Procurement Leadership & Insights with Selena Leon, State of Arizona

Speaker A: Foreign. Welcome.

Speaker B: M back for another edition of the Big Bid Theory, powered by Bid prime and Beacon Bid. I'm your host, Bill Culhane. From here in our palatial studios in Austin, Texas. We are on the final stretch of season 11 of the show. And speaking of nearing the end, we're also in the final stretch, the last few days to submit nominations for David and Beverly Nash Leadership Award. I'll tell you what, if you've been thinking about nominating someone who's leading the way in public procurement, now is the time. Don't wait. Expedite those nominations. And by the way, I do want to give, uh, many thanks to those of you out there who have already submitted nominations. We'll be, uh, having the committee convene here in the not too distant future. And we will be awarding, uh, the second ever David and Beverly Nash Leadership Award. That'll happen around, uh, the middle of December as we wrap up 2025. Now, this episode, we've got someone who is clearly an example of leadership in our profession. Selena Leon joins us today. She's a purchasing manager for the state procurement office over in Arizona. Seven years of experience already under her belt. Selena started in county procurement, worked her way up to the state level and hasn't looked back. And it's a really, really interesting conversation with her. And I'm going to mention it later, but do want to thank our friend Diana Land from over in the great state of Arizona as well. It was Diana who connected Selena, uh, and the show to, uh, bring Selena on. And Diana has been such a major contributor, uh, to the show since she was a guest on the show a few years ago. And also want to thank Diana. She's one of the people who have already submitted a nomination for the David and Beverly Nash Leadership Award. Selena is also a proud member of NIGP where she serves on the member council. We'll talk about her career path, her insights from nigp forum, what's happening with az, NIGP and their recent conference, and of course, drum roll. Later in the episode, Rick Jennings will bring us another round of crazy bids. You can win. You don't want to miss that. And I'll tell you what, Rick, let's get to it. I feel like we spend some time providing weather reports on the Austin area. I don't know if anybody other than the folks in Central Texas are really interested in our weather reports, but what do think about these slightly, ever so slightly cooler temps we have going on?

Speaker C: Well, it's the, uh, canary coming out of the coal mine. And it's got good news. Uh, you know, you and I, we're both here in Central Texas, and I believe I can speak for everyone in Texas where we say we love it when things cool off, uh, just because this is what we get, you know, nine months out of the year or so. And to have some relief on the way, uh, for the, uh, I would call it like Texas winter weather, which is pretty mild. Either way, it is lovely, uh, to be around and I am looking forward to it.

Speaker B: All right, enough about the weather and, uh, I'll tell you what, Rick, I'm going to try to be clever here. Can you lighten the mood with the crazy bids tease?

Speaker C: Yes, I can. Um, yeah. On the way for our crazy bid, we are going to lighten the mood and we're going to make a funny little comparison about the speed and lack of speed at which the US Government, uh, tackles their procurement needs. So stay tuned, it's going to be a good one.

Speaker B: All right, Rick, I speak for everybody. We are looking forward to that. Earlier I mentioned the Big Bit Theory is powered by Bid prime and beaconbid. Before we bring on our guest, our special guest, let's hear from BidPrime and BeaconBid.

Speaker C: The big bid theory is brought to you by Bidprime and Beaconbid. Are you missing out on game changing contract opportunities? BidPrime has over 15 years of industry leading technology in delivering real time bid alerts, deep data insights and unmatched customer support. And now with um, emerging ops and future ops, you get ahead of your competition by spotting contracts before they go public. Don't wait, see for yourself. Get your free no obligation trial today@bidprime.com Government procurement is now smarter and easier. Beacon Bid has improved the way agencies publish solicitations, engage with more suppliers and collect responses faster and more efficiently than ever. With cutting edge AI based solicitation tools and the industry's most comprehensive RFP archive, you'll write better RFPs in less time. Plus, with EBID, bidders submit seamlessly and agencies collect and evaluate with ease, including vendor market research and cooperative and shareable contracts databases. It is time to take procurement to the next level. Request your free demo today@beaconbid.com foreign

