FROM THE EDITOR

Summit, Oct/Nov 2008 by Phillips, Anne

So fall went by at lightening speed and here we are, it's winter. Fall was full of valuable conferences and events that serve to help educate you and expand your own networks of expert resources... and with the challenging economic situation we lind ourselves in, those will be increasingly important. It seems a never-ending refrain that we must "do more with less," whether it is money or manpower, and it will continue now. Procurement professionals such as yourselves will likely be pressed harder than ever to buy better, more efficient products and services and to be better and more efficient at your own work. Many will be frustrated by the situation, but many will also see it as a time of opportunity to rethink the way things work now. Procurement professionals are up to meeting the challenges ahead with leadership.

For 10 years now, Summit magazine has been a source of information for you: best practices, colleague experience, innovations, new approaches and time tested methodology and processes. This issue of Summit is no different and offers you our Leadership in Public Procurement Award special feature, highlighting the great work your colleagues have accomplished; a compendium of available professional training; how IT properly applied can in fact make a huge difference in areas not traditionally used; and information on contract negotiation... and that's just some of the great stories.

Summit publisher, McE Galbreath and myself were recently at the Canadian Public Procurement Council annual forum to present the Leadership awards and we noticed changes there too, and we noted the value the attendees place on that opportunity to meet with peers and exchange ideas. The community of Canadian public procurement professionals is now an established fact.

Anne