Table of Contents
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Agency Updates: Contract and Non-Contract IT Requisitions | Creating a Blanket PO | Change Order Reminders | Posting a Solicitation That is not Publicly Posted
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Supplier Updates: Supplier Webinars
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Training Tips: Training Calendar | Office Hours Available
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Key Term: Item Options
Agency Updates
CONTRACT AND NON-CONTRACT IT REQUISITIONS
As a reminder, when users are submitting requisitions for IT purchases, it is necessary to separate contract and non-contract items on to two different requisitions. If these items are submitted on the same requisition, this will cause problems when attempting to generate the R&P and integrating to OAKS.
CREATING A BLANKET PURCHASE ORDER
When users set up a blanket Purchase Order (PO), they can use a free-form requisition to reference a contract that has a catalog enabled on the Blanket PO. Users will still need to select specific items from the catalog on child orders.
Users can create a blanket order PR by logging in to OhioBuys. From the Main Menu Navigation Bar, click Shop and then select Browse Items from the drop-down menu.
Next, they will click Add Non-Catalog Item.
- Populate the Name (e.g., Grainger Blanket Order), Commodity (Populate the Commodity field with a code that best represents the item(s) on the purchase requisition), Ordered Quantity, Unit of Measure (If the blanket order will be used for Pcard payments Unit of Measure must be “AMT”) and Delivery Date.
- Populate the Supplier and Order Supplier fields with the applicable Supplier:
a) Click the Selector icon and type in the name of the Supplier in the Supplier field. If they do not appear initially, click Select All and search for the Supplier using Keywords and select the Checkbox icon next to the applicable Supplier.
b) Select an Order Supplier. Please note that users will be able to apply the blanket order to any subsequent purchase order with a given Supplier regardless of which Order Supplier record is used on the blanket PO.
- Populate the Unit Price field such that the resulting Total Amount is equal to the total amount of the blanket order.
Users will then click Save & Close and click Checkout.
In the Type field, select Blanket/Encumbrance Order from the drop-down menu.
Users will need to complete the remainder of the checkout process for their purchase requisition, including selecting an Organization, Ship To (users will be able to use different Ship To addresses on subsequent requisitions referencing the blanket), and Bill to Address, entering chartfield information and adding any necessary comments and/or attachments to the purchase requisition.
Click Submit Requisition.
The purchase requisition (PR) will follow the approval process associated with the specific PR. Once it is fully approved and a blanket purchase order is created, Requesters or Requisitioners in the user’s agency will be able to create releases from it.
- Encumbrance occurs when the associated PR is fully approved.
- Each release will result in the creation of a purchase order that is sent to the Supplier.
- Suppliers will only see the items and quantities associated with a release, not the full details of the blanket order PR.
Child Workflow
The approval workflow for child requisitions that reference a blanket PO number is streamlined, so child requisitions do not require as many approvals. This workflow may behave more like a Pcard transaction depending on how the child requisition is constructed. Many fields are also auto-populated from an associated blanket PO (e.g., budget information from a blanket PO carries over to any child requisitions).
Keep in mind that children requisitions referencing a requisite commodity code will still route to requisite programs for review and approval. For children requisitions that reference an IT account code or IT contract and an IT R&P, to the system will check the commodity code to determine if it is on the IT governance commodity list. If it is on the list, then the requisition will route to IT SIM, who will identify any required SME reviews, This will not require a R&P as the blanket PO should already refence one. Once the reviews are completed, it will complete routing until ordered.
CHANGE ORDER REMINDERS
Submitting Change Orders
Users can also submit change order increases on a Blanket PO as long as the contract referenced is not a two-phase quote contract. When they are making a change order to the child order, users still will need to reference their two-phase contract to update the order.
Change orders referencing a Competitive Selection Two-Phase-Quote contract cannot be conducted when an increase is needed. If there is a need above what was originally quoted, conduct a new solicitation.
Change Orders Allowed/Not-Allowed
Once you submit a change order, there are a few things to remember:
- The change order will need to go through the same approval workflow as the original PO. However, if users are making reductions in price and/or quantity or only making minor updates to chartfield information, they do not need to go through the approval workflow again.
- When updates are made to the Ship To address in a change order, these updates must be input at the line-item level.
- It is important also to remember what can and cannot be altered in a change order. Users can update the Attn, Label, and Comments to Supplier fields as part of a non-substantive change order for a purchase order. For any non-substantive purchase order change orders, the revised PO information will not be sent over to OAKS and will only be visible in OhioBuys. Suppliers will be sent the revised PO and will be asked to acknowledge the changes.
- Users CANNOT alter the following:
o Requisition Type
o Supplier
o Label
o UOM
o Requester
o Budget Date
*Once a purchase order’s status is changed to Closed, no change orders can be made.
Users should not attempt to add new lines as part of a change order. If additional lines (i.e., items) need to be purchased, a new purchase requisition should be created for those items.
Because the Supplier cannot be changed as part of a change order, OhioBuys will hide the Quick Quote button, and users will be unable to create and complete a new quick quote as part of a change order. If the Supplier needs to be changed on a purchase order, they will need to cancel the original purchase order and create and complete a new purchase requisition and quick quote.
