7/29/08 MyFloridaMarketPlace Launches "Fireside Chats"

MYFLORIDAMARKETPALCE LAUNCHES "FIRESIDE CHATS"

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

~Teleconferences keep vendors informed~

TALLAHASSEE - In early May, the Department of Management Services (DMS) Division of State Purchasing implemented "fireside chats," using teleconferencing capability to reach as many as possible of the 100,000-plus vendors registered on MyFloridaMarketPlace (MFMP). MFMP is Florida's state-of-the-art online purchasing system for government agencies and vendors. The hour-long "chats" grew quickly in participation from 10 on the first call to 123 - full capacity - on the recent July 9 and 16 calls.

"This is a terrific example of out-of-the-box thinking that takes place every day at the Department of Management Services," said DMS Secretary Linda H. South. "Recognizing the time and budget constraints of all stakeholders, our MyFloridaMarketPlace team implemented a tool that meets the vendor community's needs now and into the future."

The calls' agendas are driven by vendor questions submitted in advance and the goals are to help vendors learn how to do business with the state and make MFMP as user-friendly as possible. PowerPoint presentations for each call are posted on the MFMP vendor Web site.

"Because of the demand, we are working to expand the capacity of the calls so more vendors can join us," said State Purchasing Director Charles Covington. "It is clear the fireside chats fulfill vendors' needs and we want the calls to be accessible to as many as possible."

MFMP is exploring WebEx and similar technology to better enable direct dialog with the vendors. This type of technology allows interactive question and answer sessions during the calls, furthering MFMP's ability to directly meet customers' needs.

"The genesis of the program is simple, 'how do we make it easier for businesses to learn how to do business with the state?'" said Chief of State Purchasing Operations Walt Bikowitz. "It's difficult to bring that many vendors together in a casual, convenient one-on-one setting, where we can have meaningful dialog about the issues important to them. The fireside chats allow us to do that without anyone leaving their place of business."

As of June 30, 2008, more than 100,000 vendors registered with MFMP, and of those more than 33 percent were minority vendors. Total spend was $5 billion, with 32 agencies using the system. Learn more at www.dms.MyFlorida.com/mfmp. To join the next chat, contact MyFloridaMarketPlace@dms.MyFlorida.com.

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