radios that would be used by state law enforcement officers and, as you can imagine, officers.

Jesse Marks:

And, as you can imagine, these radios have to hold up during fires, storms and just be generally known for their durability.

Jesse Marks:

So here we are at the state of Florida, in a large conference room, and these vendors are wheeling up these huge fish tanks and they drop the radios in the fish tank to demonstrate to us how waterproof they are.

Jesse Marks:

And we kept negotiating for over an hour and then they came back to the demo, pulled it out and, sure enough, these law enforcement radios still worked and we could hear them. Another thing they demoed was they used a commercial leaf blower, went downstairs we're on the third floor, you know both the negotiation team and the vendor demoing has a radio and they're, you know, blaring that commercial leaf blower and, sure enough, the clarity we could still hear on the radios. And, last but not least, they did a video of this, of course, where in the vendor demo, they showed a video of tying the radio to the back of a vehicle and dragging it on the pavement and in a parking lot, and it was overall to demonstrate the durability and reliability of these law enforcement officer radios and overall it was probably the coolest vendor demos I'd ever been a part of.

Julia McIlroy:

Amazing, that vendor, that supplier, 10 out of 10. That sounds like a great. You had me at. They wheeled in fish tanks. That alone would deserve the 10 out of 10. That's so great, how interesting. And just a critical, critical service and goods that not just for public safety but for the health and welfare of your state.

Jesse Marks:

Absolutely, and it was such a pleasure to be a part of that procurement and just to see both vendors demo in the coolest way, so definitely fun.

Julia McIlroy:

Well, I can see why it was memorable. That's great. So I said that was last question, but actually this is the last question, jesse, so tell me what you like most about Florida.

Jesse Marks:

Absolutely. I am a sunshine state gal through and through. I love the place, I love the people and I think what's so interesting and cool about procurement in Florida is we're always at the top of the pack, we're at the top of the list. Everyone always wants to know what is Florida doing. So we have some real challenges we have to solve on a daily basis and we have to be flexible, have a sense of urgency and just generally get creative with how we solve problems, whether it's for the vendor community or our customers, and you know, those challenges make us better. We also have really large and complex procurements and they are critical to our state. It's really important, right. Our mission is we serve those who serve Florida, and so we get to fulfill other people and agencies' missions through the procurements that we do here.

Julia McIlroy:

Fantastic point, Jesse, thanks again for joining me today. I really appreciate it.

Jesse Marks:

Thank you so much for having me on the podcast, Julia. It's always a pleasure.

Julia McIlroy:

And to our friends and colleagues in public procurement remember we work in the sunshine. Bye for now, thank you.

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Julia McIlroy

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