Requesting a Procurement Exception in COMMBUYS CLM

This Job Aid shows how to request a procurement exception in COMMBUYS CLM.

Overview

A Procurement Exception is an approved situation where a government agency bypasses standard purchasing workflows to acquire goods or services. Procurement Exception types and waivers must be requested from OSD through COMMBUYS CLM. If approved by OSD Legal and the Commonwealth Chief Procurement Officer, users may move forward with required COMMBUYS posting. Access the Conducting Best Value Procurements Handbook for more information. 

Launching COMMBUYS 

1. Launch COMMBUYS
2. Select Sign In 
3. Select SSO Login 
4. Type your Email Address and Password 
5. Select Continue

Accessing CLM

1. Select Settings
2. Choose CLM Home from the dropdown
   1. Select MASS-Sourcing Managers

Creating a Sourcing Strategy 

1. Select + Sourcing Strategy

Completing the Sourcing Strategy Details Section

Fields marked with an asterisk are required. 

1. Choose Exception from the ‘Type’ dropdown
2. Choose No from the ‘IT Contract over $500K’ dropdown
3. Type your Contract Number or Reference Number in the ‘Document Number’ field
4. Type the title of the Contract in the ‘Title’ field
5. Type a description of the proposed Contract in ‘Description’ field
6. Choose your agency from the ‘Agency’ dropdown
7. Choose the appropriate business unit from the ‘Business Unit’ dropdown
8. Type the anticipated total value of the contract in the ‘Estimated Amount’ field

Completing the Sourcing Strategy Dates Section

1. Type a predecessor contract title in the ‘Predecessor Contract’ field if applicable
2. Type the planned contract start date in the ‘Planned Contract Start Date’ field
3. Edit the Timeline dates to reflect the proposed contract
   1. Include dates for all required fields even if they are not applicable to the exception request

Completing the Exception Details Section

Fields described in steps 1-5 are required, though they are not marked with an asterisk. 

1. Type the name for the proposed contract in the ‘Contract Name’ field
2. Type the phone number for the person OSD should contact about the Exception Request
   1. Phone Number Format: 000-000-0000
3. Type the email address for the Exception Request contact
4. Choose an option from the ‘Reason for Exception’ dropdown:
   1. Existing Statewide Contracts: select to request an exception, or waiver, to the mandatory use of an existing Statewide Contract
   2. Due Diligence: select for Best Value Offers, Proprietary Products, Services Provided by Another Government Entity, Pilot Programs, or Product/Service Demos
   3. Collective Purchases: selectto request approval to purchase from contracts established by other executive agencies, federal agencies, other states, or any other public entity
   4. Interim Contracts: selectto request approval to establish an interim contract when an existing contract is terminated or an existing contract ends before a new procurement concludes to establish a new contract
   5. Other: select if none of the above options apply
5. Skip the ‘Details’ field
6. Skip the ‘Approval Requirements’ field
7. Select Save
   1. New required fields and a Save Error box may appear based on the Reason for Exception selection
   2. Complete these fields, using the guidance below and save again

Adding Exception Details According to the Exception Type

Existing Statewide Contracts

1. Type the Statewide Contract number in ‘Existing Statewide Contract’ field 
2. Type the reasons for requesting the waiver in the ‘Details’ field 

Due Diligence Postings

1. Type the company/entity name in the ‘Company/Entity’ field
2. Select Select in the Notice of Intent column to upload the Notice of Intent document. 
   1. This will be uploaded to your COMMBUYS Bid Solicitation upon approval of the Due Diligence exception request
3. Type the number of days for the notice to be posted in COMMBUYS in the ‘Posting Duration (days)’ field 
4. Type the reasons for requesting a Due Diligence Notice in the ‘Details’ field 

Collective Purchases 

1. Type the organization name to purchase from in the ‘Collective Organization Name’ field 
2. Type the title of the contract to purchase from in the ‘Master Agreement Title’ field 
3. Type the exception request reason in the ‘Details’ field

Interim Contracts

1. Type the title of the expiring contract in the ‘Expiring Contract Title’ field 
2. Type the date the contract will expire in the ‘Contract Expiration Date’ field 
3. Type the exception request reasons in the ‘Details’ field 
   1. Include the estimated date when the full competitive procurement will be completed 

Other Reasons

1. Type a short description in the ‘Reason for Exemption’ field 
2. Type additional details about the exception request in the ‘Details’ field 
3. Select Save

Completing the Contract Categories Section

1. Choose from the Contract Categories dropdown
2. Type Category Name and Vendor Target Number in the Contract Category table
3. Select Add Row to add a row to the table
   1. Repeat Step 2-3 to add additional rows
4. Select Save

Completing the Notes and Attachments Section

Use this section to attach documents supporting the exception request or any other relevant documents.

1. Select Attach File
2. Type the Title of the document to be attached
3. Select Select in the ‘File’ field
4. Select the file to upload
5. Type a description in the Description box
   1. Repeat Steps 1-5 to add additional documents 
6. Select Save
7. Select the Strategy link in the title bar to return to the Sourcing Strategy page

Completing the Approvers Section

1. Choose Serial (sequential) or Parallel (simultaneous) from the Approval Method dropdown
2. Complete the Submitted For Approval By table for internal approval
   1. Select the Lookup tool 
   2. Filter the ‘Full Name’fieldin the Lookup- Approver Name table
   3. Select the Approver cell in the ‘Select’field
   4. Add a requested approval due date in the ‘Due Date’ field
      1. Select Add Row to repeat the process
3. Add an approval due date to the ‘OSD Legal’ field
4. Add the Commonwealth Chief Procurement Officer (CCPO) Mark Fine in the ‘CCPO’ field
5. Select Save
6. Select Submit For Approval
   1. Status is now Pending Approval
   2. If the request is rejected, status changes to Rejected. Read the OSD Comments in the ‘Approval Requirements’ field.
      1. If changes are recommended, make those adjustments and resubmit the request
      2. If no changes are recommended, a full competitive procurement or Statewide Contract purchase may be required
   3. If approval is granted, the status changes to Approved. Read OSD Comments in the ‘Approval Requirements’ field for further guidance. Due Diligence requests and approved waivers require posting Bid Solicitation Documents in COMMBUYS. 

Posting a Bid Solicitation 

1. Follow the Job Aid for Locating and Responding to Bid Solicitations and follow these steps on the General tab
   1. Choose the Procurement Type from the Procurement Type dropdown
   2. Choose Yes on the ‘Is this Bid Associated with a Procurement Exception Request’ dropdown 
   3. Type the Strategy Number in the ‘Please provide CLM sourcing strategy number’ field
2. Continue with the Job Aid for posting a Bid Solicitation and follow these steps on the Attachments tab
   1. For approved Due Diligence postings, include the Notice of Intent document included with the Exceptions Request
   2. For approved waivers, include all documents required for standard procurements