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Blog Post  Steps to Consider If You’re Interested in Statewide Contracting Part 1

11/14/2022
  • Operational Services Division

Steps to Consider If You’re Interested in Statewide Contracting: Part 1 of 2

A recurring theme from discussions with vendors is their interest in doing business with the state – not at all surprising with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts spending billions of dollars in products and services annually.

Although there’s no defined formula for success, having the opportunity to work with the state does depend on whether your business offerings fall in line with what the state needs – which may change over time. It also requires businesses to do some upfront planning and preparedness to understand the state’s procurement process and timetable.

The Operational Services Division (OSD), the state agency charged with meeting the broad product and services needs of Executive Departments, Massachusetts cities and towns, school districts, public institutions of higher learning, housing authorities, and various other public institutions, offers tools to help prospective bidders.

Below we refer to some actions vendors may take in the short term so they may be best positioned to respond to state bidding opportunities in the future.

Actions to Take Now

  1. Set up a free business profile in COMMBUYS – the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' online purchasing and procurement portal:
    1. Statewide Contract (SWC) and other state opportunities are posted in COMMBUYS
    2. COMMBUYS vendors receive email notifications for opportunities that align with their profile
    3. Bidding to get on Statewide and Departmental Contracts takes place in COMMBUYS
    4. Executive Departments and various other entities transact their purchasing in COMMBUYS.
  2. Review OSD’s procurement schedule, published monthly, to determine what SWC activity the state is planning over the next several months.
  3. Examine the state’s existing SWCs by reviewing the Contract User Guide(s) that align with your business’ offerings. Take note of the duration of existing contracts and the associated commodity codes, each listed on page one. Businesses may wish to include relevant commodity codes in their COMMBUYS profile.
  4. Examine Request for Response (RFR) documents for existing contracts that fall in line with your business offerings. In part, these RFRs may raise your awareness about future contract requirements. Find RFR documents for existing contracts in COMMBUYS: COMMBUYS.com > Select Advanced to the right of the top Search Bar > Select Blankets from the Document Type drop-down > Enter the contract number, i.e. FAC103, in the Description field.
  5. Attend Free online training courses to learn about state procurement:
    1. Connecting Your Business to the Commonwealth

    2. How to Locate and Respond to Bids in COMMBUYS

    3. Demystifying the RFR: Understanding the Importance of the Request for Response.

  6. Sign up to receive OSD's bi-monthly magazine.
  7. Connect with us through social media. Follow @Mass_OSD on our Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, MA Procurement Insights Blog, and YouTube channels to keep up to date with the latest agency activities.

Look for our next installment on this topic: Actions prospective bidders may take when the state announces its intent to post a bid opportunity and once the bid is posted.

Contact the OSD Help Desk with questions at 888-MA-State (627-8283).

  • Operational Services Division 

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