2020 was not a normal year, by any means. Professions have been tested while the COVID-19 pandemic has raged. Many lessons have been learned through trial and error, strategic planning, and sometimes by sheer luck. NASPO, in partnership with five major universities, conducted over 100 hours of interviews with state procurement officials across the country to explore best practices of emergency procurement in times of disaster.

The findings of these interviews were released by NASPO: Assessing State PPE Procurement During COVID-19: A Research Report, in March of 2021.

In this week’s episode of the podcast, two of the academics who worked on the report, Dr. Robert Handfield of North Carolina State University, and Dr. Zhaohui Wu of Oregon State University, join podcast hosts Kevin Minor and Amanda Valdivieso to discuss some of the findings of the report. The structural influence of the central procurement office in times of disaster can play a major part in the success of state response. To find out more about how shortages in PPE highlighted procurement’s influence in response, make sure to listen to this episode!

Dr. Robert Handfield & Dr. Zhaohui Wu: NASPO’s got a Brand New Research Report!

Got a comment? An idea for an episode? Email podcast@naspo.org, we would love to hear from you!

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Click the sneak peek of the episode below before you go download!