Table of Contents
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Agency Updates: Setting Up Contracts and Items for Use | Release and Permit Workflows
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Supplier Updates: Getting Started with OhioBuys | 2022 Supplier Webinars
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Training Tips: Why was my Requisition Rejected? | Training Calendar | Office Hours
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Key Term: Freeform Item
Agency Updates
SETTING UP CONTRACTS AND ITEMS FOR USE
When a Contract Analyst establishes a contract and confirms a pricelist, it is vital to consider how the agency will ultimately be invoiced and pay for the provided goods and services. This will help determine the best way to set-up the catalog items for use by the agency.
When confirming pricelists, users can review the details of items that have been transferred from a solicitation or are being added as part of the contract setup process. Part of this review should include looking at the unit of measure (UOM) and price combination to ensure that it will make sense and be easy to use by the agencies. There can be implications of setting up items with certain UOMs or pricing. For example, the Contract Analyst might have needed to create the bid item in such a way as to capture a monthly price for evaluation purposes. But when the agency goes to make the actual purchase, they need to encumber the funds by Amount (AMT) or Occurrence (OCC) because the monthly rate is not what will actually be invoiced (e.g., Lawncare services is billed by occurrence, with the assumption that 4 occurrences will take place during a typical month. But if the month happens to contain 5 occurrences, or perhaps there were only 3 occurrences due to lack of rain, then the monthly rate will not be the same as the invoice the agency receives. This will cause an issue when it comes time to pay the invoice.). Planning for this scenario and creating the item in the pricelist with the correct UOM will avoid invoicing issues later.
RELEASE & PERMIT WORKFLOWS
As a reminder, when an end-user is making an IT purchase below $25,000, the PR workflow will automatically assign the agency’s Blanket R&P number. Each agency’s Blanket R&P will be entered in OhioBuys for the assigned agency. There will be unlimited use of the blanket, and its value will be $999,999,999.00. When an agency purchase is below $25,000, the PR will automatically utilize the Blanket R&P. If the PR contains line items with governance commodity codes, it will go through IT Strategic Investment Management (SIM) review prior to being assigned its Blanket R&P number.
If an IT purchase is greater than $25,000, the PR workflow will automatically assign an R&P after the PR has gone through a full IT approval. The R&P Amount will equal the total of the approved PO (sum of the line items per contract or Supplier).
For addition details, you can access the How to Review Release and Permit Information Job Aid here.
Supplier Updates
GETTING STARTED WITH OHIOBUYS
When discussing OhioBuys with a supplier, there is an extensive amount of information available on the OhioBuys website. From the site, suppliers can:
- Review the Fact Sheet/Quick Start Guide
- Access the Bidder/Supplier Log In Page
- Learn how to provide a catalog
- Access the Quarterly Sales Report and Revenue Share Form
In addition, if a supplier cannot attend a training webinar, a 24-minute video provides the same information to get started and work in OhioBuys.
2022 SUPPLIER WEBINARS
We are excited to announce the OhioBuys supplier/bidder webinar schedule for 2022.
Each supplier/bidder training webinar will be one hour and held on the dates listed below.
Agency representatives are also welcomed to join these webinars to learn more about how suppliers access and use OhioBuys.
Anyone interested in attending the Supplier webinar can download the meeting invite from the Supplier Training page of the OhioBuys website.
Training Tips
WHY WAS MY REQUISITION REJECTED?
As we begin 2022 and welcome new users, we wanted to take the opportunity to share some common examples as to why some requisitions are rejected and what factors into this process.
1. The Affirmative Action Program Verification (AAPV) is not on file for the supplier selected. All goods or service* purchase contracts of $2,500 or more shall contain affirmative action provisions to include the AAPV requirement. The Enterprise Office of Procurement Services completes this process as part of establishing/maintaining enterprise contracts. Please click here for more information on the requirement and options for suppliers to submit their AAPV if not already on file.
*Note, this does not apply to memberships, real property, or an interest in real property
2. A User did not properly shop from a state contract pricelist or catalog. Users should validate whether the items are available on catalog. If a contract is configured in OhioBuys with a catalog or pricelist, Users must “shop” from that catalog or pricelist to create the purchase request.
A freeform requisition should only be used when a catalog or pricelist is not available.
For more information you can access the Working with Purchase Requisitions in OhioBuys Learner Guide, located here.
3. A User did not follow proper procurement rules. As a reminder, PM-01 and PM-02 rules are available by following the links. As always, if there are questions about proper path, please reach out to Procurement Operations for guidance first.
4. The contract is not set up properly.
5. Item(s) need to be added to a state contract.
6. The system does not permit the current reviewer to make a necessary correction or change.
If you are looking for additional information, you can visit the OhioBuys Training Page.
TRAINING CALENDAR
Ongoing OhioBuys training is now scheduled through June 2022. For the Monday, January 10th webinar we will be covering Approving Purchase Requisitions.
For the complete list, see the below schedule of upcoming sessions.
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
**Please note that due to the Wave 2 training schedule, there will be no Office Hours available January through part of February. Check the OhioBuys website for updates.**
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
FREEFORM ITEM
This is a free text purchase requisition line item created by a user to order a good and/or service that is NOT available in OhioBuys. Freeform line items were referred to as special request requisitions in OAKS. Users will need to submit freeform items for contracts that do have not a price list (i.e., a catalog) currently set up in OhioBuys.
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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