A preference law favors in-state vendors. Some states have this law. For example, Ohio will pay up to 5% more to an in-state bidder vs. an out-of-state bidder. Why? To keep the business in-state. What if you’re a North Dakota bidder and want to bid in Ohio? Then you’re at a disadvantage. Preference laws restrict competition [...]
Who Buys What? The State Procurement Office purchases goods, services, and printing subject to the procurement requirements of NDCC 54-44.4. Here are some fun facts as of January 2012: Approximately 140 state contracts 79 of those are cooperative contracts used by political subs State Contracts listed at www.nd.gov/spo Some goods and services are not subject to [...]
State Procurement Bidding Thresholds State agencies have unlimited delegated authority to purchase goods and services Printing under $2,500 may be purchased by agencies Printing over $2,500 must be purchased by the SPO with some exceptions State employees who purchase are required to attain procurement training. Keep in mind that it is a state policy that [...]
A cooperative contract is a contract that is made available to other government entities. It might be a state contract that is made available to agencies, political subs, university systems, public schools or even other states. This allows others to benefit from the state contract discounts we have received. The State Procurement Office can enter into cooperative [...]
North Dakota’s purchasing policy says, “It is state policy to provide comprehensive purchasing services based upon sound procurement practices and principles wherein, through full competition with fair and equal opportunity to all qualified persons to sell to the state, each state agency and institution shall obtain its necessary commodities and services at competitive cost, consistent with quality, time, [...]
A Word (Or Two) About Procurement Laws and Rules The North Dakota Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is the regulatory agency for State Procurement, and OMB has the authority to operate a centralized purchasing service for printing, products, and services under ND Century Code Chapter 54-44.4. OMB also promulgates rules related to State Procurement. These laws and [...]
A lot of vendors don’t really understand what the difference is between private and public procurement. It might help to think of it this way: Private companies can do anything as long as it is not in violation of law. Public procurement officers can only do what is allowed by law. Think of how things [...]
Welcome to the very first blog entry from the State Procurement Office. The State Procurement Office is housed within the Central Services Division of the North Dakota Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Since this is our first week discussing state procurement, let’s start with the basics…. “What exactly is procurement?” Procurement is the process of purchasing, [...]
