November 2024

Welcome, new members!

Congratulations to the new members of the 60th session of the Oklahoma Legislature! This monthly newsletter aims to keep you updated on the latest news from OMES. Located in the right sidebar are a list of contacts within our agency who are available to assist you with any needs or inquiries.

Welcoming Steven Wolfe to the OMES Legislative Services team

Steven Wolfe, born and raised in Oklahoma City, recently joined OMES after serving as a legislative assistant for Representative Mike Dobrinski and Representative Stan May since 2023.

A proud graduate of Oklahoma State University, he earned his bachelor’s degree in political science in 2017.

Steven is deeply committed to public service. His work focuses on building strong relationships between the Legislature and the people of Oklahoma, always striving to find solutions that work for the people of our state. With a passion for helping others, he is dedicated to enhancing communication and ensuring OMES provides value to the Legislature.

In this issue:

• View OMES announcements.
• Read the latest from OMES.
• Browse OMES mentions.

Recent OMES press releases:

• FY 2025 YTD collections align with both estimate and prior year, less than 1% variance.

Contact the OMES Legislative Services team

Deputy director of Legislative and Legal Services:

• Ryan Bair

Government Relations:

• Charles Ortega
• Sarah Sands
• Steven Wolfe
• Suzanne Earnest

View OMES announcements.

OMES holds regular meetings with agencies on a variety of topics to help provide better customer service. We would love for you to attend, too!

OMES calendar of events for December.

December events Stay tuned for more information in the December newsletter. Dec. 3 from 2-3:30 p.m.: CAM Training – Doing Business With CAM focused on Capital Assets Management. Join virtually via Microsoft Teams. Dec. 5 at 2 p.m.: Statewide Cybersecurity Briefing with CISO Michael Toland. Join virtually via Microsoft Teams. Dec. 9 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.: 2024 Oklahoma Digital Government Summit. Dec. 11 from 1:30-2:30 p.m.: CP Listens – Guests from OCI will join OMES Central Purchasing to hear agency feedback and questions. Join virtually via Microsoft Teams.

Deferred Maintenance weeky update

As of Nov. 1: The OMES deferred maintenance plan, which is crucial for the smooth operation of our buildings, is currently underway. We made significant progress in the month of October in getting many initial priority projects through the solicitation, selection and contracting processes.   Work is scheduled to start in early November at the Will Rogers Building (WRB), which will see a roof and mechanical room metal panel replacement and installation of a new FEMA antenna. The Agriculture Lab is getting VFDs replaced for motor control of the air handlers and pump systems on their HVAC system. This project is scheduled to be completed by Dec. 5. The buildings of the quad, Sequoyah, Oliver Hodge, M.C. Connors and WRB, will also soon see entryway replacements. The preconstruction meeting was just hosted on the quad entryway project, and a communication will go out after equipment and glassware is received, prior to work impacting those facilities. Final submittals have been reviewed on the air handler project at the Transportation and Denver Davison buildings, and the Notice to Proceed (NTP) was issued Nov. 1. The air handler unit and terminal projects at the Sequoyah Building and WRB have contracts out for signature, while an NTP was issued Nov. 1 on the air handler project contracts for the Oliver Hodge and M.C. Connors buildings. The schematic design narrative for the renovation of the Oliver Hodge Building's fire suppression system is currently under review. Additionally, the Agriculture Building variable air volume for the HVAC system, the air handler unit and the lighting projects have been awarded to a firm and the contract sent for final review and signature. Separate communications to agency tenant contacts will go out before any deferred maintenance work that may impact operations.   Want to know more? Check out the new Deferred Maintenance Roadmap featuring mile markers for project milestones. For more information and the full OMES deferred maintenance plan, check out the deferred maintenance website. View the new Deferred Maintenance Dashboard by selecting the button below.

2024 State Suppliers Expo

The 2024 State Suppliers Expo, held Sept. 25-26, reached a record attendance of nearly 700 people representing more than 500 companies. Hosted by OMES Central Purchasing, the event continued its mission of building and strengthening relationships between the state and the private sector.

Central Purchasing engaged 197 companies at the supplier registration booth, forging new connections with 121 companies and strengthening existing connections with 76 companies. Ultimately, the State Suppliers Expo helps the private sector explore potential business opportunities with the state, which gives agencies more competitive buying options and ensures the state gets the best value on goods and services.

Learn more: Oklahoma State Suppliers Expo sees record growth, fosters key partnerships.

Lapsing funds

Agencies were required to complete all transactions related to FY 2023 appropriations no later than Nov. 20, 2024, or the funds will lapse.

Agencies should run the Lapse Fund Advance Notice – Appropriated Funds Report to identify all funds due to lapse. The path to this report in PeopleSoft is General Ledger > General Reports > Lapse Fund Adv Notice – Approp. If any lines have negative encumbrances or pre-encumbrances, these amounts should be resolved. If you are unable to resolve the differences, submit a case to the OMES Service Desk. Be sure to indicate the specific funding lines with negative balances.

Additionally, some agencies had limits bills on their FY 2024 appropriations, which changed them from nonfiscal (30 months) to fiscal (18 months with carryover ability). Those agencies must complete FY 2024 transactions and process a budget carryover to FY 2025 prior to the lapse date for those funds. The lapse date for these budgets was Nov. 15, 2024.

Please reach out to accounting@omes.ok.gov if you have any questions on this process.

State records requests

Since Oct. 18, all requests for records, data and/or electronically stored information (ESI) from OMES are made via the State Records Request form in ServiceNow (SNOW).

• This new form intentionally mirrors the details needed to submit a request to the state’s designated ESI vendor. This change improves efficiency and allows requests to be processed more quickly.
• The requests generate SNOW tickets assigned directly to the OMES records coordinator for immediate review.
• Please disregard any previous links provided to submit SNOW tickets for these requests. The new SNOW ticket will be the point of contact for all records requests, whether an OMES Open Records Request or a request for ESI that is housed with OMES (including eDiscovery). 
• Only individuals with a delegation of authority (DOA) for an agency can obtain ESI. If you need to update your agency’s DOA, email Elyse Seals.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter. Your cooperation is crucial in ensuring a smooth transition to the new process.

Grants Management Office: ARPA-SLFRF disbursement progress

Note: These metrics reflect data as of Nov. 1. Please visit the ARPA-SLFRF Program Tracker for the most up-to-date information.

• $780,570,000, or 41.74%, of total funds disbursed.
• $33,994,914.78 disbursed in October.
• 18 projects fully funded to date.
• $58,285,756.21 disbursed in Q3.

Phone line consolidation

OMES customers,

We have made it easier for you to get in touch with our teams. Effective Nov. 1, the OMES main phone line was consolidated into a single, convenient number to provide you with faster and more efficient service.

To reach any of the OMES teams, simply call 405-521-2444 (toll-free 866-521-2444).

Thank you for your continued partnership and support!

Read the latest from OMES.

Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education strengthens teacher recruitment through ARPA-SLFRF program 

Browse OMES mentions.

Oklahoma Broadband Office moving ahead with high-speed internet expansion 

Several rural parts of Oklahoma to receive high-speed internet for the first time 

Oklahoma amends request for Bibles that had matched Trump-promoted version 

Political notebook: Rural Oklahomans get $2.8 million in federal energy grants 

Bidding to supply Bibles to Oklahoma public schools comes to an end

Lawmakers learn about artificial intelligence applications in interim study 

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oklahoma.gov/omes}