Ethics in any profession is of utmost importance; however, in the public sector, the importance is magnified.

Because state government utilizes taxpayer's money to operate programs and make purchases of goods and services, the public needs to be assured that the process used to make those purchases are done so in the most cost-effective, ethical manner.

The West Virginia Purchasing Division is an active member of the National Institute of Governmental Purchasing, Inc. and abides by the Code of Ethics which the Institute has initiated.

The Institute believes, and it is a condition of membership, that the following ethical principles should govern the conduct of every person employed by any public sector procurement or materials management organization:

The Purchasing Division encourages all agency purchasers to prescribe to this Code of Ethics or to create a similar code to follow in performing their job responsibilities.

Ferguson Named Cabinet Secretary of Department of Administration

On January 11, 2005, Gov. Joe Manchin III appointed Robert W. Ferguson, Jr. as cabinet secretary of the Department of Administration. The Purchasing Division is organizationally structured under this department.

A native of Long Island, Ferguson spent 22 years in the Marines, performing a variety of command and staff assignments that included commanding all the Marine Recruiters in West Virginia from 1991-1994. He also is a combat veteran of Desert Shield / Desert Storm.

Ferguson holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from the Citadel, the Military College in Charleston, S.C, and a master’s degree in management from National University in San Diego, California. In addition, he is a graduate of the Marine Corps’ Command and Staff College.

Most recently, he worked as the fleet fueling sales manager and the retail dealer operations manager for Petroleum Products, a petroleum distribution company in Belle.

The Purchasing Division looks forward to working closely with Cabinet Secretary Ferguson on issues relative to state procurement and other services, including fleet, travel, fixed assets and surplus property, which our division administers for state government.

By Dave Tincher
State Purchasing Director

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Employee Parking Office Addresses Assigned Spaces

The Employee Parking Unit of the Purchasing Division recently advised state employees who have assigned spaces at the Capitol Complex what to do should a car park in their space.

Parking Manager Janice Boggs explained that if an employee arrives and someone has parked in their assigned space, the proper procedure is to notify the parking attendant at the Piedmont Road guardhouse. The attendant will provide a space to the employee until the situation can be resolved.

Should this problem occur on a regular basis, you are advised to contact Parking Manager Janice Boggs at 558-0086 or via e-mail at jboggs@wvadmin.gov or Parking Assistant Barry Gunnoe at 558-2614 or via e-mail at bgunnoe@wvadmin.gov.

Hourly Computer Services, Inc. (HCSI), a full-service information technology firm, is one of the contractors servicing the statewide contract for information processing equipment (SWC-IP). This contract offers computer hardware and software for state agencies and political subdivisions.

In 1992, HCSI first began working with the state; one year later, it was being awarded the statewide IP contract. It has been consistently doing business with the state ever since.

"It was one of the best things that ever happened to our company because it helped us grow," said Vice President Ben Mohebbie. "At one point when the job market was very low, we were hiring 40 people because of having this statewide contract."

Under the IP contract, Mohebbie indicates HCSI works closely with the Information Services and Communications Division who helps direct their resources.

HCSI has three different types of customers — commercial customers, state agencies, and federal agencies. By doing business with the state, Mohebbie said it has helped them contract with bigger commercial companies, like CISCO and Hewlett Packard.

HCSI provides complete technology solutions for networking, service and distribution of computers and peripherals as well as training on a variety of hardware and software configurations. They also provide networking integration services to federal government agencies, such as Army Corps, Wildlife Resources and the Internal Revenue Service.

Mohebbie is pleased with the good working relationship between his company and the state. He adds the purchasing conferences are a great source for building communication among vendors, agencies and the Purchasing Division.

HCSI was started in 1991 by Mohebbie’s wife, Cathy, after moving to West Virginia from California where Ben worked in the aerospace industry. At that time, HCSI focused on providing affordable computer rentals to the local community in Huntington. In 1994, the focus became technology networking at which time she built a strong partnership with Fortune 500 leaders by becoming a partner with Microsoft, IBM, HP, Citrix, Gateway, Lexmark and Novell.

In 2004, she implemented Partnering Solutions, which focuses on small business development technology consultations. The company opened other branches in Kentucky and Ohio, with additional branches expected in 2005. She added that doing business with West Virginia state government is important to their company’s growth and stability and in securing their employees’ jobs.

"HCSI prides itself in providing excellent customized client services and guarantees the quality of their efforts to their customers," he said.

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The New Business Development Office of the Purchasing Division assists vendors and promotes competition within the state’s procurement process. This office encourages vendor participation and aids in expanding the pool of registered vendors within state government.

All inquiries by potential vendors as referred by the Purchasing Division, other state agencies and representatives of the Small Business Development Centers of the West Virginia Development Office are referred to the New Business Development Office.

The goal of the New Business Development Office is to ensure that the first steps taken by interested vendors result in a positive experience with state government. One-on-one meetings are held with the vendors and the information provided by this office is invaluable to new or established business interested in adding state government to its customer base. The office also offered regional seminars last year to assist state vendors.

This office not only assists businesses in locating an appropriate market for their goods and services within state government, but continues to guide those businesses as they conduct business and/or attempt to expand their business relationship with state government.

State agencies are encouraged to direct vendors who may have questions regarding the state purchasing process to the New Business Development Office. For more information, contact New Business Development Manager Scott Padon at 558-3488 or via e-mail at spadon@wvadmin.gov.

In a recent memorandum from Deputy Attorney General Dawn Warfield, a change to a countersignature requirement has been made. Pursuant to a 2004 amendment to the West Virginia Code, §33-12-11, a West Virginia resident agent countersignature is no longer required on any surety bond issued on or after December 31, 2004.

Accordingly, as long as there is a valid signature for the surety, the Attorney General's Office will not disapprove any bond executed after that date for lack of a countersignature.

FEBRUARY

CRENTAL
Car Rental Services

LGLOVES
Latex Gloves

File 21
Charlyn Miller
(558-0067)

File 22
Vacant
(558-0468)

File 23
Chuck Bowman
(558-2157)

Thank you for viewing our February 2005 Issue of The Buyers Network