Diane Holley, Editor

The Buyers Network is Published Monthly by the Purchasing Division of the West
Virginia Department of Administration to Promote Better Value in Public Purchasing

Welcome to the July 1999 Issue of the The Buyers Network!

WV Businesses Give Two Thumbs Up
        Vendor Rate Conference with High Marks

How can we increase participation among our resident vendors in the state competitive purchasing process? Dave Tincher has been asking this question since he was appointed in 1997 as Purchasing Director.

One of his ideas was to offer training to West Virginia business representatives in a similar format as our agency purchasing conferences. Would it work? Would vendors want to attend? What information should be offered? All of these concerns were addressed in planning the first-ever Vendor Purchasing Conference sponsored by the Purchasing Division on May 17-19 at Canaan Valley State Resort & Conference Center.

After analyzing the participants' responses to our conference evaluation, the results were very positive. One hundred percent of those responding rated the organization and overall conference either good or excellent. Of the 92 conference participants, 46 (50%) responded to this evaluation survey.

Purchasing Director Dave Tincher joined other government representatives on June 10 to explain various programs and services to state boards of examination and registration.

Tincher provided a high-level overview of the many programs and services offered by the Purchasing Division, which has an annual budget of $10 million. The programs addressed during his presentation included inventory management, Surplus Property Program, Fleet Management Program, State Capitol Parking, Records Management and Travel Management. In addition, he briefly explained the state purchasing process.

Relationships are extremely important when conducting business. An article on page 3 talks about building relationships within an organization; however, we must follow similar guidelines in communicating among state procurement officers and, equally important, the vendors which provide the services and products we need to operate state government.

Aside from our daily business conversations, the Purchasing Division has made many attempts to enhance our relationships with vendors, with special focus on West Virginia businesses.

As reported in The Buyers Network, an informative conference was held in May targeting business opportunities for state vendors. Business representatives were able to personally meet state government officials which instantly enhanced relationships.

West Virginia vendors are also becoming more actively involved in our statewide contract process by offering their input prior to contract expiration. Our buying staff schedules on-site visits to our business partners to learn more about what they can offer to state government.

All of these positive and necessary steps work toward enhancing our relationships with the vendor community.

Unforeseen needs that require immediate action to protect human life and/or to prevent loss or damage of government facilities may be processed by emergency purchasing procedures. Hardship situations created by improper planning or neglect will not be considered sufficient grounds for an emergency purchase. A minimum of three bids, if possible, should be obtained. Original written bids and agency justification must be attached to the agency file.

Two employees, a new and an old face, can be seen working at the Purchasing Division's central office this summer.

Karla Schnell, a 1999 graduate of George Washington High School, is assisting the Capitol Parking Unit. She plans to attend West Virginia University next fall, majoring in aerospace engineering and mechanical engineering. Back again for another summer is Jimmy Morris, a junior at Oberlin College in Ohio who worked for the Division last summer. He is working for the Communications Unit.

Karla and Jimmy are located in the Division's training room...stop by and say, "Hello!"

Who Will YOU Nominate for Agency
Procurement Officer of the Year?

Consider this your first official reminder concerning nominations for the 1999 Agency Procurement Officer of the Year. The complete nomination form will be included in next month's issue of The Buyers Network. But it is never too early to start thinking about who you would like to nominate!

The criteria for this annual award include tenure, performance, communication, internal training, professional development, cost-saving ideas, cooperation with the Purchasing Division and agency staff, positive image, good purchasing practices and participation in professional purchasing organizations.

A committee of six evaluators from the Purchasing Division and other agencies will select the recipient. Only information submitted on the nomination form will be considered during the selection process.

Purchasing Director Dave Tincher will announce the recipient at the Agency Purchasing Conference at Canaan Valley State Resort & Conference Center on September 27-30. The person selected will receive free registration to the 2000 Agency Purchasing Conference, registration to any NIGP workshop or course, an engraved clock, and a Certificate of Achievement.

For more details or to request a nomination packet, contact Diane Holley at (304) 558-0661 or Debbie Watkins at (304) 558-3568.

Establishing good working relationships can enhance cooperation when you need help the most on a task. If you do not work on your relationships until you need them, it may be too late.

According to one business consultant*, there are several techniques for relationship building both within and outside of your organization:

w      Once a day, drop by someone's office to talk. Conversation builds relationships that withstand stress.
w     Listen attentively to others.
w     When you need help, ask for it.
w     Begin conversations with small talk. If you only talk about work, people will think that is the only thing you         care about.
w      Do not let your need to be liked keep you from making straightforward decisions.
w      Do favors for others even when you can't anticipate a favor in return. It builds goodwill.

* Source: Fast Company.

