The Purchasing Division is in the process of updating the mailing list for The Buyers Network. The purpose of this task is to eliminate any unnecessary mailing costs for individuals no longer in state government or in the procurement field, as well as updating your mailing information.

If you wish to remain on our mailing list, you must notify Debbie Harrison with any changes to your address in one of the following ways:

Although we are the buyers of goods and services, it is the business representatives who have more knowledge of the market and opportunities to forecast changes, good or bad, in that particular industry.

At our most recent purchasing conference, the opportunities for the buyers and sellers to network were vast. In addition to combining the two previously separate conferences for vendors and agencies, we offered one-on-one consultation sessions at this year's training event. These sessions allowed our vendor partners to meet with 25 purchasing officials throughout our state government as well as representatives from the state of Ohio's purchasing department.

The one-on-one sessions gave business representatives 10 minutes of the purchasing official's full attention in order to explain their products and services and to share literature and business cards. Many of our participating vendors stated in their evaluation forms that these sessions alone were well worth the trip to the conference.

Aside from the purchasing conference, vendors play an important role in the procurement process, by assisting our buying staff when new specifications are necessary or when evaluating the functionality of existing contracts.

Communication is the key in maintaining productive business relationships with our vendors. Build upon the relationships that you have already created, but also seek new relationships that could benefit you and your agency in the future.

What can you do to get your computer organized? It's easy!

At this year's state purchasing conference, several changes were made to the format and schedule of this training event.

Two of the major changes implemented included the addition of the product exposition and the combination of the vendors and agencies.

The product exposition offered participating vendors an opportunity to showcase their products and services. Nearly 80 vendors had a booth with literature, samples and a wealth of knowledge to share with nearly 250 agency purchasers.

In the past, separate conferences were conducted for these two entities; however, to reduce costs and to enhance networking and marketing opportunities, the idea of combining these two conferences into one was explored. The results were over-whelmingly positive.

The various areas surveyed are listed below. Please note that the satisfaction level is based on the percentage of "good" and "excellent" responses from vendor and agency participants.

Hotel Reservations: 99%

Hotel Accommodations: 89%

Conference Registration: 97%

Conference Location: 91%

Length of Conference: 92%

Guest Speaker: 97%

Product Exposition: 95%

Organization of Conference: 97%

Overall Opinion of Conference 95%

Plans will begin soon for next year's purchasing conference. Suggestions were offered on the evaluation forms; however, if you have any additional ideas that you would like to share with our conference coordinators, please contact Diane Holley by e-mail at dholley@gwmail.state.wv.us or call (304) 558-0661.

Agency Comments

The Product Expo was a big asset to the conference.

Classes were well structured.

Really enjoyed the conference. It was informational and I appreciate the opportunities to network.

The Expo gave us the opportunity to meet the person we need to contact, which was invaluable. Please do it again next year.

Overall, the conference was very good because it put together the vendors and agencies.

Every year it just gets better. The classes were so good this year.

Vendor Comments

I picked up many leads for our first-time participation.

Thank you for inviting us to the conference. I enjoyed getting to see customers outside of the office.

Thanks to all in Purchasing. Great job, as always.

One-on-one sessions were very beneficial to me.

Wonderful setup! The- exhibit area was open when there were no other sessions taking place.

Great show.

As long as I'm in business, I will always want to be part of this conference.

The 2003 Legislative Session may have been considered quieter than the previous two years, with a reduced number of bills introduced. However, there were a number of bills introduced that dealt with issues of major importance to the citizens of West Virginia; unfortunately, not all of those bills passed.

A total of 1,882 bills were introduced during this session: 1,219 of the bills were introduced by the House of Delegates and 663 by the Senate.

Of the bills introduced, only 259 passed both houses, five which passed both houses were vetoed by Governor Wise. One bill became law without the signature of the governor. Of the 253 bills, the governor signed into law, 31 affected the Department of Administration either directly or indirectly.

There were several bills that directly or indirectly affected the Purchasing Division and the programs for which it administers. For a complete listing of all bills passed by the House of Delegates and the Senate during the 2003 Legislative Session, please visit the West Virginia Legislature's website at http://www.legis.state.wv.us.

Below is a brief summary of each of these Purchasing-related bills:

HB 2224: Regorganization of Higher Education.

Affects leasing for higher education and provides approval to the policy commission and the governing board with final approval by Attorney General and Joint Committee on Government and Finance.

HB 2512: Competitive Bidding and Notice Requirements.

Affects competitive bidding and notice requirements for development of natural resources in which the Public Land Corporation has an interest.

HB 2592: Department of Admini-stration Rules Bills.

There were several rules affecting the Purchasing Division, including records management, parking, technology access, and qualifications for state use program.

HB 2831: Records Management and Preservation Board.

