Doing Business with the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) Supplier Overview

Office of the Chancellor Dixon University Center 2986 North Second Street Harrisburg, PA Click on Business Partners* *This will open to the Strategic Sourcing page. Location

Melodi Benson Director, Strategic Sourcing Linda Venneri Collaborative Contracts Manager Robert Gross Purchasing Manager-Dixon University Center Procurement Organization

I. University Level : Each of the 14 state owned Universities of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education has its own Procurement Department. Each University manages both construction and overall procurement needs for the University. 3 main levels of procurement at PASSHE

II. Construction Support Office (CSO): CSO is a component of the Facilities Management Office located in the Office of the Chancellor. Supports the State System's 14 Universities with a variety of facilities design and construction procurement-related functions. 3 main levels of procurement at PASSHE

III. Strategic Sourcing Department : Located at Dixon University Center. Collaborates and supports the State System’s 14 Universities by sourcing commodities and services based on volume spend inclusive across the System. Provides contract management support for the System. Provides all the Procurement requirements for the Dixon University Center. 3 main levels of procurement at PASSHE

First, if you are not already registered, go to the PASSHE eProcurement web site and register as a vendor. This will get you noticed by many of the Universities during solicitations. Please be certain to register under the correct service areas and NIGP codes. You do not need to be on this list to do business with PASSHE. As part of our procurement laws, we do open competitive bidding for procurements over $18,900. That means if you are a supplier that meets the requirements of the solicitation, you may bid. How to become a PASSHE supplier

Qualifying Solicitations: Occasionally, RFPs (proposals) are issued as Qualifying Solicitations (QCCs). This is done for pre-determined commodities or services (i.e., IT services, Temp Labor). The process requires that you must submit to the initial RFI and be selected for qualification in order to receive future requests for quotation (RFQs) for those items. How to become a PASSHE supplier

Become familiar with the PASSHE policies and guidelines. These can be found on the PASSHE web site. Solicitations are posted by both the Universities and the Office of the Chancellor. Ultimately, it is the supplier’s responsibility to look for bid opportunities. How to become a PASSHE supplier

Provide excellent customer service and value to the PASSHE organization through negotiation and cost-saving initiatives. Provide quality products and services at the best value, i.e., price, quality, delivery, and supplier partnership. Demonstrate and support social responsibility within the Procurement organization. Always maintain the highest level of ethical and legal standards throughout all our business transactions and relationships. Our Mission

Excellent Customer Service Quality Products The expectation is that suppliers will PARTNER with us to provide the best overall value. Each University should benefit from the volume provided through collaboration efforts of the Universities. Supplier role

Social Responsibility As an organization that promotes education, we believe in providing assistance to all small or diverse businesses who wish to do business with PASSHE. There are no diverse business set asides—however, if two suppliers are close in an evaluation process and one is a diverse supplier, we will typically award to the diverse supplier. Are you a diverse supplier or do you subcontract with diverse suppliers? Supplier role

Social Responsibility SUSTAINABILITY: How can you support our sustainability initiatives? EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS: How can you assist PASSHE and the surrounding communities in the event of an emergency? Supplier role

Ethical and Legal Standards Compete based on the quality of what you can offer! No back-door selling or lobbying. Positively no gifts! Be patient with the process. Work with the issuing office and they will guide you through the process if you have questions. The issuing office will generally provide debrief sessions upon request. This helps suppliers not selected understand how they can be more successful in the future. Supplier role

Definition: The enhancement added to a product or service by a company before the product is offered to customers. As a supplier, how can you help us demonstrate the best- value expenditure of the public dollar? Do you provide any training or process enhancements for our students, faculty, or staff? Do you support education through internships or scholarships? What kind of discounts or savings opportunities do you offer? (collaboration, standardization, electronic payment method, procurement card payment, etc.?) Value-Added Services

Effective July 2008, any procurement consideration greater than $5,000 must be uploaded to the Treasury website and available for public viewing. Beginning January 1, 2009, anyone can request contract information including unsuccessful bidder information. Suppliers must designate any information they believe is proprietary but the final determination is made by the Open Records officer and Legal Counsel. Look at website and click on ‘Solicitation Supplemental Information’ for additional information. Open Records -- Right to Know

Suggestions on maintaining your business… Manage the relationship. Be proactive! Offer suggestions on improvements that will benefit PASSHE, i.e., quality, delivery, cost savings, time savings, new products, etc. Have regular meetings with your PASSHE and University contacts. If problems occur, address them immediately. Don’t wait until contract is about to expire before we hear from you. Make sure Procurement is aware of your organization contact. Provide detailed spend reporting. Offer additional reporting capabilities if available. Congratulations! You have the contract...now what?