Table of Contents
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Agency Updates: OhioBuys Planned Outage | Agency-Specific Adoption Reports | Combining Contract and Non-Contract Items on a Purchase Requisition | PO to Invoice Flip
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Supplier Updates: Supplier Webinars
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Training Tips: Training Calendar | Office Hours
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Key Term: Dispatching
NOTE: As the OhioBuys project moves to the end of Phase 2, we are transitioning to a monthly newsletter and will continue with our monthly Sustainment Meetings. We will update our leads with any topics as needed. The OhioBuys website will also continue to be updated.
Agency Updates
OHIOBUYS PLANNED OUTAGE
OhioBuys will have a planned maintenance outage beginning 10 PM EST on Friday, March 11, 2022, through approximately 5 PM EST Sunday, March 13, 2022, to coincide with the OAKS System Maintenance outage. Thank you in advance for your patience.
AGENCY-SPECIFIC ADOPTION REPORTS
New OhioBuys Adoption Reports will soon be available in an OhioBuys Tableau folder.
The Agency-Specific Adoption Reports can provide each agency with your agency's OhioBuys adoption rate compared to other agencies. These same reports are also shared in the monthly OhioBuys Sustainment meetings.
Based on agency feedback, we have also created agency-specific reporting down to the department level so that agencies will be able to monitor adoption rates internally.
Because these reports are presented in a new OhioBuys Tableau folder, we are piloting these reports with a few Early Adopter Agencies and will soon be accepting requests from other agencies to grant access to additional users.
COMBINING CONTRACT AND NON-CONTRACT ITEMS ON A PURCHASE REQUISITION
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 IT Release and Permit (R&P) and integrating to OAKS.
Additionally, do not mix suppliers on purchase requisitions that require a R&P. The system will apply the same R&P to each line item regardless of supplier and cause an integration error when the PO interfaces to OAKS.
PO TO INVOICE FLIP
Earlier this week, a change was implemented to block suppliers from creating and submitting new invoices in OhioBuys. However, there are still a number of invoices already created in OhioBuys that need reviewed and approved or deleted (e.g., the invoice was originally submitted in OhioBuys, but subsequently re-submitted outside of OhioBuys and approved/paid).
Please begin reviewing any invoices for your agency in OhioBuys to determine what needs done with it; if you find any that should be deleted, a helpdesk ticket may be submitted to initiate that process. The OhioBuys team will be in touch over the next few weeks to confirm what needs done with any outstanding invoices.
Supplier Updates
SUPPLIER WEBINARS
We are continuing our OhioBuys supplier/bidder webinar series which includes a Reporting Revenue Share webinar at the end of 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.
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OFFICE HOURS
Office Hours are scheduled for Mondays through Thursdays to assist users with OhioBuys functionality through March. 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)
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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.
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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
DISPATCHING
The process of POs being sent out. POs are dispatched out of OAKS three times daily (at the same schedule as in OAKS today), and then dispatched from OhioBuys to suppliers (typically via email or cxml).
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
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