If a quick quote had been completed as part of the original purchase requisition, users are unable to adjust the price and/or quantity as part of a change order. If the price and/or quantity needs to be adjusted for a quick quote, please cancel the original purchase order, and create and complete a new purchase requisition and quick quote.
If a change order is declined, the original purchase order remains active. If a change order is submitted and it is declined, and the original purchase order is no longer acceptable, users will need to cancel/close the purchase order.
Users should never attempt to create a change order on a PO from a prior fiscal year.
Click to edit this placeholder text.
POSTING A SOLICITATION THAT IS NOT PUBLICLY POSTED
To make sure a supplier sees a solicitation that is not publicly posted, there are a few steps that need to be taken to make sure they are able to see it. There are times when the individual contacts selected are not necessarily the right person to review the solicitation. To make sure suppliers are able to view the solicitations, users need to add additional supplier contacts to the posting. This will help to increase participation and supplier responses.
This can be done by following the process below:
- When ready to post the event, Click the Submit button.
 2. The workflow status has changed to ‘Ready to be Posted.’ Click the Send button.
 3. A pop-up window will appear and allow additional contacts to be added before the event posting is finalized. Click the drop-down arrow under Add Supplier Contacts to select other contacts associated to that supplier. Click Send and Close.
Once a user has completed this process, the selected contacts will all receive the information about the solicitation, generating additional awareness and increasing the likelihood that the right users learn of the solicitation. In turn, this should equate to greater chance of the supplier responding to the solicitation.
Supplier Updates
SUPPLIER WEBINARS
We are excited to announce the OhioBuys supplier/bidder webinar schedule and the addition of a Reporting Revenue Share webinar.
Each supplier/bidder training webinar will be one hour and held on the dates listed below. Please download the webinar meeting invitation file, unzip it and then click the .ics file to add it to your calendar.
In addition, a revised Supplier Fact Sheet & Quick Start Guide is available to learn more about the Supplier log in process and to share with your suppliers. Agency representatives are also welcomed to join these webinars to learn more about how suppliers access and use OhioBuys.
Anyone interested in attending Supplier webinars can download the meeting invites from the Supplier Training page of the OhioBuys website.
Training Tips
TRAINING CALENDAR
Ongoing OhioBuys training is now scheduled through June 2022. See the below schedule for a list of upcoming sessions. This schedule is also available on the OhioBuys website.
Users can register for these sessions directly in OhioLearn if they were unable to previously attend OhioBuys training or if they would like a refresher course on a particular topic. If your agency has a topic request for training, or needs solicitation and/or contract training, please notify the project at: OPS.TrainingAcademy@das.ohio.gov.
OFFICE HOURS AVAILABLE
Office Hours are scheduled for Mondays through Thursdays to assist users with OhioBuys functionality. You will receive direct help on a specific transaction as you are working through it!
Office hours are available for your training-related questions (i.e., how to do something in OhioBuys). If your question(s) is regarding policy or system issues (e.g., why a purchase order is In Progress) then users should submit a helpdesk ticket. In addition, anything that substantially involves R&Ps, OAKS, or OneSpan Sign will need to go to the helpdesk as well. If you have not attended any OhioBuys training course, you will be redirected to training, and your office hours appointment will be canceled.
Remember, if it's a question of "how" then office hours are the way to go. If it's a question of "why" it needs a helpdesk ticket.
To sign up for these full hour or half-hour office hour sessions:
1 – Determine which item you need to shop for, which requisition you are working on, your active quick quote, solicitation, or contract, or template you would like help with and have that ready to share at the appointment.
2 – Navigate to: OhioBuys Office Hours (office365.com)
3 – Select if you would like a full hour or half-hour appointment and then select a day, time, and an available trainer. There are 2 appointments available for every hour and half-hour time slot. Appointments are available on a first come first serve basis.
4 – Enter your Name and Email. In the box titled “Please describe in detail the topic or issue you would like to cover in this OhioBuys office hours session.” be sure to include details regarding what you like assistance with (e.g., a specific solicitation, quick quote, etc.).
5 – Click Book to complete your reservation and receive an Outlook/Teams confirmation appointment. Invite anyone from your team you would like to have involved in this session.
6 – At your appointment: Be logged into OhioBuys so you can proceed with your activity. Trainers will advise you on how to complete your transaction, but they will not be driving.
NOTE: Office Hours are not a substitute for opening a helpdesk ticket when there is a technical issue. Trainers can direct you to the help desk if your questions warrant opening a ticket.
These links and instructions are also available on the OhioBuys website.
Key Term
ITEM OPTIONS
These can be added to items in a hosted catalog to provide the ability for a Requisitioner to easily add related items when they are purchasing a particular item. When optional items are associated with an item, they need to be selected from a requisition that already includes the main item, meaning that they cannot be purchased on their own.
For More Information
In addition, please refer to:
Support
For log in or system issues please contact OBM Shared Services Center 614-338-4781 or 1-877-644-6771 OR OBM.SharedServices@OBM.Ohio.Gov Remember to put “OhioBuys” in the subject line!
If you have questions about the project itself, please email: ohiobuys@das.ohio.gov.
Mike DeWine, Governor
Jon Husted, Lt. Governor
Kathleen C. Madden, Director
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