I. Training and Professional Development
The Office established the Massachusetts Certified Public Purchasing Official (MCPPO) program 24 years ago, in 1997. The Office created the training program to promote excellence in public procurement by ensuring that public purchasing officials and employees have the tools necessary to operate effectively and in accordance with procurement laws. Since then, the MCPPO program has expanded to include a broad range of classes on government, internal controls, cybersecurity, board governance, contract administration, prevailing wage, emergency procurement and fraud prevention.
In the last year, the R&C Division transitioned from live in-person and videoconferencing classes to a fully online program in response to the COVID-19 health emergency. This transition allowed the program to continue reaching the widest audience possible while following COVID-19 health guidelines. The MCPPO program also understands that students have a variety of training needs, availability and budgets for professional development. In response, the Office introduced brief 60-to-90-minute webinars, added more educational videos to the Office’s YouTube Channel, developed asynchronous online trainings that can be completed over several of weeks, and added trainings in the evening and on weekends.
Since 1997, more than 30,000 students have attended MCPPO classes and outside speaking engagements. In 2020 alone, the Office provided training to 5,046 students.
Figure 9. MCPPO Class Attendance by Year.
In 2020, the R&C Division held 88 classes, including videoconference classes at Berkshire Community College in Pittsfield and Bristol Community College in Fall River. In addition to the videoconferences, the R&C Division held live in-person classes at Ana Maria College, COMM Fire District, College of the Holy Cross, North Attleborough Police Facility, Timothy Grammar School (Methuen), UMass Lowell, Webster Town Library and Westfield State University. It also participated in 33 – mostly virtual – outside speaking engagements. The R&C Division thanks the staff at the jurisdictions that hosted its trainings.
II. MCPPO Online Classes
In 2019, the R&C Division began working with the University of Massachusetts’ Donahue Institute (UMDI) to create online versions of some of its core classes. In 2020, the R&C Division launched two self-paced classes: Supplies and Services Contracting and Real Property Transactions under Chapter 30B. These self-paced classes combine online learning modules with instructor-led discussions, knowledge checks and homework assignments. These classes allow students to learn at their own pace while also providing opportunities to engage with their teachers and peers.
In response to the pandemic in March 2020, the R&C Division worked with UMDI to transition all classes to an online platform. These interactive live classes are similar to the R&C Division’s live in-person classes. Students have the ability to ask questions and engage with peers and instructors both during and outside of class.
III. Outside Speaking Engagements
Education is essential to preventing the misuse of public money and property. Throughout 2020, Office staff presented on various topics, including public procurement, fraud prevention, board governance, public administration, bid posting and the Office’s mission, accomplishments and investigations. The audiences included government agencies, universities and professional associations.
Figure 10. 2020 Speaking Engagements.
Figure 11. MCPPO Classes by Calendar Year (2020).
Figure 12. MCPPO Participants by Calendar Year.
Figure 13. MCPPO Participants Per Class Type (2020).
IV. MCPPO Designation and Certifications
The MCPPO program continues to offer its three core classes required for those interested in obtaining an MCPPO designation: (1) Public Contracting Overview, an introductory class that provides an overview of Massachusetts’ procurement laws; (2) Supplies and Services Contracting, a more in-depth review of Chapter 30B; and (3) Design and Construction Contracting, providing in-depth instruction on the procurement laws governing public design and construction in Massachusetts.
The R&C Division also offers specialized classes, such as a four-day Certification for School Project Designers and Owner’s Project Managers class. The Office created this class in response to a Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) regulation that requires public school designers and owner’s project managers to earn a certification to work on MSBA-funded school projects. The R&C Division also continued to offer a two-day Charter School Procurement class in response to a statutory mandate requiring charter school procurement staff to obtain a certification.
V. Collaborations
The R&C Division partnered with the Department of Higher Education (DHE) to implement a statutorily mandated training for all trustees of public colleges and universities in the Commonwealth. This Office proposed and advocated for this training, which the legislature included in a broad higher education stability bill enacted in 2019. Since passage, the Office has worked closely with DHE and the other agencies included in the legislation to develop and deliver the training.
