Office of State Purchasing Small Business Forum Folsom Branch Library Folsom, Louisiana August 5, 2009

Office of State Purchasing Website :

For Whom We Purchase OSP purchases for all state agencies except the following: Louisiana State University System Southern University System Board of Trustees of State Colleges and Universities System Special school and institutions supervised by BESE Board LA Community and Technical Colleges Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) for road, highway, bridge construction and materials Dept. of Education for text books, scientific and lab equipment, teaching materials, devices and supplies

Office of Contractual Review Professional, personal, consulting, and social services Handled by Division of Administration’s Office of Contractual Review (OCR) OCR maintains a listing of responsible prospective contractors for consulting services This listing of prequalified offerers is provided to requesting agencies who intend to issue a Request for Proposal for such services OCR Website:

Office of Facility Planning and Control (OFPC) Responsible for the administration of the Capital Outlay budget. Advertisement for Bids – in The Advocate newspaper and in a newspaper in the locality of the project. Usually notices will also appear in trade journals such as the Daily Journal of Commerce and the Dodge Report. Most of the advertised projects are for bid by general contractors, however some are of limited scope such as roofing, waterproofing, mechanical equipment replacement, fire protection systems, hazardous material abatement and similar work. Additional bid information can be found at the website under “Design and Construction” as well as electronic notification of Advertisements for Bid:

How Businesses Are Informed Of Bid Opportunities Register in LaPAC:

How To Be Informed Of Bid Opportunities Register in LaPAC LaPAC ( Louisiana Procurement and Contract) Network - Centralized electronic site for posting bid opportunities - Vendors self-enroll - May enroll multiple locations - Vendors select commodities classes of interest - Vendors are automatically notified via when bid opportunities are posted in the selected commodities - Accessible for bid, addenda, and award searches 24/7 - Search by: commodity, department, bid number, open bids - FREE!! No Charge to Vendors Request to be placed on agencies bid lists – DOTD, colleges and universities

Marketing Your Business And Product In State Agencies Make personal visits to agencies and meet with procurement and contracting personnel Conduct a professional demonstration of product and leave brochures, etc. Form relationships with prime contractors Become a distributor or dealer on a statewide contract Market your subcontracting abilities Do not discredit your competitor’s product or services; stand on your own merit

Points to Remember When Submitting Bids Thoroughly review the bid document for all requirements Do not change terms and conditions; bid may be rejected Contact the individual on the document for any questions or clarifications Attend pre-bid conferences and site visits Attend pre-bid conferences and site visits Ask questions prior to the bid opening Ensure bid document is complete Submit bid prior to bid opening date/time Do not change the F.O.B. point Timely submit any required bonding, insurance certificates, samples, literature etc. that are outlined in the document Submit bid on forms provided Sign the bid Ensure that you have the capacity to execute the contract Contracts are legally binding

SE (Hudson Initiative) Web Page

Louisiana’s Small Entrepreneur Program (Hudson Initiative) This program was established in accordance with LRS 39:2001 through 2008 and LRS 51:931 to provide additional procurement and contracting opportunities for Louisiana- based small entrepreneurships The administrative procedures governing the program are located at The Division of Administration, along with all State Agencies, including Colleges and Universities, is responsible for the overall operation and implementation of the Hudson Initiative The Office of State Purchasing is facilitating the implementation of the Program

Key Features The Program is goal oriented - expenditure goals are established by the Commissioner of Administration for certified SE participation No quotas or set asides will be utilized in implementing the SE program Program participation is race and gender neutral Participation is restricted to Louisiana-based businesses that have been certified as a small entrepreneurship by the Louisiana Department of Economic Development

CERTIFICATION OF BUSINESS IS A REQUIREMENT FOR PARTICIPATION The Louisiana Department of Economic Development is responsible for certification of businesses. Certification is available on-line in the (LED) Small Business Certification System, which is located at Business must be independently owned and operated; owners domiciled in Louisiana; officers must be citizens or legal residents of the United States; principal business office must be in Louisiana Business must have less than fifty (50) full-time employees Business average annual gross receipts are not to exceed $5 million for construction, and $3 million for non- construction for each of the previous three tax years Participation is restricted to Louisiana-based certified businesses

Contact Information Rosemary Jackson, CPPB, Manager Office of State Purchasing Telephone: (225) Office of State Purchasing – Help Desk (225)