State of Nebraska Procurement

Presented to: Veterans in Business Forum

Lincoln, NE - June 7, 2013Omaha, NE – June 13, 2013

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State Purchasing Bureau (402)471-6500

Bo BotelhoMateriel Administrator & AS General Counsel

Brenda PapeState Procurement Manager

Rita KuceraState Procurement Supervisor

Kate SeverinState Procurement Supervisor

◦ Standardized, open and fair process

◦ Performance-based contracting methods

◦ Standardized method of selection

◦ Assures a fair assessment of qualifications and capabilities for project completion

◦ Accountable, efficient reporting method of expenditures for those services

◦ Transparent

Why do business with the State?

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Based on generally accepted principles for government procurement, including:

◦ Competition: To get best pricing

◦ Protect: The State’s and Taxpayer’s interests

◦ Fairness: To provide a level playing field for all vendors

◦ Transparency: Provides a record of the bid process, evaluation and award

◦ Standardization: To provide a uniform method in obtaining large volume of goods and services

◦ Ethics: Quality, integrity, impartiality

Procurement Process

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Read entire bid/proposal.

Review submittal for accuracy and completeness.

Submit a timely bid (one minute late, bid may be rejected).

Submit a signed bid package complete with all the mandatory forms.

Price the bid competitively.

Demonstrate responsiveness and responsibility.

Submit questions for clarification. NOTE: Inquiries generally are required in writing.

If applicable, attend pre-bid and/or post award conferences.

Bid exceptions may disqualify bidder.

Become a Successful Bidder

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“Must” / “Will” / “Shall” – mandatory requirement

“Should” / “May”– recommended condition

Key Words

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Communicate with state agency and buyer

Register with the State – Review state information and website

Respond to RFP or ITB

Don’t “assume,” clarify!

Solicit clarifications prior to bid opening

Understand “must,” “shall,” and “should” requirements

Use Q & A periods

Use the pricing provided, use the units requested!

Tips for Winning Contracts

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Vendors owe the State:

◦The courtesy of reading the entire solicitation document

◦Don’t wait – tell the State as soon as you discover issues with the specifications

◦Ask questions during the solicitation process; not in your proposal

◦Not discussing the solicitation with anyone other than the procurement officer

During the solicitation…

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Vendors owe the State:

◦A good faith offer to sell

◦A clear, comprehensive offer

◦A definitive price

◦An unqualified offer

In the Preparation of Responses…

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Follow instructions.

Adhere to critical deadlines.

Offer to meet the requirements of the RFP.

Focus on the Scope of Work, Specifications, Proposal Instructions, and Bidding Schedule/Price Proposal.

Organize your proposal response as required, specifically looking to the Proposal Instructions section of the RFP for guidance.

Write clear, definitive statements.

Use an overview of the proposed solution both for the substance and business portions of the response to focus the evaluators.

Be thorough, but concise.

Be careful that maintenance, support and license agreements don’t conflict with terms of the solicitation.

Do not expect evaluators to interpret your proposal. It’s your job to be clear; not theirs to interpret what you mean.

Tips on Proposal Response Development

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Vendors never, ever…◦ Take exception to or re-write the requirements of the solicitation. If you wish,

offer to meet the specifications and then offer alternative solutions.

◦ Qualify your proposal response.

◦ Overlook or refuse to submit critical information requested.

◦ Unless expressly requested, don’t mention your cost; we don’t care – what is my price?

◦ Alter the pricing units.

◦ Include canned product literature that may contradict the RFP’s requirements.

◦ Alter the bidding schedule.

Tips on Proposal ResponseDevelopment

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Posted on State Purchasing Bureau website –◦ http://das.nebraska.gov/materiel/purchasing/rfp.htm ◦ Lists Invitations to Bid for commodity one-time purchases and commodity contracts; and ◦ Requests for Proposals for service contracts

Become a registered vendor by completing Vendor Application – ◦ found at: http://das.nebraska.gov/materiel/purchasing/vendorinfo.htm◦ Randomly chosen vendors (up to 20 vendors) will receive a letter announcing the

solicitations and directing them to the website for more information.◦ NOTE: It is not required that a vendor be registered with State Purchasing to do business

with the State of Nebraska, although if a company is not on our mailing list they may not receive all information regarding bid opportunities.

Publication of Public Notice – ◦ Bid opportunities for services may be advertised in the Lincoln Journal Star, the Omaha

World Herald, or both.

State Purchasing Bid Opportunities

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Posted on State Building Division Website - ◦ http://www.statebuildingdivision-planroom.nebraska.gov/View/Default.aspx◦ Contact information and how to obtain a bid package is listed under Job Purchase Info

Non-Profit Organizations – Organizations receive notice of construction bid opportunities and are available to their members◦ Lincoln Builders Bureau - http://www.buildersbureau.com/default.asp ◦ Omaha Builders Exchange - http://omahaplanroom.com/

Publication of Public Notice – ◦ bid opportunities are advertised in a local area newspaper

Building Division Bid Opportunities

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Questions

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