Deals with counties primarily, but also affects the state’s records.

HB 3104: Commercial Vehicle and Equipment Repair Vendors.

Deals with criteria for commercial vehicle and equipment repair vendors; requires a cost effec-tiveness analysis for issuing commercial work orders.

HB 3117: Public Works Construc-tion Projects.

Requires contractors bidding on public works construction projects to submit valid bid bonds in their proposals and to direct how public bids are received.

SB 284: Continuation of the Purchasing Division.

Authorizes the continuation of the Purchasing Division.

SB 440: Contractor’s Notice.

Establishes contractors notice and opportunity to cure procedures.

SB 636: Competitive Bidding Requirements.

Xerox Corporation of Charleston, WV, offers copiers, printers, facsimile machines and office software and solutions.

Maria Hilton, Account Manager of the Charleston office, said her company is one of the servicers of the statewide contract for copiers. She has dealt with many state agencies, including DHHR, Education, Corrections, BEP and Legislative Services.

Hilton has found that face-to-face contract with the customers has been the most beneficial marketing tool she could use. She attended the recent Agency and Vendor Purchasing Conference. "The workshops were very informative. Meeting new faces and customers outside of the office was invaluable," she said.

w Requests for Proposals/Expressions of Interests: Agencies must submit this certification with the evaluation and recommendation.

w Requests for Quotations and All Other Transaction Types: The evaluator(s) must sign the Certification for Non-Conflict of Interest and submit, along with the recommendation for award, to the Purchasing Division.

This certification applies only to transactions processed through the Purchasing Division. It is not a requirement for agency delegated purchases; however, agencies may adopt this policy at their discretion. Questions may be directed to Karen Byrd, Acquisition and Contract Administration Director, at (304) 558-4317.

We want your questions! … Submit your questions via e-mail to Diane Holley at dholley@gwmail.state.wv.us.

Acting Secretary of Administration Tom Susman recently announced that by conducting the state's biggest vehicle surplus auction that he is hoping to save taxpayers nearly $2.3 million.

Surplus Property Unit coordinated a public auction on Saturday, May 31, at its facility at 2700 Charles Avenue in Dunbar.

"After the governor’s town hall meeting with state employees last December, we received more than 90 suggestions from the Employee Communication Network regarding fleet management," Susman said. "Governor Wise announced in his State of the State Address that we would reduce our state’s fleet by 555 vehicles, saving the taxpayers insurance, gasoline and mainten-ance costs."

This is the largest auction in the governor’s fleet reduction plan, with 200 vehicles on the block. A variety of vehicles were available from sedans to SUVs to heavy-duty trucks.

"We are continuing to look for better ways to manage our fleet and reduce costs," Susman added. "This auction is another step to better government."

The National Institue of Governmental Purchasing, Inc., (NIGP) now offers "Webinars" to educate public purchasers on a wide range of topics.

With the use of a computer and telephone, you can attend a live workshop from your desk. Webinars are 90-minute workshops, focusing on current and relevant hot topics. They allow for multiple people from any one agency to benefit from the training. You have the ability to ask questions and interact with the presenter and the other participants from across the country.

Offered on a regular basis, this effective use of technology allows you to keep up with changes and the latest developments in the procurement field.

Some of the upcoming Webinars are listed below:

June 26 - 1:00 p.m.
Procurement Cards: The Preferred Method of Payment

September 18 - 1:00 p.m.
Green Procurement

October 9 - 1:00 p.m.
Shortcuts on the Road to RFP Excellence

December 11 - 1:00 p.m.
Basic Legal Principles in Public Purchasing

NIGP states there are numerous benefits of this training, including convenience, no travel expenses, no limit to the number of participants from your agency, continual access to current topics, opportunity to interact with other participants and the presenters and the ability to earn contact hours toward NIGP certification.

One of the time-consuming chores of purchasing is math. Not only is it part of your job, but it is your responsibility to check everybody else’s math, too.

Here’s a tip that might save you time and aggravation when your numbers—or theirs—don’t add up.

Compare the two totals. Is the difference divisible by nine? If yes, the problem could be a simple transposition error.

If you have lost your cellular phone, you better report it as soon as possible. If you don't, you may be held responsible for the charges.

According to one wireless service provider's terms of unauthorized usage, if your device, user name or password is stolen or service is fraudulantly used, you must immediately notify them and provide police reports that the phone was indeed stolen.

Until you notify the service provider, you will likely be held responsible for the charges incurred. But don't worry about having to notify friends and family of a new cellular telephone number. Most service providers will block usage of the number until the telephone is recovered and can reinstate the number.

Are you unsure of certain purchasing procedures? ... Do you have a question regarding travel requests? ... Would you want to know what surplus property is available? ... If you need information concerning any function within the Purchasing Division, complete this form: