EDUCATION:

Work Experience:

Newtonbrook Secondary School, North York, Ontario - taught mathematics

Professional Activities

                           Representative assignments include the following:

• Acted as the Fairness Officer on $50 million RFP involving the selection, installation and operation of new technology. My involvement was extensive. I provided major draft documents including the RFP, the Evaluation Guide, the Probity Plan, and the Recommendation Report. Over a period of 18 months, I attended every meeting of the Evaluation Committee and advised them on proper and best practices.
• Assisted a small agency in its review of its procurement policies.
• Performed an audit of sole sourcing for a government department.
• Working with a team of lawyers, I advised them on procurement practices for their client who was protesting a major contract award.
• On behalf of a Ministry, reviewed the merits of a vendor's complaint and identified several approaches for its resolution.

• In 2010, I released the Fourth Edition of The Request For Proposal Handbook. The first three editions are being used by more than 4000 governments and public agencies.
• In 2010, we released out latest reference text: Neglected (But Important) RFP Practices.
• Until 2005, our newsletter, The RFP Report, was available only by subscription ($60 U.S. per year). Subscribers included senior executives throughout North America. It is currently available free on our web site. (www.rfpmentor.com)

I provide consulting services, offer training and workshops, and publish articles all related to proposal writing and how to sell to governments.

Major Activities - 2010

Major Activities - 2008/9

Consulting

• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, WA - Advice related to the contract administration issues of a large R&D project
• King County, WA - A review of transparency as well as the strategic direction of the Procurement Dept.
• Givens Pursley LLP (an Idaho law firm) - Retained as an expert in public procurement to review a contract award based on an RFP. Analyzed documents and advised the plaintiff's legal team about fair and impartial proposal evaluation practices. Arbor v. State of Idaho.
• Government of the Northwest Territories (Yellowknife, NWT, Canada) - A review of the procurement process for a specific RFP.
• Mullins Law Firm (Augusta, GA) - Retained as expert in public procurement to perform a review of pleadings and other documents; to generate an opinion related to certain procurement practices at issue in a civil suit: Thompson Building Wrecking Company et al v. August Georgia et al
• Capital Heath (Edmonton, Alberta) - A review (fairness audit) of 9 proposals received in response to an RFP to confirm the scoring already performed.

Training / Speaking

• GIS- T (Geospatial Information Systems for Transportation) Symposium (Houston, TX) speech on RFP problems
• Foundation for California Community Colleges (Napa, CA) speech on major procurement issues
• CAUBO (Canadian Association of University Business Officers) (Winnipeg, Manitoba) speech on major trends in procurement
• Caribbean Institute of Public Procurement (Trinidad) is a recently formed to promote procurement reform throughout the Caribbean region. Two-day workshop on Best RFP Practices and Trends in Public Procurement.

Major Activities 2006/7

Consulting

• County of Santa Clara, CA - I completed a variety of assignments over a 12 month period including: a review of the effectiveness and efficiency of the Procurement Dept., a review of all current RFPs to ensure compliance with best practices, acting as a Fairness Officer on two major projects, acting as the Procurement Officer on a major project to select Business Process Management software (including negotiating the contract).
• Wolf, Bock Schorr and Solis-Cohen, LLP, a Philadelphia law firm. I assisted Counsel in the preparation of its case protesting a procurement award made by the State of New Jersey.
• Workers Compensation Board, Northwest Territories, Canada. A review of two major RFPs for compliance with best practices prior to their release.
• Capital Health Authority, Edmonton, Canada. I performed a review of the effectiveness and efficiency of the Procurement Dept.
• San Diego County Airport Authority, San Diego, CA. I assisted with the revision of their Policy & Procedure Manual for the Procurement Dept.

