Texas Public Purchasing Association
Call for Speakers
Greetings,
Interested in helping your colleagues develop new public purchasing skills or learn about new topics in our field? TxPPA invites you to submit proposals for speaker presentations at our 2025 Conference and Professional Development program events.
This year, we are hosting two in-person conferences. Our Spring Conference took place April 21–24 at the Kalahari Resort. Looking ahead, our Fall Conference will be held in San Marcos, TX, from November 17–20. In addition, we plan to host webinars every other month and will conduct an in-person Workshop in a third Texas location.
Offerings may be designed as mini-courses, panel discussions, highly interactive conversations, or other formats. Presentations should inspire, motivate, educate, and challenge our members. Presenters are invited to share personal experience, expertise, knowledge and transferable capabilities, and offer solutions for future success.
Presentations should have high, current topical interest. In-person, conference presentations should be between 50-60 minutes not including Q&A. Presentations for virtual and other in-person events should be between 40-45 minutes not including Q&A.
Benefits of Presenting:
We welcome proposals across all areas relevant to public procurement. Topics of interest this year include:
Procurement Best Practices & Strategies:
Contracts, Legal, and Risk Management
IT & Technology Procurement:
Construction & Capital Projects
Leadership, Management & Communication
Emerging Trends & Specialized Topics
If you have expertise in any of these or other timely areas, we encourage you to submit your proposal.
Proposals must be received according to the following to be given consideration for 2025 events:
Interested in helping your colleagues develop new public purchasing skills or learn about new topics in our field? TxPPA invites you to submit proposals for speaker presentations at our 2025 Conference and Professional Development program events.
This year, we are hosting two in-person conferences. Our Spring Conference took place April 21–24 at the Kalahari Resort. Looking ahead, our Fall Conference will be held in San Marcos, TX, from November 17–20. In addition, we plan to host webinars every other month and will conduct an in-person Workshop in a third Texas location.
Offerings may be designed as mini-courses, panel discussions, highly interactive conversations, or other formats. Presentations should inspire, motivate, educate, and challenge our members. Presenters are invited to share personal experience, expertise, knowledge and transferable capabilities, and offer solutions for future success.
Presentations should have high, current topical interest. In-person, conference presentations should be between 50-60 minutes not including Q&A. Presentations for virtual and other in-person events should be between 40-45 minutes not including Q&A.
Benefits of Presenting:
- Recertification credit(s) in accordance with your certifying organization’s guidelines.
- No Travel or additional expense for our virtual events.
- Network with your fellow presenters and TxPPA members.
- Ten Points for Achievement of Excellence in Procurement® Award application.
We welcome proposals across all areas relevant to public procurement. Topics of interest this year include:
Procurement Best Practices & Strategies:
- Price cost estimation / cost analysis
- Certification and certification study groups
- Spend analysis
- Benchmarking
- Best practices
- Big retailer procurements
- Cooperatives
- Buy-in strategies
- P-card fraud
- Vendor training
- Utility exemptions
Contracts, Legal, and Risk Management
- Bonds and insurance
- Contract administration
- Contract development & management
- Contract types and uses
- Legal aspects of purchasing
- Indemnity
- AG opinions
- Professional services
- RFP development
IT & Technology Procurement:
- Cybersecurity in procurement
- Managing IT contracts
- Technology and IT procurement
- IT contract clauses
Construction & Capital Projects
- Construction procurement
- Construction types
- Guaranteed Maximum Price contracts
- Wage rate compliance
Leadership, Management & Communication
- Managing teams and difficult bosses
- Effective and interpersonal communication
- Time management
- Networking strategies
- Working with elected officials and counties
- Supporting small entities
- Employee development
Emerging Trends & Specialized Topics
- Use of generative AI in procurement
- Consumer price index impacts
- Procuring energy and sustainability
If you have expertise in any of these or other timely areas, we encourage you to submit your proposal.
Proposals must be received according to the following to be given consideration for 2025 events:
| EVENTS | DUE DATE | REVIEW COMPLETED |
OFFERS EXTENDED |
COMMITMENTS DUE |
PRESENTATIONS DUE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August - November Webinars & Workshop |
6/1/2025 | 6/8/2025 | 6/15/2025 | 6/23/2025 | You will be notified |
| Fall (November) Conference |
7/1/2025 | 7/8/2025 | 7/15/2025 | 7/22/2025 | You will be notified |
Proposal/Application Guidelines:
- Complete a separate application for each piece of content you propose to deliver.
- Please limit summary to 500 words.
- Include a CV or other professional biography and professional references. We ultimately require a photograph of approved speakers. If you wish, you may include your photo (head and shoulders) in a 300x300 .png format at this time.
- Attach an example of your proposed presentation in Power Point or PDF format. This version is for review only. All presenters will be required to make a final content submission according to the table above.
- You may add a video from prior presentation of your proposed content.
- Submit proposals via submission link below.
- If you have questions, please write to us at [email protected]
