The Central Florida Chapter (CFC) of National Institute of Governmental Purchasing was founded in 1987 with fifty members as the 52nd NIGP Chapter. By 2003 the Chapter had 265 members. Due to our Chapter’s overwhelming success, and because it covered such a large area, our Chapter was able to establish and mentor three additional Florida Chapters at the farthest points of CFC’s territory. Even after the establishment of these three Chapters, today CFC has 150 members and, as always, has continued to grow every year. The CFC works hard to promote and support professional development for its diverse members and strives to maintain the highest standard of ethics, integrity, public trust and awareness.
The Chapter meets bi-monthly and this year (2010) will be meeting at the Renaissance Senior Center, 3800 S. Econlockhatchee Trail, Orlando, Florida. Each meeting includes lunch, a speaker covering a Purchasing topic, and a business meeting. The Chapter has a cooperative purchasing committee (SICOP) who work towards putting out annual bids that all of the agencies can purchase from. The SICOP committee meeting is held before each of the Chapter meetings.
Annually, the agencies get together for a Reverse Trade Show to raise money for the Chapter. Profits from the Reverse Trade Show are used to run the Chapter and are also given out as scholarships to the membership (40 - $300 scholarships in 2010) to promote Professional Development within the membership.
During the Holiday Season, the Chapter also donates to the Second Harvest Food Bank and to other agencies in need of help.
There are many benefits provided to the membership of the Central Florida Chapter of NIGP. These include:
- Recertification Points for CPPB and CPPO
- NIGP classes sponsored locally
- Cooperative Purchasing Bids
- Purchasing Topics taught by qualified speakers
- Great Networking with your Purchasing Peers
- Chapter Awards – Buyer, Member and Purchasing Manager of the Year
- Scholarships to attend NIGP classes or seminars
- Vendor outreach through the Reverse Tradeshow
- Mentoring Program for new members
Membership is only $35 per year and is due by December 31st for the next year. New members are encouraged and welcome to join at any time during the year. It’s as easy as "clicking" link on the Membership Application page.
We hope to see you at our next meeting!
