View as a webpage  /  Share

Colorado Procurement News

August, 2023

News for the Statewide Procurement Community from the State Purchasing and Contracts Office

From the CPO

I'm happy to announce that the State's Contract Management System (CMS) has undergone its first upgrade in 10+ years! While there is still work to be done, I'm delighted this much improved product is now available to our users across the state. Please see below and visit our CMS webpage for more details. Thank you to Sandy Schweitzer and Barb Musick for all of their hard work on this project!

Sincerely,

Sherri Maxwell, CPPB
Chief Procurement Officer

New Appeals Contact

Venessa Huynh is now responsible for reviewing all procurement appeals. If you have any questions, please contact her at venessa.huynh@state.co.us.

The SPCO also offers a training course for state procurement professionals on the Protests and Appeals Process (see the training section below), and more information is available in the Unofficial Code & Rules. 

CMS Update

The upgraded CMS is live, and the SPCO is please to offer the following resources for users:

• Frequently Asked Questions
• CMS Knowledge Quick Links
• CMS Training Videos which include a user overview, and in-depth training on Contract Records and Ad-Hoc Reports

More information is also available on the CMS webpage under 'Training & Guidance'. 

We are aware of some non-critical defects within the system and we will continue to work with OIT to have those fixed as quickly as possible. In the meantime, if you encounter issues within the system, please report them using this form. 

SDVOSB Reporting

The State has a 3% contracting goal for Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSB), and the annual report is due to the State Legislature by September 30th each year, per the statutory requirements found in 24-103-905 CRS. 

The SPCO will be reaching out to the non-CORE agencies under the procurement code requesting this information, which is due back to us by the end of August.

Please send any questions regarding the SDVOSB contracting goal or the report to sandy.schweitzer@state.co.us.

eSubmissions Reminder

All forms should be downloaded from the eSubmissions webpage each time you want to submit a request. Please do not use a form you have saved, as we update them frequently and the most recent form will be required. 

If you have any questions on eSubmission request forms, please contact sandy.schweitzer@state.co.us. 

Did You Know?

Did you know that VSS has a dedicated helpdesk team? They can be reached at vsshelp@state.co.us and are available to assist vendors with everything from resetting a password, updating tax information, and accessing files. If you receive a help request for VSS from a vendor, this is the best resource to refer them to.

Live Procurement Training

These training courses are currently being offered via Zoom. Visit the SPCO Procurement Training page for more information. 

Statutory Violations Prevention
9/13/2023 | 1:30pm - 3:00pm
Register
11/8/2023 | 1:30pm - 3:00pm
Register

Controller Pre-Delegation Training
8/15/2023 | 1:00pm - 4:00pm
Register
11/21/2023 | 1:00pm - 4:00pm
Register

Contract Drafting Boot Camp
8/24/2023 | 8:00am - 3:00pm
Register
12/28/2023 | 8:00am - 3:00pm
Register

COPROU Procurement Learning Library

These training courses are available to State procurement professionals through the Colorado Procurement University (COPROU). Visit the SPCO Procurement Training page for more information. 

Basic Procurement Certification

• Foundations of State Procurement 
• Methods of Source Selection 
• Ethics and Conflicts of Interest
• Overview of Commitment Documents 
• Statutory Violations and Unauthorized Purchases 

Procurement Official Series

• Procurement Official Training  
• Protests and Appeals Processes  

Purchasing Certification

• Documented Quotes - Coming Soon!

Contact thomas.wilson@state.co.us with questions about training. 

Reminder: All NASPO-designed

Procurement U courses are now free!

The National Association of State Procurement Officials (NASPO) offers all of their Foundational Procurement courses for free! 

Visit Procurement U to view the course offerings, which include:

• Introduction to Service Contracts
• Blockchain: An Introduction
• Negotiations 104, and more!

You can create a free Procurement U account and sign up for these courses here. Note that most Procurement U courses are self-paced, so you can start them at any time.

Questions? Email procurementu@naspo.org.

Name: Jackie Goodall

Title: Procurement Specialist

Organization: Department of Healthcare Policy & Financing

Tell us a little bit about your background: I am a Denver native and graduated from North High School in 1986.  I started my career in 1987 with a temporary administrative support position with the U.S. Geological Survey while taking business classes at Emily Griffith Opportunity School.

How long have you been with your current organization? It will be four years in November.

How did you get into the procurement field? In 1988, I was a Clerk-Typist on a temporary assignment for the U.S. Dept. of the Interior.  The Denver Administrative Service Center was a relatively new organization within the Department. I was already working in the procurement section and they offered me a permanent, full-time Purchasing Agent position, so I accepted. I worked for the Dept. of Interior for 25 years and decided to accept an early retirement in 2012.  I worked in Purchasing for Jeffco Public Schools for a couple years but wanted more opportunities for advancement.  I moved around a bit but finally landed at HCPF.

Did you work in other professions, and if so where and for how long? Not really.  I have always worked in procurement and finance areas throughout my career.

Please share a professional or personal accomplishment you're proud of:  In addition to my family, one personal accomplishment I’m proud of is that I paid my way through college.  I worked full-time and attended classes in the evenings at Regis University.  I graduated in 1994 with a B.S. in Business Administration. I was proud to be able to hold down a full-time job and graduate Cum Laude with no student loans to pay off!

Tell us something interesting and unique about yourself: I am quite the trivia player especially when it comes to sports and music.  I play trivia regularly and can identify a song after seeing the lyrics and/or hearing a few notes. I am also a huge sports fan, so this helps build my trivia knowledge as well.  

State Price Agreement Updates

• A new participating addendum for Software VAR has been executed with SHI. Additionally,  the SPCO is continuing negotiations with CDW on a new agreement. The current CDW agreement has been extended through October 31, 2023. Contact Theresa Fraijo if you have any questions. 

• All price agreements for Advertising and Marketing services have been extended to August 31, 2024. You can contact Brian Swift for additional information. 

• Agreements for Police Body Armor have been extended through November 10, 2024. Reach out to Amy Risley with any questions. 

• Agreements for Law Enforcement Ammunition have been extended through July 31, 2024, with price increases from some vendors. Contact Nikki Pollack for more information. 

• Price agreements for 2024 or newer fleet vehicles are currently being executed. Be sure to check BIDSColorado.com regularly as new agreements are posted. Contact Amy Risley if you have any questions.