Last update: 11/06/2009

Procurement Reform

The Department of General Administration is leading the effort to review state procurement rules, policies and procedures to identify areas for potential streamlining.

A state agency work team for procurement reform agrees that current laws and policies must be standardized before more efficient processes and tools can be designed and used to support them. The state’s procurement reform work is proceeding along two tracks:

  • Moving toward a common approach to register vendors and notify them of business opportunities with the state of Washington.
  • Implementing a standardized statewide commodity code system.

Background

In 2004, Washington state central service agencies began the Roadmap for Washington State Financial and Administrative Policies, Processes, Systems and Data (Roadmap). The Roadmap was originally a collaborative effort among state agencies to create a comprehensive plan to meet the governor’s and Legislature’s demands for better information, improved management systems and streamlined business processes and policies.

Common vendor notification and registration system

The initial recommendation from Roadmap procurement reform work is to establish a statewide policy for a single vendor-registration and bid-notification system. That recommendation has led to the identification of Washington’s Electronic Business Solutions, or WEBS, as the preferred solution.

Commodity code standardization

The Information Services Board (ISB) adopted the National Institute of Government Purchasing (NIGP) Commodity Codes Data Standards for agency procurement and supply chain management systems at the October 8, 2009 ISB meeting.

General Administration worked with the state’s Enterprise Architecture Committee, the Office of Financial Management, and statewide Procurement and Financial groups to complete the business case and draft Standards.

The ISB NIGP Commodity Codes Data Standards are available at: http://isb.wa.gov/policies/eaprogram.aspx

Enterprise and Agency Benefits

  • Improved reporting and decision-making – The standards position the state to improve state spend reports, better vendor management, and establish a common coding system for supply chain management and procurement systems.
  • The change will be transparent to most agencies – most agencies will simply utilize the new NIGP Commodity Codes in changes to state systems like Washington's Electronic Business Solution WEBS and future enterprise supply chain systems.
  • Incremental approach- Minimized impact - The standards apply to new procurement and supply chain management systems or to existing ones when significantly redesigned or replaced. Although, agencies may choose to begin to incorporate now.

8 Procurement Reform Goals

Vendor Management

  1. Centralized vendor registration
  2. Notification of opportunities
  3. Performance management

Standardized Coding

  1. Standardized codes to better understand statewide spend data

Procurement Management

  1. Common methodology to business analysis and process
  2. Enterprise alignment of procurement standards and practices
  3. Management accountability for enterprise procurement practices
  4. Education and training requirements aligned with duties and policy requirements

 

Major Deliverables Finish
1.7 Implement Procurement Reform Policy change to normalize vendor registration and vendor notification of state business opportunities. Address Procurement Reform goals 1 & 2 11/1/08
2.7 Begin work to develop NIGP Commodity Code System implementation plan for the migration from the State Custom Version of the Federal Supply Code for the Department of General Administration and for other state agencies.  11/9/09
The Information Services Board's(ISB) Enterprise Architecture Committee voted unanimously today (Wednesday, August 26, 2009) to endorse the following Data Standards Initiative documents expected to be presented for October 8, 2009 ISB adoption:

The ISB approved the adoption of the NIGP Commodity Code as a data standard for the state of Washington to address procurement reform goals: http://isb.wa.gov/policies/eaprogram.aspx

 8/26/09

 

 

 

Contact us

General Administration project lead:

Servando Patlan
Office of State Procurement
360-902-7449
spatlan@ga.wa.gov

General Administration executive sponsor:

Christine Warnock
Purchasing Agent
Office of State Procurement
(360) 902-7417
cwarnoc@ga.wa.gov