• California Association of Public Procurement Officials - Workshop on Major RFP Problems and their Simple Solutions
• GTC (Government Technology) East Conference - Workshop on Best RFP Practices
• NIGP Conference, Tallahassee, FL - Keynote Speech on Moving Away from Scandal-Driven Procurement Reform

Major Activities - 2005

• Orange County Sanitation District - Fairness Officer

• New Mexico Public Purchasing Association - Speech: Ten Best Web Sites for RFP Information
• Rocky Mountain Government Purchasers Association - Workshop on Best RFP Practices from More than Sixty Jurisdictions
• Community Futures Development Corp. (Kelowna, BC) - Two workshops (i) Bullet-Proofing Your RFPs; (ii) Creating Winning Proposals

Major Activities - 2004

• San Diego Municipal Airport Authority - review of procedures
• Western Washington University - assistance in developing an RFP template and related procedures

• NIGP - New York Chapter - Workshop: Bullet-Proofing Your RFPs
• PMAC - Amherst, N.S. - Workshop: Bullet-Proofing Your RFPs
• NIGP - Virginia - Workshop: Bullet-Proofing Your RFPs
• Peel Region/City of Brampton - Workshop: Bullet-Proofing Your RFPs

Major Activities 2003

• Justice Served, CA - assistance in developing an RFP for a justice system
• Government of Nunavut - assistance in establishing procurement policies focusing on RFPs and training of staff. (Over a 10 month period, I visited 6 communities within Nunavut.)
• Government of the Northwest Territories. I completed several projects during 2003 including an audit of its practices for monitoring and controlling RFPs, and a review of a supplier complaint for one Minister

• City of Philadelphia - Workshop: Bullet-Proofing Your RFPs
• NIGP Webcast to 200 members on Major RFP problems and their prevention
• PMAC - Toronto - Bullet-Proofing Your RFPs
• NIGP - DC Chapter - Bullet-Proofing Your RFPs
• NIGP - Austin Chapter - Bullet-Proofing Your RFPs
• NIGP - Regina, SK Chapter - Bullet-Proofing Your RFPs
• City of Bellingham - Workshop on Bullet-Proofing Your RFPs
• NIGP Conference in Portland, OR - spoke about Major RFP Problems and their Prevention
• National Association of Educational Buyers Conference in Las Vegas - spoke about Major RFP Problems and their Prevention

Major Activities - 2002

• Government of Nunavut - assistance in establishing procurement policies focusing on RFPs and training of staff. (Over a 10 month period, I visited 6 communities within Nunavut.)

• NIGP - Edmonton, AB Chapter - Bullet-Proofing Your RFPs
• Ontario Public Buyers Association Conference in Niagara Falls - Spoke about Bullet-Proofing Your RFPs

Major Activities - 2001

Consulting

Between 1996 - 2001, I was retained by MERX to identify value-added services for both the Buyers, who submitted procurement opportunities, and their 35000 subscribers, primarily vendors wanting to sell to government in Canada. This work took approximately 25% of my time and included the following tasks:

• Reviewing electronic tendering systems available in other jurisdictions and recommending additional functionality and value-added services;
• Discussions with senior procurement executives in public agencies and executives in private sector firms to determine their requirements;
• Developing a proposal for providing training via the web. Creating a prototype to demonstrate the product to MERX executives; identifying courses of interest to MERX agencies and subscribers;
• Developing proposals for providing research and reference services for public sector agencies and governments;
• Identifying marketing channels for MERX in the U.S.
• Planning and development of MERX newsletter for buyers describing latest developments in best practices in public procurement in Canada

• Government Technology Conferences in Austin, TX and Albany, NY. Spoke about RFP issues.
• Government of the Northwest Territories - Bullet-Proofing Your RFPs

Major Activities - 2001

• Collaborated with Dr. Khi Thai, Government Studies, Florida Atlantic University in developing the new book about RFPs and best practices for NIGP to use in accrediting members as part of their new curriculum initiative.
• Merx (see 2001)
• Government of the Northwest Territories. I was hired to conduct a review of the procurement function. More specifically, to identify improvements in the current policies and practices which will result in a more efficient and more effective procurement function. As part of this project, I reviewed procurement files, interviewed senior executives. The project resulted in a report which was discussed in the Legislature. Since my report, I have provided advice and assistance to management concerning implementation of the recommendations.

