Table of Contents
-
Agency Updates: OhioBuys Planned Outage | PO Flip Functionality | Difficulty Locating Items in a Hosted Catalog | PO Pending Validations Clean-Up
-
Supplier Updates: Supplier Webinars
-
Training Tips: Training Calendar | Office Hours
-
Key Term(s): Characteristic Groups
Agency Updates
OHIOBUYS PLANNED OUTAGE
OhioBuys will have a planned maintenance outage beginning 10PM EST on Friday, February 25th through approximately 5PM EST Sunday, February 27th to coincide with the OAKS System Maintenance outage. Thank you in advance for your patience.
PO FLIP FUNCTIONALITY
OhioBuys will be turning off the PO Flip functionality as of February 28th as part of our latest round of enhancements. Suppliers currently using this functionality will be notified via email about the change.
The first round of these changes will involve implementing changes to prevent suppliers from submitting new invoices, but suppliers and agencies will still be able to manage and approve invoices already in the system. The OhioBuys project team will be helping agencies and their suppliers review and complete current invoices in process in OhioBuys before implementing further changes to limit visibility of invoices and shutting off the interface that sends approved invoices from OhioBuys to OAKS.
If you have these invoices in progress, please refer to the following job aids:
WHAT SHOULD YOU DO IF YOU CAN’T FIND AN ITEM IN A HOSTED CATALOG?
A common issue users have when trying to make a purchase is receiving quotes or requests for items that they can't find in OhioBuys. In cases where the item wouldn't appear on a contract, users should move forward with a freeform purchase requisition.
However, sometimes users will get a request, or a Supplier will submit a quote, for an item that ought to be on-contract but doesn't show up in OhioBuys. In these circumstances, users should first double check the Price List on the Contract. The Price List tab can be found on the Contract Record and contains a list of all the items that have been added to that hosted catalog.
 If the item doesn't appear on the Price list, the next step would be to reach out to the Contract Analyst associated with the contract to ask if the item can be added. The name of the Contract Analyst can be found in the Contract Responsible column of the Browse Contracts page.
 The Contract Analyst will then work with the Supplier (if applicable) to see if the item can be added and will let you know once the catalog has been updated. If the item cannot be added to the contract, users should move forward with purchasing the item off-contract using a freeform purchase requisition.
PO PENDING VALIDATIONS CLEAN-UP
With just over a week left in February, this is an excellent opportunity to run three different queries in OhioBuys that will allow you to find and identify incomplete transactions for clean-up. In OhioBuys, you can access these queries by clicking Analytics > Browse Queries page. From there, you can use the keyword “month” to find all three.
The available queries are:
-
Requisitions still pending approval – this will include anything that is not in "Ordered” status. (For ODOT users, this will bring back anything that is not in “ODOT Completed” status.) We recommend that you filter this query by “Budget FY” (column H) to only show transactions in the current fiscal year and any blanks. This will prevent you from accidentally deleting work intended for future fiscal years.
-
Change order in progress – this will also include anything not in “Ordered” status.
-
POs not Dispatched – this will include any PO that is currently “In Progress” and has not completed processing to an order.
Next, click the Extract icon for the query you would like to run. The queries will only display data from the agencies/organizations within your user scope.
 After running these queries, please review each transaction and determine whether it is still needed. If not, cancel or delete the transaction. To assist you with reviewing your in-progress purchase requisitions and change orders, two job aids are available:
Review Purchase Requisition Status and Approval History: walks through how to find in-progress purchase requisitions on the Browse Requisitions page and explains what each purchase requisition status indicates. In addition, this job aid explains how to run the Requisitions still pending approval and the Change order in progress queries in OhioBuys.
Review Purchase Order Integration Errors: walks through how to find in-progress purchase orders that have encountered an integration error and explains the actions that need to be taken to resolve the displayed error. In addition, this job aid describes how to run the POs not Dispatched query.
If you have any trouble during the clean-up process, please consider signing up for office hours using one of the links in the Training Tips section below or email OBM.sharedservice@obm.ohio.gov for assistance.
Supplier Updates
SUPPLIER WEBINARS
We are excited to continue our OhioBuys supplier/bidder webinar series and have added a Reporting Revenue Share webinar in March.
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 click the .ics file to add 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 share with your suppliers. Agency representatives are also welcome 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 training in OhioBuys is scheduled through June 2022. For the complete list, see the below schedule of upcoming sessions.
Users can register for these sessions directly in OhioLearn if they could not 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
Office Hours have resumed their regular schedule to assist users with OhioBuys functionality. You will receive direct help on a specific transaction as you are working through it!
These 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), users should submit a helpdesk ticket. In addition, anything that substantially involves R&Ps, OAKS, or OneSpan Sign will also need to go to the helpdesk. 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, 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 whole hour or half-hour appointment and then select a day, time, and an available trainer. There are two 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
CHARACTERISTIC GROUPS
These allow for grouping features, which are the associated specifications related to a specific product or commodity (e.g., a computer can have a characteristic group of ‘screen size’ and features of ’12 inches and ’14 inches). A characteristic group’s purpose is to provide additional product information to help the user select the desired item.
For More Information
In addition, please refer to:
Support
For log-in or system issues, please contact OBM Shared Services Center at 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
|
