Project eNewsletter  |  October 2020

Project update

During October, our team focused on creating a schedule of the tasks and timeframes required for Phase 1 ORPIN Replacement. We’re close to finishing this work and will soon present it to our governing bodies for feedback and approval.

Over the last few weeks, we also re-started outreach to suppliers and vendors who have statewide price agreements. We’re contacting these suppliers and vendors asking them to register for an account in OregonBuys and to upload their catalogs into the system. As a reminder, all suppliers and vendors will need to register in OregonBuys to continue doing business with the state once we transition to the new system.

In the weeks to come, we’ll begin reaching out to schedule core team orientation meetings with large and medium-sized state agencies and share the next steps. We look forward to connecting with you soon!

OregonBuys: One unified system — modernizing state procurement

ODF achieves milestone in OregonBuys

Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) is an early adopter of the OregonBuys eProcurement System. They launched the system in July 2019, and just reached a milestone of processing $100 million dollars of spend through OregonBuys over the last 15 months.   Capturing spend information is one of the overarching goals of the OregonBuys project. This information helps us better understand what the state of Oregon buys so we can identify areas where we can save money by negotiating better contract terms.   Please join us in congratulating ODF on their success!

Coming soon

We’re currently working on guidance that explains how the transition from the Oregon Procurement Information Network (ORPIN) to OregonBuys affects “in-flight” Procurements. This guide will include scenarios and information on blackout periods. We’re also working on detailed information about the recurring core team orientation sessions for state agencies, and a list of curriculum for the training program.   We look forward to sharing these items with you soon - please stay tuned here for more information.

What can agencies be working on?

State agencies can prepare now by keeping up with document uploads in ORPIN (intergovernmental agreements or others) and ensuring that ORPIN user accounts are current.   Additional preparation steps will be shared in the large and medium-sized state agency core team orientation sessions.

What can small state agencies expect?

In the coming weeks, small state agencies will receive an email from our agency liaison, Adam Helvey. He’ll share the next steps and what you can expect moving forward. A virtual forum will also be offered to small state agencies in the future. In the meantime, if you have questions, please contact Adam Helvey at adam.l.helvey@oregon.gov.

Tell us what you're interested in

We're listening — send us an email and tell us what you want to learn more about: oregonbuys.info@oregon.gov.

Visit our project website for more information: https://oregonbuys.oregon.gov.