State Bureau of Procurement News

State of Wisconsin sent this bulletin at 01/31/2018 08:52 AM CST
State of Wisconsin Bureau of Procurement

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DOA Website Updates

The Department of Administration launched its new public website (https://doa.wi.gov) on December 17. The new site introduces a clean, fresh look and the new official DOA logo. Please note the addresses for the homepage and many other pages and links have been updated which may cause your internet bookmarks to no longer work. Many updated links are available on the State Bureau of Procurement’s website, which can now be found at https://doa.wi.gov/procurement. If you are having trouble locating a page or come across a broken link, please let us know by emailing doawispro@wisconsin.gov.

SBOP Outreach

Marketplace. State Bureau of Procurement staff attended the 36th Governor’s Marketplace on Minority Business Development in Milwaukee in December. SBOP presented on the new eSupplier system and took part in a roundtable discussion with other agencies and prime contractors to share insights on state contracting. SBOP and Supplier Diversity shared a booth in the vendor expo and answered many questions from companies on registering as a vendor, receiving notices of solicitations and certification. SBOP staff also participated in one-on-one buyer meetings with vendors. SBOP is pleased to participate in this conference to connect businesses with government contracting opportunities.

WAPP Winter Conference. The State Bureau of Procurement and the Wisconsin Technical College System Purchasing Consortium co-hosted the Wisconsin Association for Public Procurement (WAPP) Winter Conference on December 6 and 7 in Madison. The event was attended by more than 60 municipal and state government purchasing professionals. WAPP Board member and SBOP’s own Brenda Derge led the charge to organize the event. Rick Hughes provided introductory remarks, and IT Sourcing staff Andrea Welch and Ceotrid Gilbert provided a half-day educational session, “Software Licensing 101.” The Bureau’s contribution to the conference also included a new publication, “Software Licensing Practical Guide,” which was distributed to attendees. WAPP offers an opportunity for procurement staff to grow and enhance their professional development and provides a forum for collaboration between state and local government procurement organizations.

Training Opportunities

Do you need to take the in-person Strategic Sourcing training classes? Let us know by going to the SBOP Training page and registering for “Strategic Sourcing Training Classes,” which can be found at the bottom of the list. Once there are enough sign-ups, classes will be scheduled and registered participants will be notified.

In addition, all 2018 SBOP procurement trainings have been scheduled and are available for signups at the link above. State procurement professionals in need of training may sign up for a variety of topics, including:

  • Introduction to the Wisconsin Purchasing Process
  • Writing and Conducting Request for Bids
  • Writing and Conducting Request for Proposals
  • Contract Administration
  • Purchasing Print for the State of Wisconsin
  • Negotiating on Behalf of the State of Wisconsin
  • Software Licensing 101
  • Cost Benefit Analysis
  • WISBuy Refresher & Advanced Training

For more information, please contact Jessica Vieira at (608) 266-5452.

Updated Forms

Graphic showing 6 forms condensed into 1 form

New Consolidated Bidder Form for Use in RFBs and RFPs. In an effort to increase efficiency and reduce redundancy in completing multiple bidding forms, the State Bureau of Procurement has created a consolidated version of the six forms currently used by all agencies and campuses in official sealed bids and RFPs.

The prior forms will continue to be available on VendorNet for the near term to ensure that any active solicitations are not affected by this change. However, agencies and campuses will use the new form, DOA-3832, Bidder Required Form, on solicitations moving forward.

Updates have also recently been made to State Standard Terms and Conditions forms DOA-3054 and DOA-3054A. Any questions on this new requirement can be directed to doawispro@wisconsin.gov.

Contract Spotlight

Employee Assistance Program Services. The State Bureau of Procurement recently finalized a Request for Proposal process to award a contract for Employee Assistance Program (EAP) services to FEI. The new contract will be effective March 1, 2018. Over the next two months, we will transition the contract from our current vendor to FEI through a series of activities managed by Cathy Neidner. Cathy will work closely with FEI and the Division of Personnel Management in DOA to ensure a smooth implementation. Please contact Cathy Neidner at (608) 266-3620 with any questions about the new contract.

Strategic Sourcing: Tips and Tricks

Complex RFPs. For more complex RFPs, you may choose to upload your main document instead of creating it within the tool. Remember to add at least one bid factor to your event so evaluators will have a place to enter a score in the system.

Definitions Table. When working with tables in the module, right-clicking within the table will allow you to delete or add additional rows. If you are unhappy with the formatting of the Definitions table, try adjusting the font size. Using a smaller font will use less space in the document without compromising the ability to read the information.

Using and Editing Template Bid Factors. To use a pre-made bid factor from a template, begin by unchecking the “Custom Bid Factor” box and search using the Bid Factor ID search. Once you’ve inserted the desired bid factor, if you would like to edit it, you will need to re-check the “Custom Bid Factor” box.

Display Order of Bid Factors. When adding multiple bid factors to a single section of your document, the bid factors are automatically labeled in numerical order. For example, if three bid factors are added to Section 4, the bid factors will appear in the document as 4(1), 4(2), and 4(3), just as expected. However, when “View as Bidder” is clicked, multiple bid factors entered in a single section will appear with the most recent bid factor first, meaning that 4(3) appears first, then 4(2) and 4(1). A current work-around until this is solved is to create your bid factors in the opposite order you’d like them to appear to the bidders.

Supporting Documents Order. A similar issue exists when adding additional supporting documents. Let’s say you’ve already uploaded two Supporting Documents, “Attachment A” and “Attachment C.” You decide to add an additional Supporting Document, “Attachment B,” and you’d like to place it between A and C. You click the plus sign at the end of the “Attachment A” row and enter the new document as you’d like it to appear. However, when you click “View as Bidder,” you notice that the documents are listed in the order you created them: “Attachment A” is first, “Attachment C” is second and “Attachment B” is last. To have your documents appear in the order you’d like, you will need to remove all attachments and enter them in the order you’d like them to appear.

And as Always - Save, Save, Save! Don’t lose your hard work because you get sidetracked by a phone call or have to step away for a moment and miss the time-out warning. Be sure to save often!

Looking for additional resources for Strategic Sourcing? STAR agencies can access a variety of job aids, tools and resources on STAR Connection (STAR Connection > Resources > Finance and Procurement > Job Aids > Search for “Strategic Sourcing”). If you would like to share a Strategic Sourcing tip or trick you’ve learned, please email your ideas to Jessica Vieira.

Contact Us

The State Bureau of Procurement manages statewide contracts for goods and services commonly used by agencies and UW campuses that create savings and improve efficiencies for the enterprise. Contact the following managers for enterprise procurement questions or concerns:

Websites

Location: Administration Building, 101 E. Wilson Street, 6th Floor, Madison, Wisconsin 53703

General Telephone: (608) 266-2605

Fax: (608) 267-0600

Your feedback on State Bureau of Procurement News is welcomed. Please send comments and ideas for future topics to Mike Marean at (608) 267-2715.