Last update: 02/27/2012

Washington Purchasing Manual Training

The Washington Purchasing Manual (WPM) serves as a reference guide for implementing statewide purchasing policy and became effective July 1, 2003. Over the last several years, the WPM training covered a broad range of public purchasing topics. For many attendees, the curriculum covered more information than their duties required. Beginning in the spring of 2009, General Administration will replace the WPM training curriculum with three new classes that have been tailored to meet the various needs of state purchasers.

Class Descriptions:

  • Introduction to Washington State Purchasing—This half day class introduces attendees to basic procurement concepts which will be complemented with an array of guest speakers representing the AG, DIS, OFM, PRT, DOE, OWMBE, SAO, CI, and the Ethics Board. The goal of this class is to help purchasers understand what they need to do to conform to public purchasing guidelines when acquiring necessary goods and services.
  • Intermediate Purchasing—Not all goods and services are available through state contracts and the aim of this class is to help purchasers understand what needs to happen to most effectively fulfill their purchasing needs. In this class we’ll cover the requisition process to include needs analysis, market research, specification writing and more.
  • Advanced Purchasing—Many of the goods and services that the state purchases are unique to an individual agency. To most effectively fulfill the need and competitive procurement requirements, the OSP will often delegate its purchasing authority for an individual transaction, a specific commodity group or a dollar threshold for a specific agency. The advanced class will be designed to assist those who are responsible for conducting the bid process. We will survey the OSP bid template and other complementary forms. We’ll also discuss strategies for achieving best value and successfully navigating the bid process.

Upcoming training

  • There is no training scheduled at this time.

Eligibility

This training is provided to all state agencies at no charge

Registration:

Please keep in mind that space is limited and there may be a waiting list. Cancellations must be received at least 10 days prior to the seminar date.

Special Assistance:

If you need require special assistance, please contact us at least 3 weeks in advance.

Questions:

If you have questions, please contact Policy and Protest Manager at (360) 902-7400.