View as a webpage  /  Share

Colorado Procurement News

January, 2024

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

From the CPO

As we kick off 2024 I want to share an update on some recent accomplishments within our procurement community: 

First, I'd like to recognize Molly McLoughlin, CDOT's Director of Procurement and Contract Services, for her recent election as Chair of the Governing Board of NIGP: The Institute for Public Procurement.  NIGP is the national association of public procurement professionals, and Molly will ascend to the chair position in 2026. 

SPCO's very own John Chapman was elected to serve as the National Association of State Procurement Officials (NASPO) 2024 Western Region Chair. 

Beginning in March, our State Controller Bob Jaros will begin his term as Chair of the Resolutions Committee for the National Association of State Auditors, Comptrollers, and Treasurers (NASACT).

Also, I have just begun my term as the NASPO ValuePoint Executive Council Chair. 

I'm so impressed with the way Colorado is crushing it as a national leader in procurement and accounting- please take a minute to congratulate Molly, John, and Bob on these accomplishments!

Sincerely,

Sherri Maxwell, CPPB
Chief Procurement Officer

SPCO Communications

In addition to this monthly newsletter, the SPCO also regularly sends out updates to State Price Agreements. We also share state procurement employment opportunities. Please share this link with any colleagues who may be interested! And if you have a job posting to share, please email it directly to barbara.musick@state.co.us.

REMINDER: Accessibility & Procurement

As the State's accessibility standards continue to evolve, its important that we all stay up-to-date on the latest developments. OIT, who is responsible for these standards, has a webpage dedicated to Accessibility for Procurement. They also publish a monthly accessibility newsletter, which you can subscribe to here. 

Accessibility requirements are also included in the SPCO's solicitation and contract templates. Click to edit this placeholder text.

Did You Know?

Did you know there is no such thing as a formal or informal Documented Quote (DQ)? This is a common misconception. 

About DQs:

A DQ is a solicitation method permitted under the Procurement Code and Rules. It offers a lot of flexibility when used correctly and is generally used for purchases of goods and/or services between $50,000 and $250,000. Negotiation is allowed during the process to make a quote acceptable. The choice of vendor must be based on which acceptable response is most advantageous to the State, with price/cost being the primary consideration.

Want to learn more about DQs?

The Document Quotes course (part of the Purchasing Certification path) will be added to the COPROU Procurement Learning Library this month! See the training section below for more information on COPROU, our online learning management system.

Live Procurement Training

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

Statutory Violations Prevention
3/12/2024 | 1:30pm - 3:00pm
Register
5/14/2024 | 1:30pm - 3:00pm
Register

Controller Pre-Delegation Training
2/20/2024 | 1:00pm - 4:00pm
Register
5/21/2024 | 1:00pm - 4:00pm
Register

Contract Drafting Boot Camp
4/25/2024 | 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 January, 2024!

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:

• Cybersecurity
• Data Analytics Demystified
• Engaging Small Businesses in Procurement, 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.

State Price Agreement Updates

• A new agreement with CDW for Software VAR has been executed. Contact Theresa Fraijo with any questions. 
• Dodge has lowered pricing on several vehicles on their Fleet Vehicles price agreement. Contact Amy Risley for more information. 
• SPCO is currently in negotiations with Mythics, Inc. for an agreement to provide Oracle goods and services. You can reach out to Theresa Fraijo with any questions. 
• SPCO is in the early stages of developing a new solicitation for Advertising and Marketing Services. If you or anyone within your organization would like to assist with solicitation development and/or serve on the evaluation committee, please contact Brian Swift.