ISB Action Clears the Way for Single Location for All Procurement Notifications
August 12, 2008 - At its July 10 meeting, the Information Services Board (ISB) approved an update to its Information Technology Investment Standards changing the current requirement that agencies advertise IT procurements above a certain threshold in three separate locations to providing notifications at a single location.
The Washington Electronic Business Solution (WEBS) system, managed by the Department of General Administration, currently provides notification of procurements for non-IT goods and services. The update to the ISB IT Investments Standards adds IT procurement notifications to WEBS beginning on November 1, 2008.
This action is part of a plan to facilitate statewide implementation of a new Roadmap Procurement Reform Policy of identifying and requiring a single location for registering and notifying vendors of all state procurement opportunities. The Roadmap policy, also effective November 1, 2008, applies when state rules require advertising of procurements for goods and services under GA, ISB, OFM and/or State Printer purchasing authorities. Though not mandatory, agencies will be encouraged to apply the policy when conducting procurements that don’t require advertising.
Several steps are in process between now and November 1 to facilitate a smooth transition to WEBS, including updating the system’s commodity codes to better support IT procurements, implementing a communications plan to notify agencies and vendors of the change to WEBS, designing a training program for new users and adding GA help desk resources to support agency and vendor users. WEBS was already updated to comply with ISB security standards.
Click here to find more detailed information on the ISB. Click here to find out more about the Procurement Reform effort.