From the Director's Desk

Colleagues,

Earlier this year, I shared with you my excitement for Governor Pillen’s signing of LB 461, which made legislative changes recommended in the IKASO Consulting Report. This had been an agency priority for years. However, it was only one part of our efforts to improve the procurement process at DAS.

The Materiel Division has taken great strides to improve the procurement processes through several initiatives over the last few years. Late last year, Materiel Division released the first update to the State of Nebraska Procurement Manual since 2018. The new manual updates the procurement processes that will be used for Nebraska’s Agencies, Boards, and Commission and replaces the previous version’s unclear narrative structure with streamlined, clear instructions for what is required in a competitive bid for service. Related to this, the Division created a new Procurement Certification Program for all current and new procurement professionals to maintain their ability to complete purchasing activities and updated policies to provide clarity and instruction on topics that previously had been unclear.

Additionally, the Materiel Division updated their RFP and ITB boilerplates which contain the standard terms and conditions that underly the State’s contracts, as well as the framework for Agencies to provide their detailed specifications for the commodity or service they are looking to solicit. These updates reduce the need for changes in the boilerplate template during contract negotiations, thus improving the efficiency of the contracting process.

Materiel Division also strengthened the Vendor Performance Program. It now includes a permanent file which allows the Division to look back upon how vendors have performed in the past. This will provide important context for evaluating bids in the future.

Finally, the Division simplified, modernized, and streamlined its rules and regulations to make our processes clearer and less burdensome than they had been before. As a result of these efforts, they eliminated 2,345 words from the regulations, reducing the regulatory burden by 73%.

Collectively, these efforts comprise a sweeping reform of our procurement practices and make our procurement system a national leader in best practice procurement administration. Congratulations to Material Division.

You can find our updated Procurement Manual here. To learn more about our certification program, click here.

Regards,

Jason Jackson
Director, Department of Administrative Services

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