OFM Contract Services Office

Mission

The Office of Financial Management (OFM) Contract Services Office (CSO) provides professional, quality services through effective teamwork and consultation with state agencies to promote sound contracting practices.


Vision

Knowledgeable contracting performed with integrity to instill public confidence.

The OFM Contract Services Office provides a wide range of statewide and internal contract services:

  • Develops statewide policy for personal service and client service contracts.
  • Conducts executive review of personal service contract filings and reported contracts.
  • Provides ongoing contract management training on personal service and client service contracts.
  • Provides frequent consultation to state agencies and institutions of higher education on state contracting.
  • Manages an annual contract risk-based audit.
  • Conducts OFM competitive solicitations for personal service and purchased service contracts.
  • Negotiates OFM's and the Governor's Office service contracts and interagency agreements.

Personal Service (Consulting) Contracts

OFM has been given oversight of personal service contracts awarded by state agencies and institutions of higher education. As part of that responsibility, the OFM Contract Services Office issues state policies and guidelines to assist those involved in procuring, awarding and managing these contracts.

Personal services or consulting services, as they are commonly called, include a variety of types of professional and technical services such as: actuarial services, financial and economic analysis, environmental planning, legal services, management consulting, marketing services, needs assessment, quality assurance, research, scientific studies, statistical analysis, strategic planning, etc.

The state law governing personal services is Revised Code of Washington (RCW) 39.29. Competition for procurement of personal services is provided within the law. State agencies have authority to conduct their own purchases for personal services, but may also access master personal service contracts through the Department of General Administration and the Department of Personnel.

Many personal service contracts are, however, required to be filed with the Office of Financial Management for review and/or approval either prior to start of work or no later than the date of start of work. This review also results in the central location of personal service contract information for ease of public review.

For more information about personal services, see Additional Contract Resources.


Client Service Contracts

OFM is responsible for issuing contract guidelines for client service contracts, but agencies procure and award their own client service contracts. Client services are defined in RCW 39.29.006(2) as: services provided directly to agency clients including, but not limited to, medical and dental services, employment and training programs, residential care, and subsidized housing.

Clients are generally members of the public, external to state government, who have social, physical, medical, economic, or educational needs. These individuals may require government assistance to meet those needs. Clients are those who the agency has statutory responsibility to serve, protect, or oversee.

For example, clients of the Department of Social and Health Services include nursing home patients, institutionalized individuals, or children in need of therapy. Clients of the Department of Labor and Industries include injured workers. Clients of the Employment Security Department include unemployed and displaced workers.

For more information, visit Client Service Contracts Database page.

For more information about client services, see Additional Contract Resources.

 

Risk-Based Audits

Risk-based audits of personal and client service contracting are prepared at the request of the Office of Financial Management, as required by RCW 39.29.120.

 

OFM Interlocal Agreements

The Contract Services Office oversees Interlocal contracting for OFM. Chapter 39.34 RCW, the Interlocal Cooperation Act, provides the authority for Washington State agencies such as OFM to contract with other governmental entities. This law was revised in the 2006 legislative session, and now includes a requirement for either filing Interlocal agreements with county recording offices, or publishing a list of all such contracts.

To comply with this change in RCW 39.34.040, OFM has elected to publish a list of its Interlocal, Intergovernmental and Interagency Agreements at the beginning of each month.

List of all current OFM Interlocal, Intergovernmental & Interagency Agreements

If you have questions about any information in the list, please email.

 

Other Information