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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 April 2002 Issue of the The Buyers Network!


Articles in this Issue:

Governor's Five Mobile Offices Targeted to Bring Information on State Government to All Residents

Director's Comments:
Agency Officials to Share Knowledge with Vendors

Joan Adkins Selected Employee of the Month

4th Annual Vendor Purchasing Conference Schedule Set

Unhappy with Vendor Performance? What Should You Do?

Purchasing Director tincher Elected to National Purcahsing Board of Directors

Let's Go Back to the Basics! A Quick Review of the State Purchasing Process

Assistant Director Curt Curtiss Accepts New Position with BEP

State's Cooperative Purchasing Program UPDATE

Purchasing Division Prepares State Agencies for the Fiscal 2002 Year-End

Surplus Property Auction Notice

The Voice of the Purchasing Division...Meet Laura Brotherton!

Current Statewide Contract Update

Questions?...Just Ask Us!


Surplus Vehicles Used in Outreach Program
                  Governor's Five Mobile Offices Targeted to Bring
                 Information on State Government to All Residents

Governor Bob Wise recently introduced yet another customer-focused arm of state government. "Five mobile offices have been established across the state to ensure that if you cannot get to us, we can get to you," Governor Wise said.

A team of representatives have been assembled who will travel throughout state visiting neighborhoods to listen to area concerns. Each of these vehicles will be in every county every month.

All of the mobile office vehicles were acquired through the West Virginia State Agency for Surplus Property. They include a 1994 Jeep Cherokee, 1995 Jeep Cherokee, two 1997 Dodge Caravans and a 1998 Dodge Caravan. "By using government surplus vehicles, we are not just offering services to our citizens, but doing so at the lowest possible cost," the Governor Wise added.

Some of the programs expected to be addressed include the PROMISE Scholarship, the Children's Health Insurance Program, and the Golden Mountaineer Card. The staff will assist citizens in getting the information they need to acquire the available services.

The Governor's Mobile Office representatives are listed as follows:

Southern Representative
John Aliff (covers 14 counties)

Northern Representative
Carmen Hutchins (covers 18 counties)

Eastern Central Representative
Lynn Phillip (covers 14 counties)

Eastern Panhandle Representative
Joe Green (covers 7 counties and serves as special assistant for federal grants)

Kanawha Valley Representative
Jason Williams (covers 2 counties and serves as a caseworker in the Gover-nor’s Office)

Some of the duties of the mobile staff include collecting casework and constituent inquiries, distributing pamphlets and other informative materials, and visiting public officials in the assigned counties.

The Governor’s Communications Office will publicize the mobile visits in the local newspapers, and beginning in May, the schedules will be on the Governor’s website at www.state.wv.us/governor.

"Meeting the challenge of providing improved services requires that agencies work together," Governor Wise said. "All of our state employees are working hard every day to improve customer service and I promise you I will do everything I can to provide you with the best possible service."

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T
he Director's Comments
                    Agency Officials to Share Knowledge with Vendors

By Dave Tincher
State Purchasing Director

Purchasing Director Dave TincherWhen planning our training conferences, the Purchasing Division has began involving agency procurement officers more in sharing their wealth of knowledge with others.

It is never more apparent than at our vendor conference that the vendors need to meet those individuals at the agency level who handle the delegated purchasing of $10,000 or less.

At this year's vendor conference, the Purchasing Division is pleased to have the following representatives to assist us: Danny Ellis, Department of Transportation; June Casto, Division of Environment Protection; Bev Carte, Division of Natural Resources; Dennis Meadows, Department of Health and Human Resources; Les Smith, Tourism.

I want to extend my appreciation to our agency partners in our training initiatives.

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Joan AdkinsJoan Adkins Selected Employee of the Month

Joan Adkins, an office assistant for the Administration Unit of the Purchasing Division, was selected as the March Employee of the Month for the Department of Administration.

