A minute with…Louis S. Moore

A minute with…Louis S. Moore, MPA, FNIGP, CPPO, CPPB, director of procurement and supply management, St. Petersburg, Fla., since 1984. Moore has also served municipal governments in New York and Kansas and is a past president of the National Institute of Governmental Purchasing (NIGP). He is a fellow of the Institute, and was given its highest honor, the Albert H. Hall Memorial Award, in 2013.

Name three projects of which you are most proud.

1) Implementing eight procurement and inventory modules that fully automated the city’s procure-to–pay and supply chain function… The system allows [St. Petersburg] procurement to manage its inventory using handheld mobile scanning devices, register and manage suppliers through online self-service, manage contracts, online electronic bidding and deliver purchase orders and receive invoices through an online supplier portal.

2) Rewriting and updating St. Petersburg’s 60-year-old Procurement Code. To keep pace… the code and accompanying administrative policies and operating procedures were simplified, clarified and modernized. The new code also is meant to instill increased public confidence, ensure fair and equitable treatment of all and provide safeguards for quality and integrity in the city’s procurement process.

3) Early in my career I studied and analyzed the management and operation of the city-owned 1,850-car municipal parking garage in New Rochelle, N.Y. My recommendations included outsourcing management of the garage to the neighboring mall management firm; encouraging long-term parking, especially to the nearby train station commuters; replacing aging equipment with a simpler, less expensive technology; and changing the fee structure from an hourly to a flat rate. The result was the reversal of a $200,000 annual deficit.

Tell us about your most rewarding day at the office.

The day the Mayor of St. Petersburg issued a proclamation declaring Oct. 10, 2013, “Louis Moore Day in St. Petersburg.” My department and I were recognized with two of the procurement industry’s highest awards for outstanding achievement and career contributions. I was honored for receiving the Albert H. Hall Memorial Award, while my department was honored with the coveted Pareto Award for Excellence in Public Procurement.

Do you have any personal, proven methods for approaching municipal challenges?

I approach municipal challenges strategically. First, I conduct an environmental scan, or SWOT analysis, of the issue, examining strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. I then ask how the issue affects stakeholders. Next, I methodically manage the solution by developing an action plan with measurable short- and long-term goals and objectives with responsibilities and milestones. Finally, there is the follow-up and reevaluation phase.

One way in which you would change the world?

I would end homelessness for children and their families. Workers would be paid a living wage to enable them to take care of their families, providing them with adequate food, safe and comfortable shelter and proper education for their children.

One fact people might be surprised to learn?

When I was a school boy growing up in Jamaica, I yearned to be a professional cricketer and play for the West Indies cricket team. My mother would have none of it.

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