The R&C Division also continued to work with the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office to train public officials and employees on the prevailing wage law. During the fall of 2020, the Attorney General’s Office presented a 75-minute segment on Workforce Diversity Requirements in the Massachusetts Public Construction Workforce as part of its commitment to promote the inclusion of minority-owned and women-owned businesses in public contracts. In addition to incorporating prevailing wage topics in a number of classes, the Office again offered a full-day class presented by the Attorney General’s Office called Prevailing Wisdom — Confronting Potential Pitfalls and Applying Solutions on Prevailing Wage and Public Construction. This free class focused on applying practical prevailing wage principals to public procurement and project management.
In collaboration with the MSBA, the R&C Division again offered a Story of a School Building at the Goodnow Brothers Elementary school in Marlborough. This one-day class is typically offered in a recently renovated or constructed public school. In 2020, the R&C Division held this class virtually and used video footage to provide a virtual tour of both the construction and the completed building.
The R&C Division also worked with the cities of Lowell and Boston to create specialized training series for their employees. Lastly, the division collaborated with the Commonwealth’s Affirmative Marketing Program (AMP) to promote opportunities for minority-owned businesses (MBE) and women-owned businesses (WBE). The goal of providing the AMP presentation is to assist municipalities to increase the participation of MBE and WBE in public building design and construction projects managed by the Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance, other large state-funded municipal projects and projects undertaken by other public entities.
VI. MCPPO Training Webinars
Financial Statement Fraud, Winter-Related Procurement and Emergency Procurement are new training webinars the R&C Division offered in 2020. These webinars focused on current topics such as identifying fraud indicators, emergency procurement of supplies and services and the challenges of winter weather-related procurements. The R&C Division will offer further training webinars on a variety of topics in 2021.
VII. Online Training Videos
In 2020, the R&C Division produced five short videos, which are available on the Office’s YouTube channel. The topics of these short videos range from an overview of the Office and its hotlines to whistleblower protections and the Office’s Civil Recovery Unit. These videos and other web-based informational materials are part of the Office’s commitment to proactive outreach to the general public, government employees and companies that do business with the government.
VIII. “Ask the Instructor” Help Line
As the MCPPO program began transitioning all classes to an online platform, the program introduced the Ask-the-OIG-Instructor@mass.gov help line to give participants the opportunity to ask class-related questions to MCPPO instructors both during and after class. In 2020, the program received 996 inquiries. The “Ask the Instructor” help line operates every workday and ensures that a student’s education continues beyond the formal class sessions.
IX. Chapter 30B Hotline
As discussed earlier in this report, the R&C Division offers a technical assistance hotline to respond to questions concerning Chapter 30B, public construction biding laws, local purchasing requirements, fraud prevention and internal controls. The hotline operates every workday. Individuals can email the hotline or leave voice messages 24 hours a day. In 2020, the Office responded to 1,196 inquiries and questions.
In response to the pandemic, the R&C Division also began offering virtual meetings and provided 30-minute trainings for municipal staff that may have been placed in a procurement role because of the pandemic. The division offered these sessions so procurement staff could ask multiple questions and receive a Chapter 30B tutorial. Routine calls to the Chapter 30B hotline would not have provided the same level of information.
X. MCPPO Training Email and Information Line
The MCPPO program introduced a telephone information line to supplement the existing MCPPO program’s email. In 2020, the program received 3,640 emails and 590 calls. The MCPPO information line and training email operate every workday. Participants can leave voice messages or send an email 24 hours a day and an MCPPO member will respond as soon as possible.
XI. Publications
The R&C Division publishes a wide range of materials to educate and inform public employees, vendors and members of the public. The R&C Division continues to publish advisories, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and other related articles and announcements in the OIG Bulletin.
XII. John William Ward Performance Recognition Award
In 2020, the R&C Division became the first ever recipient of the Office’s John William Ward Recognition Award. The award is named after John William Ward, a former president of Amherst College and the chair of the Ward Commission, which investigated public corruption in Massachusetts in the late 1970s and which recommended the creation of the Office of the Inspector General.
The R&C Division received the award for its response to the pandemic, which included quickly moving all of its classes online, creating programming focused on COVID-19, and expanding the technical assistance it provides to cities and towns to ensure that local governments can continue to safeguard funds during the public health emergency.
Figure 14. R&C Division Receives the 2020 John William Ward Recognition Award.
Additional Resources
Contact for OIG Annual Report 2020: Regulatory and Compliance Division
Online
Phone
Available 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., M-F. Our confidential Hotline is for public employees and individuals with Chapter 30B procurement questions. Direct questions related to design and construction procurement to the Attorney General’s Office.
Address
| Date published: | April 30, 2021 |
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