Speaker B: friends and welcome to the YouTube version of the Big Bit Theory. I'm your host, Bill Culhane. Uh, for those of you on YouTube I just mentioned on the audio only side of the show, uh, the time is now. If you look at your calendar, go to the bigbitt theory.com and get those nominations in for the David and Beverly Nash Leadership Award. Uh, many of you remember we presented the first award a year ago. It's time for our second ever Nash Award. Um, so I've already taken a peek at some of the nominations. I haven't really looked at them thoroughly yet because the committee will convene here in a couple of weeks. But, uh, there are so many worthy nominees just like we had a year ago. So please, please, please, right now get those nominations. And you know somebody, our guest, Selena Leon, um, tell you a little bit about her. Uh, she's a procurement professional looking bio here. Seven years in procurement and Selena has a broad background from county procurement. I see state procurement on here, obviously. She's currently a purchasing manager for the State Procurement Office in the great state of Arizona. She's active in the National Institute of Governmental Purchasing, nigp, and also Arizona State Capital Chapter of nigp. More on those organizations here in a moment. Um, and by the way, Lauren and Rick have put Selena's full bio in the description of the episode. So thank you to them and thank you to Selena for providing that information. So, with no further ado, Selena, it's great to have you on the Big Bit Theory. We appreciate you spending some time with us.

Speaker A: Thank you, Bill. I am just honored to be here. Um, you know, anything procurement, I guess, uh, I don't know for anyone else, but for myself, you just tend to nerd out when it comes to procurement topics. And so, um, I'm just so honored to be here and being part of this.

Speaker B: Yeah, well, again, thank you so much. So, so let's get, uh, let's get to chopping wood here, as I like to say. And let's start with NIGP Forum. And I don't know about you Selena, but sometimes I think back to forum and it seems like it was six months ago. Other times it seems like it was six days ago. I was flying back from Seattle yesterday and have a lot of time to think in that four hour flight and I was just thinking about Forum and still thinking about the relationships, the conversations, the things I learned there in Denver. But you personally, you were there as well. I know we all love the Blue Bear, Selena, but what else did you take away from your time there in Denver at NIGP Forum here, what was a couple months ago?

Speaker A: Yes. So first of all, um, you know, um, I think one of the main things that you take away from Forum is just those authentic connections that you're able to make in person, you know, with the virtual world. I feel like sometimes we lack in making Those in person connections. And so forum was really such a great opportunity to have those conversations with people in the same realm. And you know, um, I loved attending the negotiations training that was provided. I think that was extremely helpful coming from someone who was actively in negotiations during that phase. So I was able to, you know, ask those questions, the hard questions, and they were able to provide me good direction on during those classes. Um, another thing was I was, I um, was honored to host the First Timers event this year as being part of the member council. And so we got great feedback from there. Uh, a lot of people, you know, we. It's, it's pretty beautiful, you know, seeing it from a member council's perspective, just watching your members interact. And you know, typically we see people during these first timer event, everybody just, you know, is running out the door. But this year it was a lot different. You know, there was people staying behind, you know, continuing their conversations. You could just see the excitement. Um, and I just, I love to see that because I see myself, you know, going back to my first, first time at forum, and that was in Boston. And so, um, it's just so important to make, to make a good first impression during that, during that forum time for those first timers.

Speaker B: Yeah, those first timer, uh, sessions, as you described it, I've attended those as well. And um, it's really, I think an eye opener for many people who are attending their first ever event, whether it be forum or any other event. And it's a great introduction for people to let them kind of familiarize their, themselves with what's going to be going on at a particular event, meet people right away, start that networking process. And so, uh, a tip of the cap to you and everybody who was involved in the first timers there in Denver and Selena. Speaking of events, um, our mutual friend Diana Landeros. Um, Diana, of course is one of the reasons that you and I met that we're having this conversation, but Diana is heavily involved, I know, in the Arizona nigp. Arizona State Capital Chapter of nigp. You're involved as well. You recently had your event. I think it was, what, just a, a week ago or so. So kind of give us a recap on how things went there in Mesa.

Speaker A: Yeah. Um, so thank you, Bill. I just want to backtrack just a little bit, um, to Forum because Diana was one of those people I was able to connect there and um, I didn't, I interviewed her, uh, for her first timers, uh, experience. And so, um, you can, you can see that interview on the Radio NIGP channel on YouTube, I believe. But, um, you know, during that forum where Diana and I were, Were able to connect, she shared, you know, her. Her inspiration and, and to really grow within this profession and moving forward to the AZNIGP Regional conference. Um, she. It was announced that she would be our vice president in the upcoming term. So I'm very excited with her, uh, for her. We were able to share some ideas during the conference. And so I think there's a lot of good change coming. Uh, we want to see more interactions with our members and so I think Diana is really fit for this role and I'm just so excited to continue to see her grow and grow together. So.

