Chris Smith on Elevating Public Procurement Through Servant Leadership, Strategic Vision and More

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Bill Culhane: Welcome back to the Big Bit Theory. I'm, um, your host Bill Culhane and if you folks are new here, you're joining a conversation where the people and stories in public procurement are our purpose. And if you're one of our longtime listeners, you look great as always, by the way. But it's great to have you with us with us again. Now, if you've ever wondered what makes public procurement a uh, fulfilling, impact driven career path, or even if you're already in the field and thinking, hey Bill, what's next for me? Well, this episode is for you. We're joined by someone whose name is synonymous with influence, with promotion of our profession. Chris Smith is standing by in the wings and Chris and I, we're going to dive deep why public procurement is the business of public trust. What makes a great leader in this field? And we're also going to talk about procurement's 2026 New Year's resolution and what you need to know if you're going for the NIGP CPP certification. And also we have a few other topics we'll cover as well. We also have some very special news to chair the the recipient of the 2025 David and Beverly Nash Leadership Award has been selected. And my gosh, it was competitive. So many, so many outstanding nominees. We'll talk about what the award represents, what makes a Nash worthy leader. More on that in just a second. But first, joining me as always, the man who keeps the bid in the big bid theory, the maestro of crazy bids, my co host, Rick Jennings. Rick how exciting is it to have the 2025 Nash Award winner selected?

Rick Jennings: It's really exc. It come all together. And our winner is absolutely, uh, most deserving of, um, these accolades. And to your credit, too. Uh, you put a lot of work into collecting all the data and responses and, uh, making sure that everything was handled wonderfully. So thank you for that and I'm sure everyone else, uh, shares my sentiment with that as well.

Bill Culhane: Yeah, Our sincere thanks to the committee and everyone who took time to submit nominations. You're helping us, you're helping everybody shine a light on the leaders who are elevating public every single moment of the day. Rick, before we jump into our interview with Chris Smith, I need you to do one of the things you do best. And, and don't you go getting all emotional, but tease us on the final installment of Crazy Bids you can win for season 11.

Rick Jennings: I will try not to cry. Um, this one is actually pretty fun. We have a fun, uh, close to this season of crazy, uh, bids. So this one's gonna go out to my friends in the city of Santa Maria. Over in California. We've got a very one that comes from the Parks and rec department from the city of Santa Maria. So that's what I'll leave us with. So stay tuned to find out what it is.

Bill Culhane: You know what? This is one of those times I don't even try to guess. Rick. I sit over here, put down my coffee, and I brace for your excellence.

Rick Jennings: I don't know if it's coffee, uh, putting down excellence, but it is going to be a good one. Uh, but yeah, uh, let's move our way over to there. What do you got for us today, Bill?

Bill Culhane: Let's get going. Let's talk about today's special guest, someone who is making waves in public procurement and not just through his, his formal roles. Chris Smith, NBA and a number of certifications. You can see his bio in the description. I think, actually, I think he has more certifications than we have microphones in the studios. He's a leader, educator and keynote speaker from Northern Virginia. Most recently, he served as Contract Specialist 2 with Fairfax County's Department of Procurement and Material Management. With prior roles at the city of Alexandri. His portfolio spans transportation, solid waste, parks, public works, and more. Always with a focus on transparency, compliance, and delivering best value outcomes. How often do we hear those things? But that's just the beginning. Chris is also a passionate educator, speaking and teaching on, um, public procurement, leadership, culture and continuous improvement. He's active in NIGP as A matter of fact, he and I met at NIGP Forum in Denver. Also regional associations, and he's currently writing his next book on modern leadership in the field. He's got an executive MBA from Virginia Tech, a BBA from James Madison University, Great luck to the Dukes against Oregon, and leadership credentials from George Mason University. Bottom line, Chris is helping to advance our profession. And I am, um, honored to welcome him to the show.

Narrator: Welcome back, friends, to another episode of

Bill Culhane: the Big Bit Theory.

