Welcome Introduction to the Vend Rep System For

Welcome Introduction to the Vend. Rep System For The Office of General Services Purchasing Forum May 2007

Session Agenda 1. Vendor Responsibility - Background 2. Vend. Rep System Overview 3. Planned Enhancements to Vend. Rep System 4. Vend. Rep System Demonstration New York State Office of the State Comptroller

Vendor Responsibility – Overview • A Responsible Vendor has the capacity to fully perform its contractual obligations, and the integrity to justify the award of public dollars • Factors considered o Financial and Organizational Capacity o Legal Authority o Integrity o Past Performance • Vendor Disclosure New York State Office of the State Comptroller

How is Vendor Responsibility Determined? 1. Vendor makes bid and supplies required responsibility documentation, which can include: • Questionnaire • Supporting documentation 2. State Contracting Agency reviews all available information and makes a responsibility determination 3. For contracts subject to the Comptroller’s review, OSC reviews VR documents, Agency process, and conclusion regarding responsibility determinations New York State Office of the State Comptroller

System Purpose: Why was the Vend. Rep System Developed? VRS supports all parties: business entities (vendors) and state contracting entities (agencies and OSC) in meeting New York State requirements for selecting responsible vendors. New York State Office of the State Comptroller

System Goal: What is the system intended to do? • The Vend. Rep System will serve as an information clearinghouse for vendor responsibility • Secure, centralized and standardized database of accurate, relevant and current information for making responsibility determinations. • Intended to enhance the efficiency of the vendor responsibility processes, and to facilitate communication and information sharing between the contracting parties. New York State Office of the State Comptroller

What the System is Not Attended to Do… The Vend. Rep System is Not: • A Prequalification System • A Bidding System • Changing Agency Responsibilities New York State Office of the State Comptroller

How was the Vend. Rep System Developed? The Vend. Rep System (VRS) was developed through a user-centered, recursive feedback approach. • Stakeholder Focus groups and testing sessions were utilized to develop all parts of the system, particularly the questionnaires and the system functionality. • Future enhancements and phases will be influenced by user feedback collected using both formal and informal evaluation methodology. New York State Office of the State Comptroller

Changes of Note • Standardized Vendor Questionnaires 1. 2. 3. 4. For Profit Not-for-Profit For Profit Construction Not-for-Profit Construction • Online Templates for Financial Statements • Online Help • Access to view Contract Data • Replaces current OSC model Questionnaire New York State Office of the State Comptroller

System Benefits - Agency • Direct and immediate ease of access to current, standardized vendor disclosures (questionnaires) • Online information shared with authorized State Agency users • Reduced costs associated with paper documents, including receipt, distribution and filing • Improved consistency, accuracy and timeliness of the information used in the vendor responsibility review • User support, such as online definitions, online help, and the OSC Help Desk New York State Office of the State Comptroller

System Benefits - Vendors • Ease of completion, filing, access to and submission of the vendor responsibility questionnaire • Multiple authorized users, who you select and manage, can participate in completion of the online questionnaire • Questionnaire updates are filed by changing only those responses from the previous saved filing that require a change • Reduction of costs associated with paper documents, including copying, delivery, and filing New York State Office of the State Comptroller

System Benefits – Vendors, continued • Completed questionnaire information is secure and available only to authorized vendor users. State Agency users only view information upon certification by the vendor • View Past Contract Data, no need to enter data • Facilitation of communication with State Agencies, and State Agencies having access to standardized information and current data • Users have access to OSC-administered Help Desk. New York State Office of the State Comptroller

Future Phases Planned Enhancements to Vend. Rep System • External interfaces to other State Agencies to obtain or verify information • Profile and Agency Certification online • Issues Reporting New York State Office of the State Comptroller

System Demonstration New York State Office of the State Comptroller

Review of System Functions Vendors Agencies Create Basic Vendor Data Search for Certified Vendor Questionnaires Respond to Questionnaires Review Questionnaires Certify Questionnaires Review Vendor Contract Data Set Notifications – to let agency users know when a questionnaire has been certified Review Past Contract Data View Internal Users New York State Office of the State Comptroller Set Notifications – to be contacted when a vendor’s questionnaire is certified View Internal Users

Using the System Participating Contracting Agencies Will be offered Training and outreach materials Receive support in changing their procurement documentation and adopting the newly designed questionnaires Will be encouraged to contact their vendors about the option of using Vend. Rep is a voluntary system—State law requires that vendors be given the option of submitting hard copy VR documentation. New York State Office of the State Comptroller

For Assistance OSC Vend. Rep Website www. osc. state. ny. us/vendrep OSC Vend. Rep Team Vend. Rep@osc. state. ny. us 518 -408 -3687 OSC Help Desk New York State Office of the State Comptroller Help. Desk@osc. state. ny. us