Speaker B: Yeah, and actually I'm, um, kind of. It's a spoiler alert here, but, um, I've already messaged Diana. Um, I went to Arizona, um, NIGP about two, three years ago or so. Unfortunately, haven't been able to go. Wasn't able to go a week ago. I mentioned I was in Seattle, but I already told her that we're going to be there next year, so.

Speaker A: Oh, that's wonderful.

Speaker B: Yeah. So you and I will both be able to recap.

Speaker A: Oh, I love that. Yeah.

Speaker B: So in terms of your career journey, Selena, specifically, and any advice that you can share. So let's rewind a little bit. You, You've climbed quickly in the procurement profession. So what kind of drove you in terms of, you know, becoming involved in this particular profession and what have your steps been to get where you are today?

Speaker A: Yeah, so, um, I started at the county level. I actually started as, um, as a. I think I was front desk at the treasurer's office, taking tax payments. And so when I saw a job, uh, posting for a procurement, uh, I think it was an office specialist actually for the procurement department, I couldn't even pronounce procurement at first, you know, let alone try to wrap my head around what exactly it was. And so diving in and doing some research on it. So I, I had recently graduated. I, I got my degree, uh, in Administration of Justice. And so seeing how involved it is with law, um, and policy and all of that, I was like, okay, that's really intriguing. Um, and so I applied for the position. I think, um, the director at the time said that she automatically saw a spark in me and she was like, she's gonna go all the way through with this. Um, and so I was like, oh my gosh, thank you for the opportunity and to be able to look back and think like, wow. I kind of am following with that. Right. Um, so it's, it's been pretty awesome, a pretty awesome journey. Um, so I stayed at Mojave County. I was there with, um, for about five years before I made my move to the state. Um, so I currently work, um, 100% remote. And so I started at the state, at the Arizona Department of Health Services, and then, um, was promoted there as a supervisor. And later I made the move into the state procurement office as a purchasing manager. And that's kind of where I've been now for a year. Um, but yeah, it's. It's just procurement's one of those things that, you know, people, um, in this profession are excited to see you grow with them. Yeah. And one great thing about procurement that I noticed very early on was that people don't gatekeep here, and people want to see you grow, you know, and if that means growing alongside them, them, you know, they push you towards that. And so it's really wonderful to see that all these leaders in procurement have that in common. Um, and so that's one thing that I was just attracted to in this profession. Just seeing the community, um, and people that are just inspiring others to grow

Speaker B: and speaking of helping others, and certainly there are opportunities to grow in the profession. You're a great example of that. I was in, um, Downers Grove, Illinois a couple of weeks ago, um, at a conference there, and I was fortunate to meet Debbie Trueblood, who is taking over. Rick Grimm. Yeah. Wonderful person. She has a lot of great ideas on how to grow and promote the profession. But what about somebody, a woman specifically, who is interested in a, uh, in the profession? What would you say to somebody who's listening, who's watching right now, Selena, who might be thinking about it, but not sure they want to make a change or pursue procurement? What would you tell a woman specifically?

Speaker A: I would say that there's always room for everyone here, and it doesn't matter what background you come from, um, you always have something to offer and some. Something to give to this profession, um, as long as you have that passion to make, to want to make, ah, change. And so, um, for me, that's kind of what it's been. I, I like to come into something and say, how can I improve it? You know, where can my skills fit within this? Um, and so really that's been a game changer for me. And so, you know, that tells me that there, there is room for everyone, you know.

Speaker B: Yeah, no doubt about it. That's one thing I've learned in my time, for sure. I echo what you say. You work in physical commodities. And so for somebody watching, somebody listening, first of all, what exactly are we talking about when we say physical comm. And if you could talk about some of your successes, some of your challenges there in your specific department.

Speaker A: Yeah. So when we're speaking physical commodities, uh, you're, you know, we're speaking your. Your furniture, you're speaking your building supplies, you know, all those, um. All those tools you get from Lowe's, you know, um, facilities, you know, all those. All those kind of things. Scientific products, medical gas. I just recently awarded a solicitation that I, um, would say one of the current challenges that we're facing right now at the state would be, uh, tariffs, uh, having those, you know, difficult conversations with our suppliers on, you know, what the expectation is when it comes to those requests coming in. Um, and so it's. It's been a lot of doing a lot of research and really just trying to stay on top of that. That's been a big challenge.

