SESSION 3: "Does Everyone Know What Time It Is? Tool Time! Finding The Right Tools for Your Toolbox When It Comes to Government Contract Negotiations and Compliance"

OVERVIEW: Contract negotiations can be complex. Agreements are typically designed to benefit the third-party. Thus, there could be random language that likely doesn’t have your organization’s best interests in mind. That’s why we’re here to help! Enjoy this discussion with a panel of experts who have been in the hot seat for negotiations, as well as ongoing maintenance for contracts regarding off-site storage, imaging/scanning, confidential destruction, electronic document management, and other related records management vendors. The scope of the conversation was directed towards awareness, what to look for, and your power as the customer (not being afraid to ask and answer questions!). The panel also discussed a compliance factor; how to ensure you are complying with not only numerous government regulations, but also properly maintaining contract responsibilities of each party throughout its term. 

• Negotiation strategies
• How to best position yourself and your organization when engaging with business partners and third parties
• How to take the right steps to ensure compliance throughout the lifespan of the contract
 
GARA COMPETENCY AREA: "Advocacy and Outreach" OR "Legal and Compliance Issues"
 
MODERATOR AND SPEAKERS: Moderator: Sam Beland, Government Records Analyst, State of Michigan, Records Management Services | Panelists: Andrew J. SanAgustin, Chief Information Governance Officer, Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro, LLP, Jessie Weston, Imaging Specialist, State of Michigan, Records Management, and Caryn Wojcik, Senior Government Records Analyst, State of Michigan, Records Management Services
 

 

Sam Beland currently works for the State of Michigan’s Records Management Services and has nearly a decade of experience as a professional within Records Management, Information Governance, and business analytics. Her job responsibilities include developing policies for how long government entities maintain public records, developing and training government employees about best practices for records management, State of Michigan Records Center operations, Enterprise Document Management solutions, business process improvement, and developing policies and procedures related to previously stated expertise.

Ms. Beland received her bachelor's degree in Public History with Archival studies from Western Michigan University. In addition to her Government Records Analyst position for the State of Michigan, she has served on the board of the Mid-Michigan ARMA chapter since 2016 (currently serving as Immediate Past-President of the chapter), and also serves on the Professional Development Committee for the National Association of Government Archivists and Records Administrators (NAGARA).

 

Andrew J. SanAgustin is currently the Chief Information Governance Officer at Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP. He has over 30 years of business, strategy, innovation, and technology leadership experience in this field, across multiple verticals and various disciplines with a skillset in back-end system deployment, user acceptance, global policy and compliance, solution delivery, operations, workflow and process improvement, change management, and data handling management. Currently, Andrew is reinventing firmwide initiatives to harmoniously implement impactful and complex RIM/IG strategies and framework in line with all-up organizational records infrastructure management and developing compliance-driven practice management and RIM solutions to increase efficiency by continually improving upon business processes with a focus on managing costs, and overseeing the enterprise-wide electronic records management systems (ERM). Previously, he created a successful blueprint for developing and leading information governance program implementations and org wide compliance initiatives. As a department head and part of the executive management team, Andrew manages programs and projects, is responsible for sophisticated budgeting and analysis, and charged with managing the road ahead from a planning and strategic perspective. As a subject matter expert, Andrew has authored several articles, and regularly presents sessions showcasing topics regarding Records Asset Management, Governance, and Compliance and democratized Records Asset Management in an ambient intelligence and ubiquitous computing age of AI and ML, and all things governance thru O365 and MS365 environments including SharePoint, Teams, and OneDrive.

 
 

Jessie Weston is an imaging specialist with the State of Michigan Records Management Services, where she has worked with electronic document management and imaging since 2012. She earned her Certified Records Analyst national credential from the Institute of Certified Records Managers (ICRM) in 2018. She has worked for the State of Michigan since 2003, both in the Michigan Senate and the Department of Licensing & Regulatory Affairs. A Michigan native, Jessie is a graduate of Western Michigan University. She has served on the board of the Mid-Michigan Association of Records Managers & Administrators since 2014 and is presently the President.

 
 

Caryn Wojcik is the Senior Records Analyst for the State of Michigan Records Management Services. She began working for the State of Michigan in 1996. She is responsible for developing Retention and Disposal Schedules for public records, information governance initiatives, and training government employees about best practices for records management. Ms. Wojcik was Secretary to the Board of Directors of the National Association of Government Archives and Records Administrators (NAGARA) between 2003-2012. She was elected to the NAGARA presidential track in 2019 and served as President during 2020-2021. She is currently a member of NAGARA’s READI committee.