Discussions with interesting people in public procurement across State, Local and Education in North America led by Dustin Lanier, Certified Public Procurement Officer and Founder of Civic Initiatives. Recognized as a top 10 procurement podcast by Feedspot. Find out more about Civic Initiatives at https://www.civicinitiatives.com
It's Five Friday on October 23rd. I create five articles every Friday for people interested in public sector operations in general and public procurement specifically. And from time to time I record an audio companion, which is what you're listening to now. So first, NASPO is hosting a legacy and leadership webinar on Tuesday, October 27th at 2 p.m. Eastern, focused on building the next generation of public procurement professionals. Steve Berg, Bob Gleason, Dave Gragan, and Jodie Cragen will discuss developing talent, transferring institutional knowledge, and preparing future leaders. That panel is full of smart people all around. Second, Jessica Tillipman, federal procurement expert, shares a DHS restriction on Chinese-based deep seek AI from federal and non-federal civilian procurements. While pointing out many lawed the security nature, there are also flowdown and implementation issues that will be left to procurement to address. So an interesting little case study. Third, Leon Fertz argues that we're still thinking too narrowly about AI when we focus primarily on its chatbot characteristic. As AI increasingly interacts with computers, tools, systems, and other people, governance and policy needs to account for capabilities that extend well beyond generating text in a chat window. Another reminder of just how quickly the AI governance conversation is changing. Fourth, with 36 gubernatorial races this year, NASIO's Meredith Ward looks at something state CIOs know well: leadership transitions bring change. Drawing on 13 years of working with state CIOs through transitions, she discusses the importance of relationships, peer networks, and institutional knowledge when new administrations and new leaders arrive. And finally, congratulations to Kirk Buffington, who was inducted into the 2026 NIGP Instructor Hall of Fame. For decades, Kirk has taught and mentored public procurement professionals, challenged people to think bigger, and has helped consistently strengthen NIGP's education programs. Congrats, Kirk, and well deserved. I just finished three weeks of heavy conference rotation from NPI in Dallas to NASCAR in Baltimore to ASBO in Pittsburgh and then IC May in Long Beach. Booked a lot of frequent flyer miles and had a lot of great conversations. And now I'm glad to be home for a couple to get some work done. And with that, have a happy Friday.