Narrator: Bill Culhane, your humble host. And I'm especially excited for today's conversation for a variety of reasons. One of them is we're nearing the end of season 11 and, oh, by the way, our longtime listeners or those

Bill Culhane: of you who have just been following

Narrator: the show this year, the Results for the 2025 David Beverly Nash Leadership Award, those are in, they're tabulated. We have a winner. And so what we're doing now, we're kind of in the process of trying to coordinate, get people lined up for the actual presentation that we hope to have take place next week. And so that will all be recorded and we will actually have an episode that, just like we did with Brooke Smith a year ago, um, the episode coming up, the presentation, that'll actually be a, ah, an episode that we will roll out and it'll be the official final episode of season 11. And trust me, you don't want to miss it. Those of you who saw the presentation to Brooksmith a year ago, you know, what a, what a cool, cool, um, moment that was. As always, we're powered by Bid PR and Beacon bid. Many thanks to them. And, and now it's on to today's episode and we're, we're joined by someone whose name many of you know. Um, Chris Smith is going to join us here in a second. Chris and I actually met at NIGP Forum in Denver. What was that back the end of July, August. He, he's recognized. Let me make sure I get these notes right. He's recognized as a leader in public procurement and educator, keynote speaker and author. Chris has worked with the city of Alexandria and Fairfax county, um, over in Virginia, as I joked with Chris, across the river from my old stomping grounds in Maryland. He's leading major sourcing initiatives and always driving best value outcomes with transparency and accountability. A couple of themes that we've had woven into the show over the years. He's also, also a passionate voice in our profession, helping to lift up the next generation of procurement leaders. We're going to talk about leadership. You can See the description of the episode down. Uh, for his more complete bio, uh, Rick, Lauren, somebody will make sure that that's included. Chris, let's bring you on. It's great to have you here. Welcome to the show.

Chris Smith: Thank you, Bill. It's a pleasure. Thank you for the opportunity.

Narrator: Yes, sir. So, so let's start here, Chris, for, for those who might. And we've talked so much about this here in season 11, Selena Leon obvious, uh, um, of course was our guest on the show last month and she and I talked about growing the profession and bringing new people into the profession. So for anybody considering thinking about a career in procurement, maybe they're just starting out on their professional journey, maybe they're considering a shift, you know, moving from one particular industry into procurement. Make the case, Chris. Why? Why should somebody do that?

Chris Smith: Well, procurement is, is something that people either, that not often people, people choose. It's, it's basically some people fall into it and they fall in love with it. It's not for the faint of heart, it's not for everyone. But let me make the case. Um, if you believe in ethics, you believe in integrity, you believe in um, making a difference. Procurement is a function that touches everything, especially in public procurement. Um, basically public service with immeasurable impact. A lot of times it's behind the scenes. So if you're a behind the scenes kind of person, you don't necessarily need the recognition, the praise. If you're seeking, um, respect, recognition, uh, and praise, then public procurement might not be the profession for you. Uh, although I think there's a lot of opportunity to actually achieve that. Um, it is one of the few careers where you can shape communities and make an impact. And it's pretty important to, um, and how public procurement is different than private procurement is that we're in the business of public trust. So basically we have ah, uh, limited resources. We have to do more with more. A lot of times we have to do more with less. And so it's never a dull day. It's going to be a different, um, every single day is different. Uh, the, the challenges we have, we're typically under resourced, um, we have to come in and we have the. Public procurement has a special aspect where we have a compliance aspect, which is that public trust is to be able to do things in the right way and get things done and get things done that truly matter. So a lot of people forget that, that public procurement is truly the business of public trust.

Narrator: Uh, great points. And to take everybody behind the curtain a little bit. I mentioned to you. I, I spoke with David Nash, um, earlier this week, had a quick conversation with him, and like many of my conversations with David go, uh, eventually it came around to the profession and, you know, what's going on current day. Talked a lot about leadership, talked a lot about the opportunities that are out there for people, um, because the profession is so important. Um, when I think about it, you know, the way you have the opportunity to impact your neighbor in such a meaningful and important way, um, that moves my meter. Maybe it goes back to my years in the Air Force, you know, serving a decade in the Air Force, and, you know, all that's involved there and, you know, contributing to your community, in that case, your country. And so, um, yeah, those are, those are great points there, Chris. And as we prepare to present the 2025 Nash Leadership Award, what in your eyes, makes a great leader, specifically in public procurement and specifically today, right now?