Speaker B: Good points there. Um, Selena. And now at the beginning of the episode, and we've been talking about it all season long, that the Nash Award. You serve on the scholarship and Buyer Manager of the Year awards. You, I guess, at one time were on the committee. And I guess my question, seline, is not just about a specific award, whether it be the Nash Award or the. The scholarship, the Buyer Manager of the Year award. But I' um, shared my opinions on how important I think it is for all of us to recognize people in our profession. But. But what are your thoughts on that, that idea, that concept of thanking and rewarding people for a job well done?

Speaker A: Oh, absolutely, Bill. I think that, like you mentioned, it's very important, especially in a role like procurement, because we tend to do a lot of the work in behind the scenes, you know, so it is really nice, uh, know the people you work with or even sometimes even yourself just being rewarded, uh, for the work that we do, because really, we kind of have our hands in everything. Right. Um, and so from my perspective, um, you know, even if it means, hey, you're doing a great job today, you know, to me, I see that as rewards, you know, you know, those, uh, that reassurance that you're doing a great job. And so I, um, constantly try to do that with my team, um, and even to my supervisor, advisors, sometimes they don't get enough praise. And so that's very important.

Speaker B: Yeah, I couldn't agree more. And I know we here at the show are a little biased because, again, you know, we're a Part of the, the Nash Award. And again, please get those nominations in. For you folks watching you folks listening, let's recognize people for their tremendous work that they're doing that affects those nominations.

Speaker A: Do by.

Speaker B: That's a great, that's a great question. So, so officially, wink, wink, they're due by October 31st. And again people can go to the big bit theory.com and the nomination form is there. But I, I said wink, wink. Because there have been a couple of people who have reached out and they've said, hey, super busy, can I have a couple of days wiggle room on that deadline?

Speaker A: So, um, okay.

Speaker B: Yeah, so we're shooting for October 31st, so everybody keep that in mind. Selena, it has been an absolute beyond pleasure to have you here on the show. Uh, I think your story is going to resonate with a lot of people, whether they be in procurement, in purchasing now or again. You know, there are people leaving the profession because of retirement, what have you. So we need fresh ideas, we need new people. Um, so I think your story is going to have an impact on a lot.

Speaker A: Thank you, Bill.

Speaker B: Um, and you know, I kind of got a joke with you, I think earlier. A friend of Diana's is a friend of, of mine.

Speaker A: So yes.

Speaker B: So great to meet you. Keep doing what you're doing. You're having such a tremendous impact on so many people. Yeah, absolutely.

Speaker A: I really appreciate that. And I just want to take a moment to highlight on one thing that I think is very helpful that NIGP offers and that's our mentorship program. And so for anyone, um, like I mentioned earlier, grow, looking to grow alongside another procurement professional, um, you know, go into the mentorship program and pair with, with someone, um, you know, that, that can inspire you to grow within your role. And so that's exactly what I've done and that's helped me tremendously get to where I am today. Um, like I said, we don't gatekeep in procurement when it comes to, ah, professional development and helping others, uh, reach their goals.

Speaker B: Yeah. And, and so I'm just going to piggyback what you just said, Selena. Um, I'm not in procurement. Right. I'm not, I'm not in purchasing. But goodness knows I have so many friends who are in the profession. I number of events from sea to shining sea. I was just again in Downer grove@I appo a couple of weeks ago, so I meet so many people. And one thing that absolutely impresses me about the profession is what you said, Selena, is you are never doing it Alone. And it's not just, you're not just confined to the people in your workspace in your building. There are so many people from sea to shining sea who are willing to help. Uh, David Nash, our leadership award. I tell, tell people. And you mentioned Boston. Selena. David Nash was the very first person I spoke with when I was there in Boston. I consider myself blessed, so.

Speaker A: Oh, yeah.

Speaker B: To cross paths with somebody like David Nash. I know people have their own stories of people who are helping them, mentoring them. Um, it's incredible.

Speaker A: Yeah. And it's, I think another really beautiful side of it is that you get to literally learn so much about everything. Like, you're not just confined to one thing. Yes, we're experts on the process, but, you know, during that process, you learn like I never knew about different medical gases and what they do, you know, and their functionalities and, and so now, you know, I've picked up a little bit of knowledge on that. And you kind of do that with, um, with the different type of solicitations that you work with and the different subject matter experts you get to interact with with. So, you know, you're always growing.