A 15-year employee of state government, Joan is responsible for indexing, microfilming and archiving the official records of the Purchasing Division. Congratulations to Joan on her hard work and dedication!

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4th Annual Vendor Purchasing Conference Schedule Set

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What better way to educate our vendor community on how to do business with the state than to invite everyone to hear the same message at the 4th Annual Vendor Purchasing Conference.

This training event is set for May 15-17, 2002, at Canaan Valley State Resort and Conference Center.

The schedule includes group discussions, individual workshops and one-on-one consultation sessions with the Purchasing and agency representatives.

Agency purchasers are encouraged to assist us in promoting this conference by informing vendors. Additional information is available at our website at www.state.wv.us/admin/purchase.

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Unhappy with Vendor Performance? What Should You Do?

To address complaints from state agencies regarding vendor performance, a procedure has been outlined to assist in resolving problems experienced with the goods and services offered by vendors.

Acting Director Karen Byrd of the Acquisitions and Contract Administration Section explains that some contracts, such as the statewide contract for information processing equipment, have explicit language included to inform users of how problems may be addressed.

Because the number of contracts with specific language on vendor performance issues is limited, the following procedure has been offered to assist agency purchasers in resolving inferior performance or product issues:

1. Review the contract for protective measure and for specific instructions, if available, on verifying or processing performance issues.

2. Contact the vendor in an attempt to resolve the problem. If the customer service representative is not helpful, speak to the office manager or supervisor about the issue.

3. Send all documentation and correspondence to your agency procurement officer. He or she may be able to resolve the problem.

4. Agencies should maintain the documentation made toward resolution for future reference.

5. The complaint should only be forwarded to the Purchasing Division if all attempts have failed in resolving the problem. In the case of a complaint relating to a statewide contract, the Purchasing Division may become more involved due to the nature of the contract.

6. If the agency cannot resolve the problem, the WV-88 Vendor Performance form should be completed, accompanied by a memorandum from the agency procurement officer which addresses the issues of the complaint, what steps or actions have been made by the agency to resolve the problem, and what end result the agency hopes to realize. The agency should attach a copy of the bid specifications and the purchase order to the formal complaint. Complaints received without the aforesaid information will be returned to the agency procurement officer for the appropriate documentation.

"To prevent possible problems in the future, agency purchasers need to review contract language when bid specifications are being written," Byrd said. "It is important that agencies establish reasonable demands for vendors to meet and to document those demands in writing, not relying on verbal agreements."

Should a problem at the agency level become serious or repetitive, the Purchasing Division should be informed of these situations with adequate documentation as stated in No. 6 above. "It is not that the Purchasing Division does not want to be involved in the resolution of vendor complaints, but it is clear that the initial responsibility lies with the user, the agency," Byrd explains. "The Purchasing Division is available to assist when the agency meets obstacles that they cannot overcome."

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Purchasing Director Tincher Elected to
National Purchasing Board of Directors

The National Association of State Procurement Officials (NASPO) recently announced that six members have been elected to tis Board of Directors, including West Virginia Purchasing Director David Tincher.

Tincher was elected to the association's board in March during the NASPO business meeting held prior to the association's Marketing to State Governments Meeting in Florida.

"My vision for NASPO is for the organization to continue to be a world-class leader in procurement matters, setting trends in the constant search for excellence. Concurrently, NASPO must remain dedicated to the principles of strengthening our community of 50 state procurement offices through education, networking, sharing and training," Tincher said. Tincher has taken an active role in NASPO's events and committees, including serving as chairman of the 2000 Marketing meeting and as a representative on many of the association's committees.

NASPO, a non-profit association, is made up of the directors of the central purchasing offices in each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia and the territories of the United States. It is an organization through which the member purchasing officials provide leadership in professional public purchasing, improve the quality of purchasing and procurement, ex-change information and cooperate to attain greater efficiency and economy.

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A Good Reminder for Us All
                           Let's Go Back to the Basics! A Quick
                  Review of the State Purchasing Process

By Dave Tincher
State Purchasing Director

Purchasing Director Dave TincherNow for a quick refresher on delegated purchasing procedures!