Chris Smith: That's a great question. I, uh, think when I think of great leaders, I think of some of my neighbors. Uh, growing up, uh, I was neighbors of General Norman Schwarzkopf, who led Desert Storm. Desert Shield. Right. My father, Brigadier general. So, I mean, leadership, the art of influencing others in such a way to gain their, to accomplish any mission or task above standard. So leadership, integrity, character, vision, servant leadership. Um, David Nash as an example of public servant, um, like giving beyond just basically taking care of his profession, taking care of people around him, taking care of his community. It's impact. Right. Um, so it's continuous learning. It's listening, um, it's helping others. It's understanding the big why, understanding why we do what we do. This is not a paycheck. This is public service career. You don't go there to get rich. And so it's about doing the right thing and giving back. Like David, for instance, Dave is a great example. Um, being able to do his questions of the day, his questions of the day, and helping us understand not just the answer to the question, but the motive, the big why behind why we do what we do, and then the framework of even taking it into how to be successful on that exam. But also the exam and the certification isn't the end goal. The end goal is to bring the credibility so that we can speak to other stakeholders, executives, and the public about why we do what we do and what we need to get what we need. Right? So it's really about pouring back into people and like you said, building up the next generation, getting them excited, getting them equipped to be successful. We're only going to be successful when we make a whole bunch of leaders around us. And so essentially a pretty flat organization, um, when I think of people like David Nash or Carrie Matthews, uh, or Victor Lemur, Mark Logan, um, Rick, uh, Grimm and others, is to surround ourselves with, with eagles like David Nash and others so that we can fly and, you know, and soar with them.

Narrator: Yeah, great. All great points, Chris. As you went through the checklist there, you know, I'm, um, I'm finding myself nodding and actually one of the reasons, and I guess I go back to my time in, in the military, in the Air Force specifically, and one of the things that we did really well in the Air Force, that we do really well in the military is recognizing accomplishment. Right. And was kind of the origin of the David and Beverly Nash Leadership Award is I spent a lot of time out there going to conferences, going to seminars, just meeting with people. And, um, I realized, you know, there, there's a lot of recognition in public procurement as there as well there should be. But then I, I, you know, I knew David and I said, we're going to come up with an award that specifically addresses leadership. And, um, anyway, um, we're getting ready.

Chris Smith: Well, just. Bill. Bill. Just on that point, it's. Recognition's important because like, um, my dad. I remember all the speeches my dad gave to his troops as the 1st Cavalry Division Commander and stuff. Morale is made up of three things. It's knowing that you do have a good job, knowing that it's important, and knowing that other people appreciate it. If you're missing any of those elements, um, it's very difficult to be a leader, and it's very difficult to lead people. Yeah.

Narrator: Hear, hear. Um, again, I, I was a part of one of the, one of the best leadership labs, um, known to mankind. And, um, I picked up many things, and that was one of the things that I certainly took, took with me as, as I left the Air Force once upon a time. Um, so speaking of time, getting ready to wrap up 2025, Chris and I know maybe not everybody, but some of us will sit around the next few weeks and, and come up with our New Year's resolution list, what we want to accomplish in 2026. So if you had a magic wand and you were sitting around, Chris, and you could come up with a, uh, New Year's resolution for public procurement for 2026, what would that sound like? What would that look like?