Speaker B: Yeah, always growing. And I, I have to believe, again, I've never, you know, sat in your seat, but I have to believe that not every day is the same as you go along.

Speaker A: Um, you're right, you're very right on that. Uh, it really isn't the same. You always, there's always a little bit of something changing throughout the day and throughout the week. Um, and you just never know what you'll be dealing with, with sometimes.

Speaker B: And everybody's doing great work out there. So again, Selena, on behalf of everybody here at the Big Bit Theory, our audience from sea to shining sea, appreciate, uh, your time and, and look forward to meeting you in person at some point.

Speaker A: I look forward to have, uh, to meeting you as well, Bill. Um, again, I want to thank you for having me here today and just sharing just a little bit of my experience throughout, uh, this profession. And I just can't wait to see it continue to get, uh, recognition that the profession deserves and you know, just, just looking to see the growth of all these procurement professionals.

Speaker B: All right, as we hop back here on the audio only side of the big bit Theory. Again, many thanks to Selena and many thanks, ah, again to our dear friend Diana for helping to make that conversation happen. So much insight, so much enthusiasm. Uh, the future is definitely bright for public sector procurement, uh, particularly over there in, in the state of Arizona. So I look at my watch, you Know what time it is. Let's shift gears from professionalism to even more interesting aspects of procurement. Rick Jennings is here with Crazy Bids you can win. Rick, take it away.

Speaker C: Absolutely. You had teased earlier that we were going to lighten things up on crazy Bids this episode, and that is exactly what we're doing. So, uh, wonderful conversation with Selina, Some great insights. Uh, we wanted to do a little bit of honor to the State of Arizona with this one. And so we looked for some interesting pieces of, uh, procurement going on in Arizona and a little bit above the state level at the federal level. The Department of the Air Force based over in Arizona, specifically at Luke afb. Luke Air Force Base Base has a bid out right now titled Holiday Lighting for Luke afb. This is a pretty cool one and obviously, you know, there's a lot of holiday lighting bids that come up, um, over the years and it goes on with many, many different areas. I thought it was just cool to see this going on at an actual Air Force base. Um, so some, I guess some details about this. This is a multi year contract and, and has some pretty interesting specs about it. I mean they're looking at decorating, uh, what did they say? 91 street poles, 41 lampposts, uh, 32 California palm trees and tons and tons of lights around, uh, Ayre park it looks like. And you know, uh, we've got Halloween right around the corner as of uh, the time of recording this. And I was mentioning that, you know, sometimes government agencies are kind of slow to work, but I know they often know that about themselves. And you know, Halloween's right around the corner, but we're already planning for Christmas on the federal side of things here. So uh, congrats to the Air Force. Congrats to uh, uh, everyone here for helping us out with, uh, getting some great insights into procurement from the State of Arizona. And to anyone who likes to put up Christmas trees and holiday decorations, hopefully that this is going to be this year's crazy bid that you can win.

Speaker B: All right. Some, somehow I think that one possibly won't kind of make the rounds of the, uh, NIGP awards circuit or discussions or, or conversations, but interesting none nonetheless. Thanks Rick. Always so good. And a reminder that procurement keeps us on our toes and in the public sector. They, uh, request we request and purchase anything and every, everything. That's going to wrap up this episode of the Big Bit Theory, powered by Bid prime and Beacon Bid. A big thanks again to Selena Leone for joining us. It's exciting to see how much passion and professionalism people are bringing to public sector procurement prediction. Current and future star in the profession. Keep an ear out and eye out for that name, Selena Leon. Thank you again to our friend Diana Landeros for helping to make it happen. And before we sign off, one more reminder. The David and Beverly Nash Leadership Award nomination are closing soon. Don't wait until the very last minute, even though it's getting close to the last minute. Get those nominations in and recognize the leaders who are making a difference. We appreciate you listening and or viewing from wherever you may be. Please give us a follow share with a friend or close relative or neighbor. Many thank yous to Beaconbit, uh and Bid Prime. Much appreciation to Lauren, Rick and our team. And until next time, go Gunners, Barracudas, Tigers, Bobcats and Cubs and all the very best.

Speaker C: Powered by bidprime and beaconbid. 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 Assistants by Lauren Jones. You can find other episodes of the show on YouTube, iHeart, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Spre, Google Play and among other platforms. Thank you for downloading and sharing the podcast.