COSTARS Member Information and System Training January 2014

Transcription

1 COSTARS Member Information and System Training January

2 Contents Topic Page Number COSTARS Program Overview 3 COSTARS System Overview & Navigation 6 User and Organization Membership Registration 10 Create/Update Salt Request Form 19 Search COSTARS Contracts 23 COSTARS Contact Information

3 COSTARS Program Overview - 3 -

4 What is COSTARS? COSTARS is the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's cooperative purchasing program administered by the Department of General Services (DGS) Bureau of Procurement (BOP). The COSTARS program provides registered local public procurement units (LPPU) as well as stateaffiliated entities within the Commonwealth (together "members") and suppliers (or vendors ) a tool to find and do business with each other effectively through the use of a contract established by DGS. This approach to cooperative purchasing leverages the purchasing power of thousands of local entities, combined with the state, to obtain more competitive pricing and choice than individual purchasers might be able to obtain on their own, while eliminating the time and expensive costs of public bidding procedures, and at the same time, providing increased opportunities for thousands of businesses of all sizes in all locations, to compete for millions of dollars of LPPU business. A local public procurement unit (LPPU) is defined as: any political subdivision, any public authority, any tax exempt, nonprofit education or public health institution or organization, any nonprofit fire company, nonprofit rescue company, nonprofit ambulance company and to the extent provided by law, any other entity, including a council of government or an area government, that expends public funds for the procurement of supplies and services. LPPUs must register on the COSTARS website to become members. Once registered, members are able to purchase from available contracts with approved vendors

5 Member Benefits What are the benefits of being a COSTARS member? DOLLAR SAVINGS Volume purchasing results in lower prices; using established state contracts eliminates the need for specification development; advertising, printing, mailing, and bid evaluation. Negotiation with suppliers is encouraged to obtain the best value. Membership is free. CONVENIENCE Using state contracts facilitates the purchase of goods and services by simply issuing a purchase order to the state contract supplier of record. FLEXIBILITY AND VARIETY A broad selection of commodities and suppliers is offered to our more than 7,800 program members. More than 200 state contracts, with a pool of more than 2,000 suppliers, are currently available for use by participants. This variety often gives local public agencies the option of keeping their procurement dollars in their local economy, thereby helping to maintain and generate jobs and advancing local economic development. EDUCATION Free training, workshops, and a quarterly newsletter are provided by the COSTARS staff to assist members on how to use state contracts, how to purchase from specific contracts of interest, as well as other topics of interest and trends in government purchasing. Examples of contracts available through the COSTARS program! STATEWIDE CONTRACTS Vehicles Sodium chloride (road salt) Power equipment Recycling containers Backhoes and loaders Wireless communications services Gasoline and fuel oil Aggregates (stone) Carpet Tires Audio Visual Services & Equipment Spring water Small Package Delivery IT Services Professional Training Services For a complete listing of all contracts available to Local Public Procurement Units, please go to our Web site at COSTARS EXCLUSIVE CONTRACTS Furniture Food IT hardware Copiers Janitorial supplies Software Voting systems Fire/EMS vehicles and supplies Office supplies Printing and graphic services Maintenance, repair equipment Toiletries Recreation and fitness equipment Water and waste-water treatment Waste, recycling containers LED signals Medical supplies Laboratory supplies Vehicles Energy Conservation Supplies Groundskeeping maintenance

6 COSTARS System Overview & Navigation - 6 -

7 Login Members, or potential members, access the COSTARS website through the DGS website. Follow the steps below to navigate to the COSTARS website. 1. Navigate to the DGS COSTARS page using your Internet Browser: Alternatively, navigate to the DGS home page at click Procurement in the top, right menu, then click COSTARS in the left menu) 2. Click the Members button in the middle of the screen - 7 -

8 COSTARS Members Area There are three main sections to the COSTARS Members Area. Review each box to learn more about these components. Left Navigation Menu: The left side navigation menu provides links to the system functionality. Link to Salt Request Form: The link to submit a salt request form will display if the salt request period has been opened for the upcoming year. Newsflash: The newsflash section provides users important, timely updates related to the COSTARS system or procurement activities. Click the link to open the newsflash document. Additional newsflash links may also be shown under the left navigation menu

9 Navigating COSTARS Left Navigation Menu The Left Navigation Menu provides access to all of the COSTARS member s features. Review each box to learn more about these links. Home: Returns users to the COSTARS Members Area screen. The Salt Request form is only available for the Members Area / Home screen. Search Contracts to search COSTARS Contracts, Statewide Contracts and Statewide ITQ Contracts: Members use these links to search for available contracts managed by DGS User Registration and COSTARS Membership: New users must first complete the User Registration to create a personal login to the COSTARS system. Once the user has completed the user registration they can create a new member organization or be added to an existing member organization. Only users who are authorized to edit the member profile and/or complete the salt participation agreement are required to create a User Registration.