Chris Smith: I think we need to remember the Procurement Club. The first rule of procurement is that in the procurement club, we talk about procurement. We need to celebrate our successes, we need to celebrate our value. We need to know our big why. We need to wear it on our chest and we need to share it. Uh, from the mountaintops. I think we need to continuously improve and build strong business cases for investment and to basically bring together a movement, a coalition of not just procurement professionals, but the people that support us, our clients, our customers, um, and the ultimate people that benefit from it. Um, we need that continuous. There's going to be, uh, in the past, I think we've had a hard time defending our headcount. We've been under resourced, under budgeted, underappreciated, understaffed, under trained. And so this is the, this is the best time. I think 2026, this is. If I could choose any time in public procurement or procurement in general, it would be 2026 and what we have, uh, ahead of us. It's very exciting times where we're going to be able to invest in people, training, technology, process improvement. We're going to be able to adapt like last year, I think Brooke, you said Brooke Smith, he won the award for her AI being able AI as leverage to actually do the strategic things that we've traditionally not had the time. We've always had the want. It's always been the global best practices. Been on the test, been on the exam. Uh, if we had time, we're going to do this, we're going to actually get to that strategic impact to be able to do true supply chain management, true risk mitigation, true collaboration, true process improvement, true organizational change. I think 2026 is going to be exciting, exciting year and there's a lot ahead of us. We um, need to, you know, buckle up and get ready.

Narrator: And I love, I love you using the word exciting because that's one of the initial thoughts I had as I looked into my crystal ball. Looking ahead is with, with um, everything that's going on in terms of technology, automation. You mentioned Brooke and AI. I think there are tremendous opportunities for us to make tremendous strides, uh, in public procurement. And a moment ago, Chris, you know, we were talking about leadership and you know, talking about constant learning, constant improvement. Well, that's my segue to our next topic here, the NIGP CPP certification. Um, you are an owner of that certification. Congratulations to you and you and I did the math. Again, take everybody behind the scenes. You and I did the math. There are only about 1600 people I think you mentioned who have that certification. So what are your suggestions for anybody who's considering pursuing the cpp? Anybody who's thinking about it, what should they do in terms of preparation, getting ready, take it from there.

Chris Smith: Absolutely. And I'm honored to have received the NIGP CPP certification, the CPPB and many others. And that's also on my personal professionals to get several others. I got several in 2025. I hope to get several more in 2026 and I hope to be giving back by helping uh, the NIGP organization and UPCC organization actually pour into the next applicant pool to help them be successful and to continue on the legacy and the leadership of David Nash and give valuable um, encouragement and tips for success. But I also want to emphasize that the certification isn't the end goal. A lot of people get the certification and they don't continue to re up it. And this is the beginning point really. This allows you to get on the stage and have, and have a platform.

Narrator: So.

Chris Smith: But getting into your question about how to, how to obtain it and why to obtain it, um, why to obtain it is the big why is important is about to get on the stage and have credibility with your, with your stakeholders, with your executives to be able to build the business case, to build the trust, the internal trust with those stakeholders ultimately for the end goal of public trust. Right. How, how are you successful? 1. And uh, this is not just because we're talking about David Nash, but join the David Nash question of the day. I can't be. I mean the success factor for just doing that is a two or three times fold. The pass acceptance rate for those taking those exams. Second is don't just cram at the end. It's a daily exercise to grow. So look at those questions when they come Monday through Friday. Answer them. Don't delay, um, don't inundate David in the system that actually grades those questions like I did, sometimes I did five at the end of the week or whatever. Do them on a daily basis. Take the time to dissect them. Understand the why. Understand. Then it goes in the mindset of what we do in our organizations, in our past experience versus what the global best practices say we do. A lot of times we have interference. We're under resourced or we're constrained by policy or procedure or by culture of why we do what we do. Don't answer those questions based on what your organization does because oftentimes there's a couple degrees of separation. If we're shooting for the moon and we're off by one degree and it's that long destiny, we're not going to get there. Similar for these exams and these certifications, the global best practice knowledge base, the wisdom that we have to learn and that David helps us, teaches, uh, us through his question of the day and what's in the global best practices for nigp, UPCC and other organizations that are giving these exams? Um, tells us what we should be doing on a global basis. It does. It's not particular to a particular country, state or locale.

Narrator: Yeah, I think, um, and again, great points there, Chris. I, I uh, think in the conversations I've had with people over the years, just my simple reminder to everybody is, you know, these certifications are earned. They're not given. You have to put in the sweat equity.

