Table of Contents
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Agency Updates: Requesting OPS Contract Amendments via RTP to DAS | Contracts Reminder | Obtaining Release and Permit Before Controlling Board
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Supplier Updates: New Punchout Catalogs | Custom Stamp Returns | Supplier Webinars
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Training Tips: Amazon Punchout Reminder | Training Calendar | Office Hours
Please share this newsletter with your agency users!
Remember to check the OhioBuys website for the latest user tips and information.
**IMPORTANT REMINDER - After March 2023, the training team will be focused on delivering training for the OhioBuys version upgrade. If users within your agency need sustainment training (e.g., to increase adoption of OhioBuys), they should register for sustainment training as soon as possible.**
**If you have any additional needs outside of ongoing training, including demos, unique office hours requests, or anything else, please email your request to: ohiobuys@das.ohio.gov. The OhioBuys Project Team will review your request and contact you to follow up.**
**IMPORTANT REMINDER - When you are submitting a helpdesk ticket for OhioBuys, make sure you are submitting it to OBM Shared Services OBM.SharedServices@obm.ohio.gov, with ‘OhioBuys’ in the subject line, and not to CSC.**
Agency Updates
REQUESTING OPS CONTRACT AMENDMENTS VIA RTP TO DAS
A recent enhancement within OhioBuys now allows agencies to submit a request for amendments on DAS contracts using the Request to Purchase (RTP) to DAS.
Request for Amendment is an option in the request type drop down. When submitting this type of RTP, agencies will identify the contract for which they are requesting the contract amendment, provide a description of the requested change and attach any drafts and justification documentation. This request for amendment feature should be used for any required change to a contract needed by an agency including amendments resulting from change requests, Interim Deliverable Agreement (IDA’s), scope changes, additional statements of work, or change orders. After submitting a RTP request for a change, the RTP will be reviewed and assigned to a contract analyst. The submitting user will receive a notification that their amendment request has been received and they will be contacted by the contract analyst.
CONTRACTS REMINDER
For those agencies already using OhioBuys to manage their agency-administered contracts, be aware that in addition to managing contracts in which your is paying a supplier for goods and services, OhioBuys can also be used to manage $0 contracts.
OBTAINING RELEASE AND PERMIT BEFORE CONTROLLING BOARD
Recently, agencies have been asking about scenarios in which they need to obtain a Release and Permit when they also need to get a Controlling Board number. Specifically, agencies have been asking about the order in which these need to be obtained and how to do so in OhioBuys.
Agencies should start by referring to the “REQUEST TO PURCHASE VS. PURCHASE REQUISITION” section of the December 2nd, 2022 Newsletter to determine the appropriate vehicle for obtaining a Release and Permit.
In the event that users start with a requisition in OhioBuys, the requisition will route through the appropriate requisition workflow and be assigned a Release and Permit as a part of the purchase requisition workflow. In these cases, the requisition will subsequently end up routing to the “DAS Released Requisition” step pictured below in the workflow. The requisitioner can add the Controlling Board Number while the requisition is at this step, before submitting it to the Final Approver step.
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If the agency creates a Request to Purchase or an IT agency-administered contract to obtain the release and permit, the agency can then create requisitions at any time and reference their IT agency-administered contract or assigned Release and Permit number and Controlling Board number (once the Controlling Board number is available in OhioBuys). If an agency has an IT agency administered contract with an IT R&P, they can reference the contract on their line item and the system will automatically grab the R&P and bypass EITC reviews. In cases where the Controlling Board number is entered before reaching the “DAS Released Requisition” step, the workflow will bypass this step and the requisition will route to the Final Approver step.
Supplier Updates
NEW PUNCHOUT CATALOGS
The OhioBuys catalog team has worked with the following suppliers to move their hosted catalogs to punchout catalogs. This means more up-to-date pricing and items. You can expect to see these punch-out catalogs become available this month.
- Carahsoft contract #534354 (available now)
- GovConnection contract #0A1353 (available soon)
- Dell contract #534141 (available soon)
Collectively, these punchout catalogs will replace approximately one million hosted catalog items and should further improve system performance when searching for items.
CUSTOM STAMP PUNCHOUT RETURNS
In addition, the Vie Ability contract for Office Supplies now has a second punchout for Custom Stamp products in Ohio Buys.
With the electronic transmission of PO’s for both of the punchout catalogs, agencies must use specific order supplier locations for each of the punchouts:
- Vie Ability Office supplies punchout orders use order supplier SUP515045, OAKS ID 0000296520-1
- Custom Stamp punchout orders use order supplier SUP515046, OAKS ID 0000296520-2
2022 SUPPLIER WEBINARS
The OhioBuys supplier/bidder webinar series has been updated with dates through March 2023.
Each supplier/bidder training webinar will be one hour 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 it 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 Webinar page of the OhioBuys website.
Training Tips
AMAZON PUNCHOUT REMINDER
As a reminder, Amazon only accepts Pcard orders, and the order must be submitted/approved in OhioBuys within seven (7) days of adding items to the user’s cart. If the purchase order is not received, the order will be canceled by Amazon.
TRAINING CALENDAR
Ongoing OhioBuys training sessions are now scheduled through March 2023. For the complete list, see the below schedule of upcoming sessions or visit the Ongoing Training page. After March 2023, the training team will be focused on delivering training for the OhioBuys version upgrade. If users within your agency need sustainment training (e.g., to increase adoption of OhioBuys), they should register for sustainment training as soon as possible.
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
One of the resources available to assist your use of OhioBuys is the option to sign up for Office Hours. Users sign up for either 30 or 60-minute Office Hour sessions wherein a dedicated OhioBuys trainer can assist you with OhioBuys functionality.
Office Hours have been expanded with slots available Monday - Thursday from 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM, and 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM, pending availability.
We encourage you to take advantage of this resource as you acclimate to OhioBuys. To sign up for office hours, please follow the prompts on this page: https://outlook.office365.com/owa/calendar/OhioBuysTest@ohiodas.onmicrosoft.com/bookings/
You will receive direct help on a specific transaction as you work 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.
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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