State agencies have been delegated the authority to make purchases up to $10,000; however, this process requires certain steps to be taken after the acquisition planning process is complete.

The first step is the solicitation of bids. In order to achieve the goal of competitive bidding, a minimum of three bids is required, when possible. For procurement $10,000 or less, care must be taken to solicit vendors capable of providing the necessary products and services. Agency personnel are encouraged to use West Virginia vendors for delegated purchases.

The goal of delegated purchasing is to acquire what you need at the right time, right place, right price, right quality, in the right quantity. Simple at that! The competitive limits are listed below:

$0 - $1,000

· No bids required
· Internal sources should be used
· Purchasing Card should be used, when possible
· No written purchase order required

$1,000.01 - $5,000

· Verbal quotations required
· Three documented verbal quotes from bidders
· Purchasing Card should be used up to the transaction limit ($1,000- $2,500)
· Written purchase order required

$5,000.01 - $10,000

· Written quotations required
· Written specifications to the bidder
· Three written quotes, when possible
· Written purchase order required

If you have questions regarding delegated purchasing limits or procedures, please contact your agency procurement officer or refer to the Purchasing Division Policies and Procedures Handbook. If you need a handbook, please contact Sandy Singleton at the Purchasing Division at (304) 558-4213.

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Assistant Director Curt Curtiss Accepts New Position with BEP

Curt CurtissThe Purchasing Division extends its best wishes to Curt Curtiss in his new position as Assistant Director of Fiscal and Administrative Management Division for the Bureau of Employment Programs. He will oversee purchasing, inventory control, fleet, records, mail/check processing, facilities management/leasing and telecommuncations.

With over 20 years at the Purchasing Division, Curt served in a variety of capacities, with his most recent as director of the Acquisitions and Contract Administration Section. "I’m excited about the opportunity to be involved and learn other operational areas of agency management," he said. "I know the change and challenge will be very good for me personally and I look forward to the new position." Curt will be greatly missed by the staff of the Purchasing Division, but we look forward to working closely with him in his new position.

To minimize any potential work disruption and assure that the Acquisition and Contract Administration Section has adequate leadership during this interim period, Purchasing Director Dave Tincher appointed Karen Byrd, who was serving as manager of the External Relations Unit, to serve as acting director of this section until a replacement has been selected.

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State's Cooperative Purchasing Program
UDPATE

The Cooperative Purchasing Program, which enables political subdivisions to purchase from statewide contracts issued by the Purchasing Division, continues to grow in popularity.

A total of 111 cities, counties, county school boards, public service districts, volunteer fire departments and other political subdivisions currently participate in this program and experience substantial savings from utilizing these high volume contracts.

Marketing efforts were focused on county school boards during the past month with new membership information mailed to 23 school boards throughout the state. Personal contacts were made to those political subdivisions whose memberships recently expired to ensure they had renewal information and to answer any questions they may have on the program.

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AUCTION NOTICE

The next scheduled absolute auction conducted by the West Virginia State Agency for Surplus Property is Saturday, April 20th at 2700 Charles Avenue in Dunbar, West Virginia. For more details, call its office at (304) 766-2626 or visit its website at www.state.wv.us/admin/purchase/surplus.

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It's THAT Time of the Year Again!
                            Purchasing Division Prepares State
                          Agencies for the Fiscal 2002 Year-End

Procedures have been established for the fiscal year 2002 year-end closing. Timelines detailing instructions for processing purchases of expiring and non-expiring fund accounts are listed below.

Expiring Fund Accounts (appropriated general/special/federal revenue): These accounts follow a year-end timeline that allows for a 31-day close out period for transaction payments; however, purchase orders must be encumbered by June 30, 2002. These accounts will be closed on July 31, 2002.

May 1: This is the last day requisitions (WV-35) for bids referencing expiring funds may be submitted to the Purchasing Division's Acquisition and Contract Administration (ACA) Section for processing.