Chris Smith: Yeah. What's interesting, I just, I had an interview for a position this week and they asked me, um, some organizations care about them, some don't, uh, unfortunately. And they asked me like, oh, when did you earn it? I'm like, does it matter? Does it matter? Did I earn my NIGP CPP certification in 2025? The fact is that I took the personal drive and personally I look for as many scholarship opportunities as many learning opportunities. Um, when there was no funding, I self funded, I spent several thousand dollars like studying and meeting and reaching out to people, looking for resources, looking for scholarships, looking for. That's the other advice I would have too is don't let finances or your time or your organization lim be the limitation on what you can be. I hate to, you know, say be all you can be, but is to set smart goals, set certification goals, set, you know, areas of impact of where do you want to go, what do you want to do? Let's help you get there. Reach out to me and others. We'll help you. This is one of the most collaborative, uh, supportive professions. Um, we are not in competition. The ocean is wide open. I'd love to help you become a chief procurement officer. I'd love to help you earn any certification and put point you to resources or support you. Whatever, whatever is there that's my heart, is to actually help people. I want to grow that 1600 NIGP CPP certifications to several thousand. I want the CPPB and I want it to be the starting point. Just like a high school diploma and a college degree is lifelong continuous learning. And let's not let them collect dust on the shelves. Um, the other thing I have for anyone that's, that's watching that has an HR background or a member of SHRM or something is, is let's not weaken, let's strengthen and elevate our profession and elevate the floor and break the ceiling. Because what I'm seeing in local governments the uh, diminishing of required requirements in some instances, in some organizations what they've done is they've taken the required high level certifications like the nigp, CBP made them required, change it to preferred or in some cases weakened it, you know, not even no longer on the role descriptions. I think that's a big, big mistake. I think we need to be incre, uh, elevating the floor, breaking the ceiling and uh, using these as starting points, not as barriers to the profession itself but for senior and executive leadership positions. We need to have highly qualified, high motivated, continuous learning servant leaders in this profession leading the way.

Narrator: I think I speak on behalf of our entire audience Chris, where it's quite obvious and I picked up on it in Denver there at forum, but you have a lot of passion um, for the profession, for the people around you. And I agree because I hear it, I see it, I feel it, I sense it, that there is a lot of collaboration and people willing to help and able to help each other. So I, I agree. Reach out um, as you go along your journey because there are a lot of people who are there waiting and

Bill Culhane: willing, willing to help you.

Narrator: So Chris, you've shared a lot of invaluable insights, opinions, etc with us today on this show. If anybody wants to get in contact

Bill Culhane: with you, anybody wants to follow you,

Narrator: what are your suggestions?

Chris Smith: I'd love to connect with everybody. This is the movement and we are better together. And um, I want everyone to connect with me on LinkedIn. Um, and I know you'll provide that LinkedIn link for everyone to connect. Uh, please don't be shy. Um, LinkedIn. I'd love to connect with every single person that has procurement in their function, procurement in their name, procurement in their title, procurement in their heart, procurement in their mind. Um, unfortunately LinkedIn limits us to only like 100 or so invitations a week. So by the way, your listeners, I challenge all your listeners to go out and look in their LinkedIn, if they haven't dusted it off, make sure they have a LinkedIn account, make sure that they're, they're not secret agents. Um, what we, the kind of work we do in procurement is sometimes secret work. It's kind of like the TSA or the CIA or the FBI. We only get, we get, we all, we get all the bad press when things go bad. Like look at Minnesota just recently, example, you know, what's happening with some of the fraud, waste and abuse and corruption in the news right now in Minnesota. The. But, um, it's like 9 11, all the 9 11s we prevent and doing proper procurement, doing it in a compliant way, the risk mitigation management. So what I'd say is connect with me on LinkedIn, engage with my posts, engage with my articles, comment, participate, help encourage your colleagues to also connect. Don't be a secret agent, don't live in the shadows. Um, be proud of what you do and send connections and grow your own network, too. Because I don't want to be the Kevin Bacon of public procurement, but a lot of people are saying that you're Chris, you're the procurement evangelist, you're the procurement pirate, you're the, you know, you're six degrees of separation if you're. Uh, but what I'm saying to your folks is when you go on and log into LinkedIn, you, most likely, if you have procurement in your title, you have a pending invitation that I'm waiting for you to accept, and I hope you'll do that.