• Government Technology Conference in Albany, NY - Workshop on Bullet-Proofing Your RFPs
• Rocky Mountain Government Purchasers Association - Workshop: Bullet-Proofing Your RFPs
• NIGP Workshops for Oklahoma Chapter and Chicago Chapter on Bullet-Proofing Your RFPs

Major Activities - 1999

• MERX (see 2001)
• Yukon Housing Corp. - assisted in the development of an RFP for new software

• Purchasing Management Association of Canada - workshop on best RFP practices
• Canadian Association of Management Consultants, Ottawa - workshop on Selling to Government
• Florida Association of Public Procurement Officers - speech at their annual conference on issues facing public procurement

Major Activities - 1998

• Merx (see 2001)

• Purchasing Management Association of Canada - workshops on best RFP practices for chapters in Toronto, Ottawa, Regina, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver.
• Atlantic Public Procurement Association - speech at their annual meeting on Changes in RFP practices

Major Activities - 1997

• Workers Compensation Board BC. I was hired to assist the project team formed to select and implement new financial software. Tasks included Familiarize with documentation, interview project team, recommend procurements strategy, run project rfp meetings, preparation of draft rfp including t&c, review of outstanding issues, complete draft rfp and recommendations to management
• MERX (see 2001)

1984 - 1997

1996 BC Ministry of Transport, Photo Radar Project. Procurement Officer I was hired to assist the project team formed to select and implement new photo radar system. Tasks included Familiarize with documentation, interview project team, recommend procurements strategy, run project RFP meetings, preparation of draft RFP including construction of a draft contract, review of outstanding issues, preliminary negotiation of contract with two leading vendors.

1996 BC Motor Vehicles Branch Revised licensing project - Procurement Officer. I was hired to assist the project team formed to select and implement new software for modifying the way drivers' licenses were issued. Tasks included initial familiarization with documentation, interview project team, recommend procurement strategy, run project RFP meetings, preparation of draft RFP, preparation of Evaluators Guide, running the evaluation meetings, and facilitating consensus of the project team.

Between 1984 and 1997 I offered similar services related to RFPs as those described above. I gave workshops in both the U.S. and Canada. I spoke at conferences. I wrote and published reference texts and provided consulting advice and assistance. During the period 1984 through 1997, some of my clients included:

• Management Board of Cabinet, Ontario - development of procurement training manual
• Labatt Breweries - development of RFP for new financial software
• Ministry of Natural Resources, Ontario - development of an RFP for a mineral classification system.

I have been writing and publishing books and articles since 1980. I have written a column for Government Reseller during the 1990s and for Summit magazine from 1998-2003. Most of my articles and books have dealt with public procurement and RFPs. Listed below are the books that I've published (excluding the two books identified in section 3 above:

• Up Your Computer, 1984, ISBN: 0-9691468-0-9.
• The Asner Directory of Software for Associations and Non-Profits, 1986, ISBN: 0-9691468-1-7.
• The M.I.S. Request For Proposal: Examples from Canada's Best Run Companies, 1990, ISBN: 0-9691468-2-5
• How To Create an Effective M.I.S. Request for Proposals, 1990, ISBN: 0-9691468-3-3.
• How To Create a Winning Proposal, 1990, ISBN: 0-9691468-4-1.
• BC Purchasing Commission: The Request for Proposal Process, 1993, ISBN: 0-9691468-5-X.
• Computerized Maintenance Management Systems, 1994, ISBN: 0-9691468-6-8.
• Request For Proposal Handbook, 1995, ISBN: 1-890299-006
• Selling to Government, 1997, ISBN: 1-896129-00-5.
• Handling Supplier Complaints and Protests, 1997, ISBN: 1-890299-08-01.
• How to Evaluate Information Technology Proposals, 1998, ISBN: 1-896129-08-0.
• Second Edition, Handling Supplier Complaints and Protests, 1999, ISBN: 1-896129-10-2.
• Second Edition, Request For Proposal Handbook, 2000, ISBN: 0-07-136027-1.
• An Elected Officials Guide to Public Procurement in Canada, 2004, ISBN: 1-896129-14-5.