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Procurement moves to commodity-based structure

Based on recommendations and initiatives from the Laboratory's Procurement Improvement Project, Procurement (SUP-1) has reorganized to a commodity-based structure.

The change in the procurement organizational structure, which will be implemented on Dec. 6, is designed to improve the way the Laboratory purchases goods and services and provide customers and suppliers with a more effective and efficient mechanism for conducting business at the Lab. Acting Supply Chain Management (SUP) Division Leader Albert Jiron also has selected leadership of new groups borne out of the reorganization.

The former SUP-1 has been reorganized into six groups - each of them organized on the basis of the types of purchases or acquisitions required by customers:

• Small Purchases (SUP-6) focuses on special agreements or small dollar procurements of less than $100,000. Harry Rodas will lead this newly created group.
• Streamlined Purchasing (SUP-7) focuses on Just-In-Time purchases, and purchases related to Local Vendor Agreements and Purchase Card transactions. Julie Allen will lead this newly created group.
• Facilities/Construction and Architectural and Engineering Services (SUP-8) focuses on procurement activities related to construction, architectural and engineering services, demolition and decommissioning, facility leases, facility operations, non-task-order related services for Environmental Stewardship (ENV) Division, and agreements specific to KSL, PTLA and the Los Alamos Fire Department. Eppie Trujillo leads this newly created group.
• IT, Equipment, Fabrication and Services (SUP-9) primarily focuses on procurement activity of greater than $100,000 related to information technology, the Enterprise Project (EP) and equipment and services. Joe Kelley leads this newly created group.
• Technical Support, Staffing and R&D (SUP-10) focuses on procurement activity related to university contracts, staff augmentation subcontracts, consultant agreements, task-order subcontracts, research and development subcontracts, intra-university agreements and foreign services contracts. Annette Houston leads this newly created group.

The reorganization also gives rise to Procurement Operations Support (SUP-OPS), led by Dick Strickler, which provides systems support, process management, audits assessments and analysis, a newly created procurement assistance center, PIP processes, training and closeout activities.

Finally, Jiron has selected Edward M. "Ed" Lundeen as deputy division leader for procurement. Lundeen joins the Laboratory from Iomega Corp., where he was director of contracts management. He has held purchasing, contracting, supply chain management and global sourcing positions with Phelps Dodge Mining Company, San Diego Gas & Electric, Medtronic Inc. and the Salt River Project.

While the reorganization in procurement will provide enhanced customer service, the new organization also provides benefits to SUP employees.

"For employees, the new organization gets back to basics by creating specialists among the professional procurement team," Jiron said. "The new organization will provide for a more equitable distribution of workload among our team members, will provide career paths for upward mobility and lends to enhanced opportunities for training and development of personnel."

People with questions specifically about procurement operations can write to ProcurementQandA@lanl.gov, a special e-mail address set up by SUP Division.

--James E. Rickman

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