Narrator: Um, you'd be motivated to do so today, Chris. Thanks. Yeah, Again, you are a tremendous evangelist. Um, I'm sure everybody has picked up on that as you and I have had this conversation. So, again, Chris, thank you so much. Um, it was great having you on the show. And just a reminder to everybody, uh, again, that in the next episode, we will, in fact, be, um, revealing, announcing who the winner is of the 2025 David and Beverly Nash Leadership Award. So we're excited about that. So thanks, everybody, for, for stopping by, and we'll see you next time.

Chris Smith: Bill, thank you.

Bill Culhane: Chris, thank you again for joining us here on the big bid Theory. I know I'm biased, but what an insightful conversation. From servant leadership to career advice to his take on procurement's New Year's resolution for next year. I hope you found it as valuable as I did. All right, Rick, the people have waited long enough. Hit us with the final crazy bids you can win for season 11.

Rick Jennings: All right, so, as I mentioned earlier, this crazy, uh, bid comes to us from the city of Santa Maria. The name of this pro. Well, you know what? Let's back up a little bit. So, Santa Maria's, uh, Parks and Rec Department has recently broken ground for, uh, what is gonna be what they call a community sports park. And I actually took a look at this spot. This looks like some, like a pretty neat strip of land. And for our folks over in Santa Maria, California, you might know this piece of land, um, over along South Depot street. It Looks like there's going to be a lot of very interesting things that will be erected over here, um, for different sports playgrounds, um, different sort of athletic things. It looks like it's going to be really fun and this bid is part of that whole package. The name of this project is Railroad Western Themed Playground Design and Supply at Santa Maria Community Sports Park. This bid is still open until the end of the year. Uh, December 31, 2025, to date, this episode. Um, but there's. I was even looking at this because I'm thinking, like I've talked to a lot of, uh, companies who provide custom playgrounds and it's a very interesting field, as I'm sure everyone in that field knows. I found it very interesting that there was. They were specifically asking for a railroad or western themed playground design and I was looking in the specs to figure out why. And the only thing that I could really find is basically just to say, you know, we want it to, uh, visually complement the park setting is what it says. And that's what prompted me to have a look at it. Um, I mean if you, if you look at where they are planning to put the community sports park, I think it's definitely going to be a good fit for um, looking at something that is like old western themed or like old railroad kind of thing. I think, you know, I used to love doing things like that as a kid. I love those themes. So I'm sure that's going to be a very interesting playground, uh, that's going to come up here in the, uh, coming months. And hey, if you design, uh, specialty playgrounds and you think this is up your alley for you and your firm, then, you know, go ahead and get on after this episode's crazy bid that you can win.

Bill Culhane: Rick, thank you for that and thanks for another stellar, absolutely superior season of crazy bids you made us last. Sometimes shake our heads, sometimes we do both at the same time. But we do appreciate you and to you, our listeners, we're grateful every time you hit play. If today's episode sparked new ideas, reminded you why you do what you do, or inspired you to take the next step. We'd love it if you'd share the episode. Like it, Follow Leave a review all of the above and many thanks to our TBBT team. Uh, as well, appreciate all the work from everybody. This is Bill Culhane. Until next time, the 2025 Nash Award presentation Next episode. Go Gunners. Barracudas, Tigers, Bobcats, Cubs. And in honor of our guest, Chris Smith Dukes. And we wish you the very best.

Rick Jennings: Powered by Bid prime and Beacon Bid, we thank you for tuning in to the Big Bid Theory from Austin, Texas. The show is hosted by Bill Culhane, produced by Bill Culhane and Jim Ward and co hosted and engineered by Rick Jennings. Distribution, research and production assistance by Lauren Jones. You can find other episodes of the show on YouTube, iHeart, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Spreaker, Google Play and among other platforms. Thank you for downloading and sharing the podcast.