10 User and Organization Membership Registration

11 User and Organization Membership Registration Eligible local public procurement units must register online with the Department of General Services. Once you register, and if eligible, you will receive an approval letter with your member number. Each person who will submit or change a COSTARS Membership registration or who is authorized to submit a Salt Participation Agreement must access the User Registration screen to create their own User ID and Password. You will need an address to register. If you do not have an address, there are many websites that offer accounts. Search the Internet for free account to find a company of your choosing. At least one person per local public procurement unit must create a User Registration. Once the organization s membership profile is created, all authorized users should complete the membership association request to be linked to the organization s profile. Information only contacts may be added to the membership profile without creating a User Registration. Local Public Procurement Units are not permitted to register their organization more than once. You are urged to share your Member ID with other staff within your organization who may need access to the COSTARS website so they may complete the membership association request. Once registered, it is very important to keep your organization's profile current so that important program information and opportunities can be communicated to you. Updating your profile can be done by logging into the COSTARS Member's Area and going to the COSTARS Membership screen. Program correspondence will be ed to all listed contacts that include an address

12 User Registration Click the User Registration link on the left navigation menu to access the User Registration screen. To create or edit a COSTARS Member Registration or to submit a Salt Participation Agreement you must complete this registration first. Follow the steps below to complete the registration. Orange text on the screen provides instructions. It is recommend you keep your User ID, password and security question and answer in a secure place to reference. 1. Enter your first name, last name, job title and address. 2. Enter your phone number, fax number and address. 3. Create a User ID and password to access COSTARS. Confirm your password by retyping it. 4. Create a Security Question and Answer. The answer is not case sensitive. 5. Click [Submit] to submit the registration form

13 User Registration Confirmation You will receive an message from Pennsylvania Login confirming your successful registration. Pennsylvania Login is used across many Commonwealth systems. Because you have already chosen your password, i.e. it was not systemgenerated, you do not need to update it again. In the future, you may reset your password through COSTARS or by following the instructions provided in the

14 Forgot Password If you forget your COSTARS password, you may request it from the COSTARS Membership screen. Note: You may also reset your password by following the instructions provided in the Pennsylvania Login Click [Forgot Password?] 2. Enter the address that you used to register your User Name and click [Submit] 3. Enter your answer to the security question and click [Submit]. The answer is not case sensitive. 4. You will receive an from Pennsylvania Login with your User Name and new temporary password 5. Follow the instructions in the to change your password to one you will remember. 6. Log into COSTARS using your new password

15 COSTARS Membership After completing the User Registration form, users should log into the system with their new credentials. Click the COSTARS Membership link on the left navigation menu to login and access the COSTARS Membership screen. Once logged in, new users will have two options: 1. Associate with an existing COSTARS Membership or 2. Submit a new COSTARS member organization request. Follow the instructions on the screen. Please note the FAQ's in the right column to assist you with any questions

16 New COSTARS Membership Click [New COSTARS Membership] on the COSTARS Membership screen, then complete the following steps to create a new member organization request. 1. Enter your organization s name and headquarters or primary business office address. (Note: Member ID will be blank until your membership is approved by a COSTARS administrator.) 2. Select the county of the address. Enter the primary business phone number, fax and address. Note: this is not your personal address unless you are the primary contact for all COSTARS information. 3. Select your organization s member category from the drop-down list. 4. If you choose to opt-out of posting specific contact information on the COSTARS Member Search screen, uncheck the desired boxes. 5. Your user information will appear as the primary contact. As users register and request to be associated to your organization their names will appear in the subsequent rows. They will automatically be approved by the system when they request their association to your organization. If a user does not belong to your organization, you may disapprove their association with your organization by selecting the N radio button in the Association Approved? column. You may also add additional contacts in this section that will not be logging into COSTARS but may need to receive information about COSTARS-related activities. To remove these users, click the Delete icon. Click [Submit] to complete the form

17 Submit Association Request If you believe your organization is already registered as a member, search for their name or Member ID on the COSTARS membership screen. As you type, matching search results will appear. Click your organization s name to select them. Click [Submit Association Request] to link your User ID to the organization. Search results appear as you type. Click your organization name to select them, check the box, then click [Submit Association Request] Check the box to confirm that you are able to represent the selected organization. You will receive a blue message confirming that your request has been saved. You may now view or update your member organization s information or submit a salt request

18 Deny User s Member Association Request All requests for users to be associated to the member organization will be automatically approved. However, the primary contact of the selected organization will receive an when a new association request is made. If you believe that a person should not be associated to your organization, dissociate their account by following the steps below. 1. Login to COSTARS and go to the COSTARS Membership screen. 2. Choose your organization from the drop-down list and click [Update Membership Details] Navigate to the COSTARS Membership screen. Under Existing COSTARS Member select your organization and click [Update Membership Details]. A new contact will be in the Contacts section at the bottom of the screen. 3. You may disapprove their association with your organization by selecting the N radio button in the Association Approved? column. Click [Submit] to complete the update. This will remove their access to your organization s information

19 Create/Update Salt Request Form

20 Access the Salt Request Form The Salt Request form is available through a link on the home screen. This link is only visible during the salt request period (typically January 1 March 15) for the upcoming year. Click the link to go to the request form

21 Salt Request Form Tan Header Information Bar: Provides summary information about the organization and salt request. Agreement Details: Enter the person s name who can legally bind the agreement for the organization. Click + or to show or hide the agreement details. Billing Details: The organization s billing address will be pre-populated. Enter the contact details of the person who will manage the billing aspects of this contract. Salt Delivery Details: If the billing and delivery addresses are the same, click the Same as Billing Details checkbox. If they are different enter the address where the salt should be delivered and the contact person who will be at the delivery site. Salt Quantity Details: Enter the Stockpile Capacity (defined as the amount of salt that can be stored by the organization at one time) and the Tons Required for the upcoming year (defined as the total amount of salt required for the whole winter season). If the organization purchased salt from COSTARS last year, the number of tons will be listed below the Tons Required field for reference. Signature Details: Check the agreement box then enter the Name Title of the person who is signing this request form and the Date. Check the On behalf of checkbox if you have submitted this form on behalf of someone else. Click [Submit] to send the form to the COSTARS administrator

22 Salt Request Additional Information Checking the Status of the Salt Request The status of the salt request will appear on the Salt Request screen in the tan header bar. The status will say Submitted or Not Submitted to show if it has been submitted yet. When you submit the salt request you will also receive a confirmation and see the text below at the top of your screen. NOT SUBMITTED SUBMITTED Updating the Salt Request A participation agreement submitted prior to the March 15 deadline can be updated through the application period up to and including March 15th; after which, this function will be closed. Upon making any changes, you must click the "Update and Resubmit" button. Agreement Details The Salt Request Agreement Details are provided below for reference. 1. to purchase all its required quantities of sodium chloride up to 140% of the tonnage requirements indicated below exclusively from the supplier awarded the Sodium Chloride Contract for the county in which said Local Procurement Unit is Located. 2. to purchase at least 60% of the tonnage requirements indicated below from the awarded supplier. 3. to be bound by the terms and conditions of the contract, and 4. to be responsible for the payment directly to the supplier for the quantities purchased under the contract. Participants in this contract are intended beneficiaries under this contract and are parties in interest with capacity to sue and be sued in their own name without joining the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of General Services. By signing and returning this agreement you will be bound to participate in this contract effective August 2013 through July You cannot withdraw your participation during the contract period. Your required tons are not an estimate. You will be contractually obligated to purchase 60% of your stated needs. You should expect suppliers to require you to purchase at least this amount

23 Search COSTARS Contracts

24 Contract Search COSTARS members have the option to purchase from COSTARS-exclusive contracts or from a large selection of statewide agency contracts for which suppliers have consented to participate. Search for available contracts by choosing the contract type first. Click the Search Contracts link in the left navigation menu: COSTARS Contracts: Search for contracts exclusive to the COSTARS program Statewide Contracts: Search for statewide contracts to piggyback onto a vendor s contract with a state agency Statewide ITQ Contracts: Search for vendors qualified on statewide ITQ contracts

25 COSTARS Exclusive Contracts Search Use one or more of the search parameters to find a contract. When you select a Contract, the Category, Vendor, Manufacturer and Dealer list will narrow to only show matches for that Contract. If you select a Category, the lists will narrow again to only show Vendors, Manufacturers or Dealers who offer the selected Category. Contract: Select the main contract type for the product you seek Category: Choose a category to narrow the search for a particular product. The Category list will update to only display the categories under the selected Contract above. Vendor: Choose a vendor s name to narrow the search to only show the selected company. Manufacturer: Choose a manufacturer to only show vendors who offer the manufacturer s products. Dealer: Choose a particular dealer to only show their contracts. A dealer is a reseller explicitly listed within the vendor s COSTARS Exclusive contract and authorized to only sell those products and/or services under the same terms & conditions enumerated in the vendor s COSTARS Exclusive contract Service Area County: Select a county to only show vendors who provide products/services to the selected county. Note: Search results may not be complete using this search parameter until after October 15, Location County: Select a county to only show vendors with their corporate office in the selected county. Note: You may change the Number of records per page to show more search results per page

