VENDOR INFORMATION

Getting your electronic products catalog linked on e-BUY!Ohio

E-BUY!OHIO VENDOR PROCEDURES

1.      Contract Award

A contractor must first have an award on a state term contract or state term schedule to be linked to e-BUY!Ohio. See instructions below on "Getting an award on a state term contract and state term schedule".

2.      Submitting Enrollment Questionnaire On-line

If your company currently holds a state term contract or state term schedule with the Department of Administrative Services (DAS), you may submitt the e-BUY!Ohio Vendor Enrollment Questionnaire On-line.

3.      Enrollment Questionnaire Review

You will be notified by either e-mail or a phone call that your questionnaire has been received and is being reviewed. The questionnaire will then be reviewed to see if the following criteria have been met:

• The contractor is currently on a state term contract or a state term schedule.
• The contractor has a valid and working website.
• The contractor is able to offer our users a customized catalog that shows only those items on contract and with contract pricing.
• The contractor is able to accommodate the user ID's and passwords that will be assigned.

4.      Website Testing

Once it has been determined that a contractor meets the criteria above, the website will be visited. A test link to the website will be set up and testing will begin. Testing of the website will include but not be limited to:

5.      Vendor Notification

Once testing is completed successfully, DAS will notify the vendor.  The two parties will agree on a date that the system will be put into operation.

6.      Initial User ID Search

DAS will provide to the vendor a list of current e-Buy!Ohio user IDs.  The vendor will search their system for these IDs.  Any IDs already allocated to users in the vendors' system will be reported to DAS. 

7.      Initial Operation

The actual link will go live and the contractor's website will appear on e-BUY!Ohio as a link under the appropriate category, such as office supplies, copy paper, hardware/repair items, etc.  State users and cooperative purchasing members with existing IDs and passwords will visit the vendor site and complete their own applications and profile forms (if necessary).  Once set up in the vendor system, they can begin to shop immediately.

8.      Ongoing Operation

In enrolling new users for e-Buy!Ohio, the Office of Procurement Services will ask the vendor periodically to search for specific user IDs in the vendors' e-catalog system.  This is to ensure that a proposed e-Buy!Ohio user ID is not already assigned in the vendor's system.  Within three business days, the vendor will reply as to whether the particular ID is already assigned. If the vendor does not respond within three business days, it will be assumed that the user ID has not been previously assigned and will be assigned to the requesting user.

9.    Reporting

Vendors are asked to submit to the Office of Procurement Services quarterly reports summarizing purchasing activity through e-Buy!Ohio. Reports should include the following information for all state agencies and all co-op members:

• Number of users
• $ activity: in total and per user
• Number of transactions:  in total and per user

Getting an award on a state term contract
The competitive selection process is the state's preferred method of buying supplies and services. Notice of potential purchases is provided to all bidders who have registered with DAS for the respective supplies or services. DAS notifies all vendors registered with the Office of State Purchasing of pending bids or proposals by e-mail notification.

Invitations to Bid are generally posted 15 days or more preceding the date of bid opening, and Requests for Proposals may be posted four to five weeks preceding the date of opening. Interested vendors may pick up a bid issued by State Purchasing at the State Purchasing Bid Desk, 4200 Surface Road, Columbus, Ohio 43228 or may download the bid from the State Procurement web site.

Questions or registration requests should be directed to (614) 466-5090. Vendors may start the registration process by mail or on line.

Contracts awarded as a result of the bidding process generally have a term generally from one to five years. To view a listing of the current contracts with corresponding index numbers select Alpha List. Also, you may view the current contract by choosing the appropriate index from the Index Listing.

Getting a state term schedule
In some cases, contracts are negotiated between DAS and manufacturers for use by all state agencies and political subdivisions. State Term Schedules require the vendor to provide the state with either the manufacturer's Federal GSA pricing or their best commercial pricing. Strict guidelines govern the state's authority to accept and negotiate product, prices, terms and conditions from qualifying companies. Requests for more information about state term schedules should be directed to: DAS Office of State Purchasing (non-IT supplies and services), 4200 Surface Road, Columbus, OH 43228, (614) 466-0539; DAS Acquisitions Management (IT supplies and services) 30 E. Broad St., 40th Floor, Columbus, Ohio 43215, (614) 728-8837.