Mississippi Administrative Code › Title 36 - Technology › Part 2 - Information Systems Services › Chapter 5 - Procurement Process › Rule 36-2-5-205.5 - 009-070 Procurement Process: Deadlines for Submitting Requests

Current through June 25, 2024
Each year, ITS sends a reminder to our customers of
				  approximate turnaround times required to conduct IT procurements, as well as
				  the corresponding deadlines for submitting projects that must be completed
				  during the current state and federal fiscal years. These timelines are intended
				  to help ensure procurement requests are submitted to ITS in time for completion
				  within the customer's desired time frames and in time to receive approval for
				  any expenditure with a funding deadline or other external time constraints.
This handbook shows an estimate of projected time required
				  for processing each procurement type and dollar amount (Procurement Limits
				  Policies: Section 015-010 and 015-020). Unless you have already had specific
				  discussions with ITS procurement staff regarding a project schedule, the high
				  end of each range should be used as a guideline for when requests should be
				  submitted to ITS to ensure the procurement is completed in time to meet your
				  needs.
In addition, the associated deadlines for
State
and
Federal Fiscal Year
acquisitions are listed in the table
				  below. Note that requests for personnel services and maintenance contracts
				  under the purview of ITS that are to be paid from either the old or new fiscal
				  year funds and that begin on or near the beginning of the state or federal
				  fiscal year should also be submitted by the fiscal year deadline. (e.g.
				  maintenance that should be renewed effective July 1)
Continually review your state and federal funding and your
				  information systems needs and submit all procurement requests to ITS according
				  to the deadlines and timeframes shown. Some complex requests, such as those
				  requiring extensive systems analysis or engineering surveys prior to RFP
				  development, take more time than indicated on the schedules below. ITS will
				  work with you to develop a project plan and timetable to address these types of
				  requests. ITS will work with you to have all other requests submitted by the
				  deadline dates completed within the timeframes shown and by the June 30 and
				  September 30 funding deadlines when applicable.
We believe the schedules shown below give you and our staff
				  sufficient time to ensure each project receives adequate attention for the size
				  and complexity of the acquisition. Each June and September, procurement
				  requests are at risk of not meeting the funding deadlines because they were not
				  submitted in time to complete the purchase in compliance with state and federal
				  laws. When the procurement timeline is too compressed, ITS staff cannot
				  complete procurements that (a) meet all legal requirements for competitive
				  proposals; (b) provide a thorough and legally defensible evaluation of vendor
				  proposals; and (c) develop project contracts that adequately protect the
				  customer's interests. Also, ITS develops staffing plans based on the requests
				  we have received and may not have adequate staff resources available to process
				  requests received after these deadlines.
ITS understands that our customers sometimes don't have
				  information concerning the availability of funds for technology acquisitions
				  until after these deadlines. ITS is committed to assisting you at any time, to
				  the best of our ability. The options (we are aware of) for helping you to
				  complete your purchases with tighter timeframes and/or those submitted after
				  these deadlines are:
(1) you can use
				your own staff and/or contract staff for more of the preliminary research and
				preparation of the request and to assist available ITS staff throughout the
				procurement; or
(2) you may request
				an exemption on a Procurement Request Form and, with ITS' approval, make the
				purchase yourself, assuming the responsibility for following all purchasing
				laws.
ITS assistance for projects requiring a tighter timeframe or
				received after the deadlines may be charged at a higher hourly rate to cover
				our additional expenses.
If you are unable to have the formal request prepared
				  by the scheduled submission date but are aware of upcoming purchases that have
				  a funding deadline, call Lynn Ainsworth at 601-432-8150 or Tina Wilkins at
				  601-432-8161 on or before these deadline dates. We will work to help you meet
				  your objectives in the required time frame.
Category
Time Required for Procurement Process:
Submission Deadline for June 30 Funds:
Submission Deadline for September 30
							 Funds:
Requests requiring Board approval and an
							 RFP
3-8 months
January 1
April 1
Requests not requiring Board approval but requiring
							 an RFP
2-5 months
February 1
May 1
Exemption requests requiring ITS Board approval;
							 Requests for sole source certification; Competitive procurements not requiring
							 Board approval and using existing procurement instruments
1-3 months
April 1
July 1
All other procurement requests
1 month +/-
June 1
September 1
Notes:
(a) The lifecycle cost includes all costs
				associated with obtaining the item or service and with maintaining and
				operating it for its projected lifecycle. Examples of costs in each category
				include:
(1) Initial and/or one-time costs:
				purchase price, freight, installation, and cost to exercise purchase
				option;
(2) Ongoing costs:
				maintenance, lease, rental, associated personnel costs, and telephone line
				charges. Lifecycle costs are computed over a three to five year period, unless
				factors relevant to a specific project dictate a different time
				period.