Brown-bagging on the plane

It used to be that carrying your lunch was only common when you traveled by car or by bus. Now, because airlines have cut back on feeding passengers, many people are carrying a brown bag onto the aircraft. Some hotels offer flying guests a brown-bag lunch free of charge.

Your favorite cabbie

If you frequently visit the same city on business, find a cab driver who is dependable. Get the cabbie's card and call the next time you are in town. Chances are you'll get fair prices, excellent service, and a few favors.

New theme park in Orlando

Universal Studios has opened its $2.7 billion "Islands of Adventure" park. It's made up of five theme areas surrounding a lake. There's lots of scary stuff to ride, including The Incredible Hulk Coaster which is nearly 12 stories high.

A well-trained employee is more motivated and productive. One way to increase the effectiveness of training is to train employees in teams. Participants in one study were trained to assemble a transistor radio with 100 parts. A week later they were asked to perform the job a second time. Subjects trained in groups were much more likely to remember the process.

VENDOR CONFERENCE FEEDBACK
             Positive Response Proves Need for Future
             Informational Conferences to WV Vendors

The 92 West Virginia business representatives who participated in the 1999 Vendor Purchasing Conference were asked to complete an evaluation of various aspects of this training event, from the planning to the actual workshops.

The results of the evaluation illustrated the businesses' desire for this type of training. From the high ratings of the evaluation scores, it was obvious that the participants' expectations were met.

"I'm very pleased with the level of satisfaction expressed by the state business representatives who attended our first vendor conference," said Purchasing Director Dave Tincher. "Although you can somewhat determine whether you are connecting with the participants at the training event, it is always reassuring to be confirmed with the real data."

The Purchasing Division has already begun planning for the 2nd Annual Vendor Purchasing Conference, scheduled for May, 2000.

What Did Vendors Say about the Conference?

I got my $125's worth [cost of registration fee] out of the first three hours of the conference.

Very productive conference. One sure sign of success: I noticed everyone paying close attention during the workshops. Thank you!

Special thanks to Dave Tincher, his staff and all the representatives from the different state agencies. The information is indeed valuable to our business and most appreciated.

Great job...let's do it again!

...The sessions exceeded my expectations in resources, knowledge and networking!

Thanks for a great meeting. Let's make this an annual event.

Excellent conference at a beautiful resort.

We really enjoyed your conference. We found it to be informative; your staff was very friendly; and Canaan Resort was beautiful. Thanks for inviting us.

Excellent program and very informative. We are looking forward to next year's conference.

Due to the increased need for cellular telephone coverage, the state has entered into a contract with ALLTELL, effective April 28, 1999.

"The SWC-CELLTEL contract was created as a result of roundtable discussions on cellular phone service at our Agency Purchasing Conference in 1997 with personnel from the Division of Highways, Division of Environmental Protection, Division of Natural Resources, Division of Public Safety, and the Purchasing Division," according to Curt Curtiss, Assistant Purchasing Director. "We were all rather surprised at the number of cellular phones being utilized collectively." He indicated that within those five agencies over 1,000 units are used. "We estimate that number to increase substantially if you include Higher Education, the Legislative and Judicial branches, as well as political subdivisions."

By bidding an exclusive statewide contract, Curtiss said he predicts the service will improve and as a result of the volume provided, the overall cost of the service should reduce as well as the accounts payable. "With the new contract, early analysis of usage by the Division of Environmental Protection alone shows that a significant reduction in cost is being experienced," Curtiss added.

This contract provides analog coverage, supporting all 55 counties in West Virginia. As part of the agreement, ALLTELL will supply a cellular phone free of charge to a requesting state agency. The state has the option of requesting a portable hand-held phone, a "bag" phone, or choosing to have one installed in a state-owned ve-hicle. After 365 days of continuous service, the state assumes ownership of the phone and all accessories.

The contract rates for various services offered by ALLTELL include:

Monthly Base Rate
$17.20/month

Local Calling
$0.20/minute

Long Distance
$0.10/minute

Roaming
$0.50/minute

Mobile to Mobile
$0.20/minute

There are no charges for installation or removal of the mobile unit or installation of window mount/hole mount antenna.

According to Carlos Necuzzi of IS&C's Communications Center, the Division of Environmental Protection is the biggest user of cellular phone coverage with 300+ phones in service. Due to the expiration of this agency's contract for such service, the state realized the need for creating a contract to be available statewide which would offer a more economical rate, he added. Other big agency users for cellular phone coverage are the Division of Labor and the Division of Highways.

ALLTELL has eight locations in West Virginia.

If you have questions or need additional information on the cellular phone service contract or any other statewide contract, please contact your agency's procurement officer or the buying staff of the West Virginia Purchasing Division at (304) 558-2306.