All pre-approvals (CTO, IS&C, Attorney General, etc., if applicable) must be obtained prior to submitting the expiring funds requisitions to the Purchasing Division. The agency is responsible for all pre-approvals. Requisitions should be clearly marked "Expiring Funds." Requisitions not clearly marked will be processed in the normal matter.

Agencies should closely monitor all expiring requisitions being processed in the Purchasing Division and not assume the buyer is aware that the requisition is expiring.

June 11: This is the last day for non-bid requisitions (change orders, direct purchase orders, emergency purchase orders and/or equipment contract orders) referencing expiring funds to be submitted to the Purchasing Division's ACA Section.

Requisitions "walked through" will be permitted until 1 p.m. on June 28, 2002. Please note that the Attorney General’s approval may be required for processing.

After Purchasing has executed the purchase order, the agency is responsible for obtaining all necessary signatures and returning to the Purchasing Division’s Administration Unit by 3 p.m. for encumbrance to occur.

The Purchasing Division’s Admini-stration Unit will accept Higher Education purchase orders up to 3 p.m. on June 28th for encumbrance. It is the responsibility of the college or university to obtain all required signatures prior to encumbrance. Agencies must deliver all paperwork to the Auditor’s Office by 5 p.m. in order to complete the transaction by close of business.

June 10: This is the first day that fiscal year 2003 encumbrance documents may be entered into WVFIMS. These transactions can only be approved to the Purchasing Division, Org. 0200. The Purchasing Division may not be able to electronically approve these transactions to the State Auditor’s Office until July 1, 2002.

July 1: This is the first day that the Purchasing Division may encumber and electronically approve fiscal year 2003 encumbrance documents to the State Auditor’s Office.

The following should be used as the official Purchasing Division timeline for non-expiring fund accounts (non-appropriated special revenue/reappropriated accounts):

June 10: This is the first day the Purchasing Division may encumber and electronically approve fiscal year 2003 encumbrance documents to the State Auditor’s Office.

June 24: All encumbrance transactions (WVFIMS purchase orders and purchase order adjustments) that were not processed by the Purchasing Division by this date will be rejected to the agency of origin.

In the case of a rejected WVFIMS purchase order, if you elect to resubmit this transaction for fiscal year 2003, do not delete the ‘P’ document, but modify it to be funded by fiscal year 2003 accounts and re-approved to Org. 0200. In the case of a rejected purchase order adjustment, if the WVFIMS purchase order it references has been flagged for rollover, the purchase order adjustment (X-Document) must be deleted for the rollover process to proceed for that purchase order.

Any WVFIMS purchase order with a pending purchase order adjustment of (UAP, UPP, REJ, REA) at the time of purchase order closeout/rollover will not have a rollover document created, even if it is flagged for rollover. If the agency chooses not to delete the rejected ‘X’ document, it would be necessary for the agency to modify the existing purchase order adjustment after the completion of year-end processing to manually rollover the WVFIMS purchase order.

Further, all WVFIMS purchase orders and the purchase order adjustments must be modified to be funded by fiscal year 2003 accounts and re-approved to Org. 0200 with a status of UPP before the Purchasing Division can encumber. Purchase orders and change orders will be held in Purchasing until the agency approves the WVFIMS document to Org. 0200.

July 1: Agencies may modify any encumbrance document that was rejected to their agency due to year-end processing to reflect the correct fiscal year on the split screen. Agencies may also begin approving fiscal year 2002 transactions. This is dependent upon approved expenditure schedules being filed with the Budget Office.

Purchase orders with a start date of July 1, 2002 will be held by the Purchasing Division until funds associated with the contract can be encumbered on WVFIMS for fiscal year 2002. The schedule date for encumbrance of these funds is July 1, 2002. All P- and X-Documents must have the correct fiscal year accounting information before the Purchasing Division can encumber these purchase orders. The Purchasing Division will execute these documents quickly, so the vendor will have an encumbered purchase order to begin work.

