March is 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
almost 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 demonstrate our value by performing our best and earning this well-deserved
recognition. Celebrate March and all year with excellent procurement work!
- Sara Redford, Director,
State Bureau of Procurement
Work for SBOP!
The State
Bureau of Procurement has an exciting opportunity available for three new
people to join our team. We are looking for Procurement Specialists in three of
our sections. There is one vacancy each available in Enterprise Sourcing
(goods/services), IT Sourcing (telecom and IT) and Consolidated Agency Purchasing
Services (CAPS). Applications are open through March 17. If you or someone you
know is interested in challenging, fast-paced work in contract management and
procurement, visit WiscJobs
for more information.
Procurement Assistance for Emergencies
Procurement can be a
valuable resource to help agencies obtain the goods and services needed to
repair buildings, replace equipment or otherwise maintain operations following
severe weather events. If your agency has been affected by the recent weather,
work with your agency purchasing office or reach out to the State Bureau
of Procurement at doawispro@wisconsin.gov for assistance in
locating contracts available for use or for guidance with emergency
procurement needs.
Electronic Signature System Available
The State
Bureau of Procurement has purchased an enterprise subscription to an electronic
signature solution using DocuSign. This subscription is available for signing
contracts, renewals and any other document in need of signature. A policy about
the use of the system, PIM 19-002,
has been posted (DOA State Procurement Manual > PRO-B-10, Index of PIMs >
19-002). The subscription covers agency and campus use of electronic signature.
Questions about the program can be referred to the SBOP Knowledge Management,
Improvement and Training (KIT) Section Chief, Dan Kramarz at (608) 267-2715. Questions from
municipalities or other groups about the contract available to purchase a
subscription to electronic signature solutions can be directed to the Public Cloud Services
contract manager, Ceotrid Gilbert
at (608) 267-4506.
Contract Spotlight
Water
Softener Salt. The Water
Softener Salt contract (505ENT-M15-WTRSFNRSLT-00)
is in its final renewal period and will expire January 31, 2020. An updated
price list reflecting a price increase has been posted on the contract page on
VendorNet. Please contact Brooke Gullick
at (608) 266-0817 with any contract questions.
Hazardous
Wastes Services. The Bureau of State Risk Management is
sponsoring the 2019 Wisconsin Hazardous Materials Awareness & Waste
Disposal Training, which will be offered on a variety of dates and locations
this spring. The training is made available through the Hazardous Wastes Services
contract (505ENT-M15-HZRDSWSTSV-01).
For more information about the training, including a link to register, view the
training flyer
on the VendorNet contract page. Questions regarding the training opportunity
may be directed to Jake Lowell at (608) 261-6634 and contract
questions should be directed to Jeannie McCarville at (608) 264-9590.
Body
Armor. The NASPO ValuePoint Body
Armor contract (505ENT-O17-BODYARMOR-00)
has entered into its second renewal period which will expire 3/15/20. The State
of Wisconsin has participating addendums with GH Armor Systems, Point Blank
Enterprises, Safariland LLC, Survival Armor and US Armor. Please refer to the
contract page on VendorNet for current product and price lists for each of the
manufacturers. Contact Brooke Gullick
at (608) 266-0817 with any contract questions.
CISCO. The
NASPO ValuePoint contract for Data
Communication Equipment and Services (505ENT-M16-DATACOMMUN-01)
has been extended for an additional year to 5/31/20. Three Fulfillment Partners
have been dropped from the Participating Addendum, effective immediately: One
Neck IT Solutions, LLC; Paragon Development Systems; and World Wide Technology.
For questions relating to this contract, contact Cort Hoel at (608) 266-1725.
Computer
Equipment Order Delay. As you prepare to purchase computer
equipment for the end of the fiscal year, please be aware that orders will need
to be placed earlier this year due to a delay in delivery times ranging from
6-20 weeks. The delay is caused in part by a shortage of Intel PC processors,
unexpected demand and the movement of some of the manufacturing facilities. The
delay is affecting all PC manufacturers and is expected to be fixed by the
fourth quarter of 2019 (October-December). To mitigate the impact of these
delays, agencies should consider the following:
Order early – Any purchases for
fiscal year 2019 should be made as soon as possible. If needed, vendors
can provide warehouses to store the computers.
Reconsider the deployment
schedule and timing for calendar year 2019.
Consider alternative products,
such as AMD, but know that these alternatives may already be impacted due
to others making similar decisions.
For
questions regarding the affected contracts (505ENT-M17-WICOMPUTER-00
and 505ENT-O16-NASPOCOMPUT-00),
please contact Susanne Matschull
at (608) 266-9796.
Strategic Sourcing: Tips and Tricks
Event Q
& A: Did you know you can download an Excel document containing the
questions and answers collected and responded to within eSupplier? To do this,
go to Event Q&A and click Update to view a question, then click the
Document Generated box. Do this for each question you would like to include in
the document. Once you have answered each of these questions, go to Download
Event Documents (Main Menu > State of Wisconsin (STAR) > Strategic
Sourcing > Enterprise Administration > Download Event Documents), enter
your event number and click Search. Finally, select Event Q&A to create the
Excel document.
In addition,
checking the Post to Bidders checkbox on the Event Q&A page will create a
Word document containing the questions that have been asked and answered
through eSupplier and place it in the Supporting Documents section of eSupplier
for any prospective bidder to read.
Styles of
Bid Factors for RFPs: Many sourcing managers will choose to use a
long text bid factor for questions in an RFP. While this continues to be a
valid option, some users have begun preferring the attachment bid factor
because it is more user-friendly for those submitting responses. When using
this type, the proposer is able to format their response as they like since
they are creating their document outside of the system, which often results in
a response that is easier for the evaluators to read.
Looking for
additional resources for Strategic Sourcing? STAR agencies can access a variety
of job aids, tools and resources on STARConnection
(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
Enablements.
WISBuy is in the process of updating the suppliers available in
the Medical Supplies
contract (505ENT-M19-MEDICALSUP-00)
showcase to reflect the changes recently made to the contract:
Medical Solutions has been added as a new vendor in WISBuy.
Medline has been removed and inactivated as a vendor in WISBuy.
The McKesson punchout has been removed and replaced with a link to their Supply Manager site.
Dental Supplies has been placed into its own showcase, separate from Medical Supplies.
Concordance Healthcare Solutions is anticipated to be added to WISBuy at a later date.
The Medical Supplies contract is
mandatory and will continue to require a unique user role within WISBuy before
users may access the showcases. For questions about the Medical Supplies contract,
please reach out to John Burnett
at (608) 261-6359, and for questions related to WISBuy, please contact doawispro@wisconsin.gov.