March is Public Procurement Month
The profession of public procurement is recognized throughout the
country during the entire month of March. This period of recognition is
appropriate given the important role that procurement professionals play in
delivering services to the public. It has been estimated that government
procurement comprises approximately 30% of our Gross Domestic Product. Thus,
government procurement is at the base of our infrastructure in our roadways,
schools, data networks, buildings and all the related supplies and services
that support the people serving the public for the common good.
When procurements are done well, the public is more confident in
its government and the services being provided. A well performing procurement
function assures us all that tax dollars are used optimally. Professionally
executed procurements call for integrity, transparency and accountability, for
both government and its contractors.
May we all continue to learn, grow and earn our taxpayers' and
agencies' appreciation. Let us show how valuable we are by performing our best
and earning this well-deserved respect. Celebrate March and all year with
excellent procurement work and the recognition will follow.
Rick Hughes, Director, State Bureau of
Procurement, (608) 266-1558.
Reminder: Procurement Planning for End of
Fiscal Year 2018
With the end of the fiscal year quickly approaching, it’s time
to start planning for upcoming deadlines. Here are a few to consider:
Requests for Purchasing Approval/Authority (RPAs) for Governor’s
Approval: Delegated agency RPA packets, complete with all required
information, should be submitted to SBOP through the RPA website
no later than Monday, April 9, 2018 if approval is needed before June 29, 2018.
STAR Requisitions and Purchase Orders: May 31 is
the final day to encumber FY18 funds. Therefore, requisitions/PO change orders
must be entered and approved in STAR before end of business that day. Contact
your agency's purchasing staff for more information.
Supplier Diversity Website Improvements
The Supplier Diversity program has been working with SBOP and
the Division of Enterprise Technology (DET) to make improvements to its
website. The goal is to make it easier for vendors certified by the Supplier
Diversity program to register for an account in eSupplier and increase
visibility of current bidding opportunities with the State.
As a result, several changes have been implemented. On the Supplier
Diversity homepage, users are now encouraged to register on the
eSupplier Portal for Bidders and are provided with a “Register for eSupplier”
button. Users may also click on the “Current Goods/Services Bids” button to go
directly to VendorNet’s “Search Bids” tab. In addition, the Supplier Diversity
program now includes information about registering on eSupplier in the emails
sent to newly certified minority businesses.
We hope these
enhancements will ultimately increase the number of minority-owned and disabled
veteran-owned businesses who will have the opportunity to bid on goods and
services with the State. Contact Zack Lehman
at (608) 261-8552 for more information on these improvements.
Training Opportunities
There are still seats
available for the Negotiating on Behalf of the State of Wisconsin training class
scheduled for April 4. Seats will be offered on a first-come, first-served
basis, and priority will be given to state agency and university attendees.
This one-day class provides a basic introduction to negotiations and includes
interactive exercises. This course is intended for procurement professionals
who will be involved in negotiations on behalf of their agency. Topics covered
include planning, conducting and closing negotiations; team-building;
bargaining styles; tactics, strategy and ethics; and unique considerations
based on State of Wisconsin procurement rules. To sign up for the class, visit
the SBOP Training
page or contact Jessica Vieira
if you have any questions.
Contract Spotlight
Fuel Oil
Solicitation.
The State Bureau of Procurement is starting work on an enterprise solicitation
for fuel oil. If your agency is interested in participating on a standards
committee, please contact Jeannie
McCarville at (608) 264-9590.
Strategic Sourcing: Tips and Tricks
Posting an Event & Announce Event Online Feature: Before
posting an event, be sure to unclick the “Announce Event Online” box. Leaving
this box checked will prevent your solicitation from appearing in the “Current
Solicitations” section on eSupplier.
Event Bid Factors PDF: To download a PDF document with
all bid factors for an event, go to Strategic Sourcing > Enterprise
Administration > Download Event Documents, enter the event number and click
“Search” and select “Event Bid Factors.” If you have access to Acrobat Pro, you
can edit this file to turn it into a fillable form to use as an attachment for
bidders who need to submit hard copy responses (you will need to click to
unprotect the file before modifying it).
Looking for
additional resources for Strategic Sourcing? STAR agencies can access a variety
of job aids, tools and resources on STAR Connection (STAR Connection > Resources > Finance and
Procurement > Job Aids > Search for “Strategic Sourcing”). If you would
like to share a Strategic Sourcing tip or trick you’ve learned, please email
your ideas to Jessica Vieira.
WISBuy
Have
you ever wondered why there is such variability in the look and features
available in WISBuy's punchout catalogs? Unlike the catalogs hosted within
WISBuy, punchout catalogs are developed and maintained by the vendors
themselves. Because of this there are often differences in the way customers
will experience various features of the websites, including accessing order
histories and quick orders, using favorites lists, or obtaining eQuotes. In
addition, each vendor has control over the way they choose to handle blocked
items. Some vendors hide blocked items from the catalog, while others will
display them but not allow customers to add them to their cart, and others
allow customers to add them to their carts but won’t allow customers to check
out until the item is removed. If you’d like to learn more about the features
available in WISBuy, consider signing up for the WISBuy Refresher &
Advanced Training (available as an in-person training or as a live webinar) on
the SBOP Training
page. Contact doawispro@wisconsin.gov
for more information.
Staffing Update
Mojgan Hall has joined the IT Enterprise Sourcing team as a
Procurement Specialist Objective. Mojgan originally joined SBOP in October 2013
as a Purchasing Associate and advanced to manage the State's elevator, medical and
pharmaceutical contracts. She graduated from the University of Texas with a BA
in Information Systems and Management, and was a programmer/computer operator
for IBM in Dallas, Texas and Manhattan, New York.