Questions regarding this process may be directed to Jo Ann Dunlap at (304) 558-0059.

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The Voice of the Purchasing Division
                                     Meet Laura Brotherton!

Laura BrothertonMany of our customers have spoken to Laura Brotherton, fondly referred to as the Voice of the Purchasing Division. Laura serves as the division’s telephone receptionist, answering calls from vendors, state agencies and the general public.

Prior to Laura joining the Purchasing Division, an automated attendant, a.k.a. voice mail, would attempt to assist our callers, but the need for a live person was evident. The response to this change was extremely positive and Laura has proven to be very helpful in directing calls to the appropriate person in a friendly, courteous manner.

Each employee in the Purchasing Division has a direct telephone number; however, if the person is currently using the telephone line or is unavailable, the caller has the option to be directed to Laura for assistance.

She also assists two other employees, Beverly Toler and Kim Tomalin, in the division’s reception area for customers who visit our location.

The Purchasing Division continues to look at ways to improve customer services while expediting our services in an efficient and accurate manner.

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Current Statewide Contract Update

Information and dates (as of March 16, 2002) included in this Current Statewide Contract Update are subject to change. If you need additional information, please contact the appropriate state buyer.

Contracts to be Awarded

Contract: CABLE
Description:
Coaxial Cable (A)
File:
21
Vendor:
State Electric
Effective Date:
02/28/02

Contract: SOAP
Description:
Liquid Soap and Dispensers
File:
22
Vendor:
WVARF
Effective
Date: 03/08/02

Contract: PC
Description:
Police Cruisers
File:
33
Vendor:
Stephens Auto, Dutch Miller
Effective Date:
10/14/02

Contract: MV
Description:
Motor Vehicles
File:
33
Vendor:
Various Vendors
Effective Date:
10/14/02

Contracts to be Bid or Under Evaluation

Contract: IPTEMP
Description:
Temporary Personnel - Information Processing
File:
21
Bid Opening:
04/03/02
Under Evaluation:
Yes

Contract: SANPAP
Description:
Sanitary Paper Supplies
File:
22
Bid Opening:
01/30/02
Under Evaluation:
Yes

Contract: IMAGE
Description:
Document Imaging
File:
21
Vendor:
WVARF
Expiration Date:
01/31/03

Contract: FLRMAC
Description:
Floor Machines
File:
22
Vendor:
Wholesale Vacuum Connection
Expiration Date:
05/14/03

Contract: CARPET
Description:
Carpet and Rugs
File:
42
Vendor:
Family Carpet
Expiration Date:
01/09/03

Contract: PAINT
Description:
Paint and Paint Supplies
File:
42
Vendor:
Fairmont Paint Center
Expiration Date:
02/28/02

Contracts to be Reviewed

APRIL

File 21: ROUTER
Cisco Systems Routers/Maintenance

File 21: COPIERS
Copy Machines

MAY

File 21: SAT
Satellite transponder Time

File 21: DIGCOP
Digital Copiers

File 22: DWASH
Dishwashing Materials

File 22: BARSOAP
Bar Soap

File 22: LAUNDRY
Laundry Materials

File 22: WIPING
Wiping Cloths

File 33: OIL
Lubricants and Oil

File 33: RE-OIL
Re-Refined Oil Products

File 33: CEREAL
Breakfast Foods


Purchasing Division Staff

For questions concerning these contracts listed, please contact the appropriate buyer:

File 21
Charlyn Miller
(558-0067)

File 22
Pam Jones
(558-0468)

File 31
Evan Williams
(558-2596)

File 33
John Johnston
(558-0492)

File 41
Ron Price

(558-2316)

File 42 
Betty Francisco
(558-0468)

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Questions?...Just Ask!

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:

Name:

Organization:

E-Mail Address:

Telephone:

Need Information About:

 

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Thank You for Viewing our April 2002 Issue of The Buyers Network

Contracts to be Renewed