Mississippi Administrative Code › Title 36 - Technology › Part 2 - Information Systems Services › Chapter 12 - Information for Vendors › Rule 36-2-12-212.1 - 021-010 How to Do Business with the State of Mississippi

Current through June 25, 2024
Question: How do I sell technology products and
				  services to state entities?
Answer:
It depends upon:
(1)
The type of products or services
				you are selling to the State
The Department of Information Technology Services (ITS) is
				  the Mississippi state agency established by law to oversee the State's
information technology
. The procurement of information technology
				  equipment, software, and services for all state agencies and institutions of
				  higher learning is under the jurisdiction of ITS.
There are three Mississippi agencies involved in the
				  statewide purchasing function.
Purchasing of items NOT related to
				  information technology
equipment and software is coordinated through the
				  Department of Finance and Administration (DFA) Office of Purchasing, Travel and
				  Fleet Management (OPTFM). Purchasing of computer supplies falls within DFA
				  oversight.
The Personal Service Contract Review Board (PSCRB) governs
				  the solicitation and selection of contractual services personnel for personal
				  and professional services that do
not
involve information
				  technology. Personal Service Contract Procurement Regulations can be accessed
				  through the State Personnel Board's website.
(2)
What type of government entity you
				are selling to
State agencies and institutions of higher learning are
				  required to follow ITS procedures to make information technology procurements.
				  Governing Authorities (such as county boards of supervisors, community/junior
				  colleges, K-12 school districts, or cities) are not required to use ITS
				  procurement procedures when making information technology purchases, but are
				  allowed to use certain ITS procedures if they choose to do so.
When not using ITS procurement procedures, Governing
				  Authorities must use general purpose State Purchasing Laws and procedures
				  coordinated through DFA-OPTFM.
Procurement procedures for agencies and institutions of
				  higher learning to follow when making information technology purchases are
				  contained in the ITS Procurement Handbook. Purchases of information technology
				  are coordinated by ITS in compliance with 25-53 of the Mississippi Code. This
				  law requires the solicitation of proposals for the majority of information
				  technology purchases. The Mississippi Code is online.
(3)
The dollar amounts of the purchase
				and what type of proposals might be in place to handle the purchase
Agencies, institutions of higher learning and governing
				  authorities (K-12 schools, community/junior colleges, city and county
				  government, etc.) may make purchases in accordance with ITS Law and Public
				  Purchasing Law as follows.
*
Up to $5,000-May purchase without advertising
				  or otherwise requesting competitive bids, unless the purchasing agency or
				  entity has established more stringent procedures.
*
$5,001-$50,000 ($25,000 for projects funded
				  by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).-May purchase without
				  advertisement for bids, provided at least two competitive written bids have
				  been obtained. You must select the lowest quote. (Note an Express Products List
				  cannot be used as one of these bids.)
*
$50,001 and over ($25,001 and over for ARRA
				  projects)-Advertise, issue written specifications and receive sealed bids or
				  proposals.
Some agencies have established additional procurement
				  procedures; check with the individual agency or institution to determine if
				  there are other requirements.
Question: What types of proposals does ITS use?
Answer:
ITS does NOT set up "state contracts" for routine
				  purchases of information technology purchases. ITS does not maintain a
				  "bidder's list".
All ITS RFPs are advertised on the ITS website. RFPs
				  typically fall into one of the following categories:
*
Individual
Requests for Proposals
				  are typically for the procurement of large dollar, complex, and/or unique
				  acquisitions, usually for a single acquisition by a single agency or
				  institution.
*
Special RFPs typically are used by a specific
				  group of agencies/institutions. The terms and intended users and uses are
				  spelled out in the RFP document. Often these proposals are for repetitive or
				  longer term use, as opposed to a more limited time use in an Individual RFP.
*
General RFPs
are used by ITS for
				  the routine acquisitions by multiple entities of items such as microcomputer
				  equipment and software, printers, cabling, telephone equipment,
				  mainframe/midrange components, small UNIX/Internet servers, and IT consulting
				  services. ITS advertises these RFPs and updates them periodically mid-cycle.
General RFPs can only be used by ITS staff. They are not
				  published.
ITS uses General RFPs in conjunction with procurement
				  requests received from agencies/institutions to acquire information technology
				  products and services in accordance with state law.
*
Express Products Lists (EPLs)
are
				  evaluated proposals covering routine configurations of such items as
				  microcomputers, servers and LAN components, printers, software, and two-way
				  radios. Agencies, institutions and governing authorities may use an EPL in
				  compliance with ITS procedures to make purchases that fall within the scope of
				  the EPL. The most popular EPL is the IT Hardware EPL. ITS publicly advertises
				  each time proposals for EPLs are solicited. See Procurement Instruments: EPLs,
				  Section 011-030 of the ITS Procurement Handbook, for procedures the agencies
				  and institutions are required to use when purchasing from Express Products
				  Lists. The complete list of EPLs is found on the ITS website.
More details for information technology vendors interested
				  in doing business with the State of Mississippi are available in the
				  Procurement Information for Vendors, Section 021-020 of the ITS Procurement
				  Handbook. Topics covered in this section include:
*
More details on ITS RFP advertising
				  procedures
*
Suggestions for marketing to state agencies
*
Procurements of information technology that
				  state agencies and institutions may make without prior coordination through ITS
*
Legal and funding issues when submitting
				  proposals to the state
*
IT purchases by governing authorities using
				  ITS procedures
25-53-5
				  (o)