This webinar will provide information related to building vendor relationships that will best benefit your organization. Attendees will know what to look for in reviewing agreement terms that protect their employer and mitigate risk. Ken will review areas that enhance your value to a vendor and how to make vendors and suppliers work for you. During the webinar, Ken will share several real-life examples of problems and success stories in building vendor relationships. There will be examples of win-win solutions where both the customer and the vendor benefit. Participants will learn to avoid pitfalls that can cause problems for them and their organization. They will learn about monitoring vendor performance to enhance the quality of the services they provide your company or agency.
Ken Jones has been working in the public and non-profit procurement field for over 30 years. He worked for the New York State Office of Taxation and Finance as a Purchasing Assistant from 1985-87 and left there to work for the University at Albany, SUNY where he served as a Purchasing Agent and in 1999 was the Assistant Director supervising and providing training for the Office of Purchasing and Contracts. This included proving training for both State procurement and The Research Foundation for SUNY procurement rules and regulations. His previous purchasing experience included procuring commodities, services and construction for the departments on campus including the Student Health Center and Athletic Training Departments. A past Director of the SUNY Purchasing Association, Ken retired from the position of Assistant Director in January of 2014. However he was requested to continue to assist the office through the end of 2014. Currently Ken works part time for the SUNY Center for International Development as a Procurement Specialist assisting primarily with their program in Kenya, Africa. Ken recently was hired part time to review procurements for the University at Albany, SUNY Office of State Purchasing. Ken has trained many University staff on procurement rules and regulations. He established online ordering processes with vendors ranging from Office supplies to Lab chemicals and continues to provide training in his current position to procurement staff in Nairobi, Kenya. Ken has presented on various procurement topics both in person and on the Web.