26 COSTARS Exclusive Contracts Search Results Search results appear in the lower half of the screen. Review each call-out box to learn about the information available. Vendor Contract Number and Contract Description: Provides the vendor s unique contract number and displays the contract title. Vendor Name and URL: Lists the contract holder s name and their website (if provided by vendor). COSTARS Point of Contact: Lists the COSTARS Commodity Specialist for the contract. Contact this person with general questions about the COSTARS contract or program. Links to contract documentation. Clicking each icon will open a PDF file to review. See samples on the next slide. Contract Overview: Provides summary information about the contract and lists the vendors on the contract. This document is the same for each vendor with the same Contract Description. Vendor Contract: Provides detailed information about the selected vendor s products and services. Includes contact person information to reach the vendor. This is vendor supplied information. Change Notice: Provides information about addendums made to the original contract. Contract Renewal: Provides a copy of the vendor s most recent contract renewal

27 Examples of Contract Documents Contract Overview Vendor Contract Change Notice Contract Renewal

28 Statewide Contract Search The Statewide Contract Search link re-directs you to the PA emarketplace website. A list of all statewide contracts are shown. Use the Search by drop-down to choose how you would like to search. Search By: Agency: Select the state agency who the contract was created through Agency and End Date: Select the state agency and the contract end date Category: Select the product category Commodity Specialist: Select the DGS Commodity Specialist who manages the contract Contract Number: Type the contract number Description: Type a keyword for the description of the product Green Contracts: Search for contracts that include the EcoLogo, Energy Star Compliant, EPEAT, Green Seal Of Approval, or Recycled Content indicators Keywords: Type supplier or product keywords Supplier: Type the name of the supplier Supplier Number: Type the supplier s Commonwealth vendor number Updated Since: Search for contracts updated after a selected date Search for contracts that are currently open or ones that have been archived. Choose Both to search all contracts. Click [Export to Excel] to create a spreadsheet with all of the search results.

29 Statewide Contract Search Results Search results appear in the lower half of the screen. Review each call-out box to learn about the information available. Contract Overview Document: Links to contract documentation. [O] will open the contract overview document. [C] will only appear if there has been a contract update/change. This will open the updated documentation. Contract Details: Category: Category of products offered Ending Date: Contract is valid through the end date listed. Supplier: Vendor name or various if the contract includes multiple vendors. COSTARS: Indicates if the contract is available for COSTARS members to piggyback on. Provides summary information about the contract: Contract #: The unique contract number for the products offered by the supplier listed. Click the link to open more details about the contract. Description: The contract title Commodity Specialist: The designated DGS point of contact for the contract Agency: The agency which solicited the contract Parent #: The overarching contract number, under which multiple vendor-specific contracts are organized

30 Statewide ITQ Contract Search The Statewide ITQ Contract Search link re-directs you to the ITQ (Invitation to Qualify) website. ITQ contracts are awarded to multiple vendors, without reference to price. As with COSTARS-exclusive contracts, LPPU s are urged to communicate with several listed vendors and choose the vendor that offers the best value based upon your individual criteria. You will have to create separate login information to access this website. Once logged in, click Search Suppliers on the left side of the screen. Choose one ITQ Type. Select one or more of the ITQ Categories. Choose to find vendors who only match all of the selected categories, or vendors who match any of the selected categories. Click [Search]. Alternatively, you may search for a particular supplier name, supplier number or contract number. If you choose one of these, all selections made above will be ignored

31 Statewide ITQ Contract Search Results Search results appear. Review each call-out box to learn about the information available Information about the vendor s PA headquarters, small business status and/or COSTARS participation. See key of icons at top of screen. Vendor name appears as a hyperlink. Click to open a pop-up window with more details about the vendor. Information about services the vendor is qualified to provide

32 COSTARS Contact Information

33 COSTARS Member Contacts For more information regarding the COSTARS Program contact: Department of General Services Bureau of Procurement COSTARS Program 555 Walnut Street, 6th Floor Harrisburg, PA Toll-Free: Fax: Please visit the COSTARS Website at Key Contacts: Bruce Beardsley, Marketing Manager Kim Bullivant, Marketing Manager Claire Osborne, Marketing Manager Dawn Eshenour, Program Manager