California appears to be aligned with a majority of state governments on many procurement practices — with a few exceptions — according to new data from the National Association of State Procurement Officers (NASPO).
The 2016 State Procurement Practices Survey gathered 47 responses from the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Here are selected data points from California's response, and how that stacks up to nationwide trends:
Q: Does your state have a central procurement office with statutory purchasing authority across all areas of procurement within the state?
A: Yes, Central Procurement Office with Statewide Authority (same as 74 percent of respondents)
Q: What entity in your state has statutory authority and oversight for the purchasing of technology goods and services?
A: State Central Procurement Office (55 percent of respondents)
California's response elaborated: "State Central Procurement Office may delegate procurement authority for any IT Services project. If it does not delegate the procurement to another department, then the State CIO conducts the procurement for IT projects that it oversees. All other IT services contracts are overseen by the State Central Procurement Office."
Q: Are the following state entities exempt from central procurement oversight? (Check all that apply.)
A:
— Judicial Branch/Courts (78 percent of respondents)
— Legislative Branch (89 percent)
— Universities (67 percent)
California listed these other exempted state entities: Administrative Office of the Courts, State Legislature, University of California, California State University, State Compensation Insurance Fund, Public Employment Retirement System, State Teachers Retirement System, Lottery
Q: Does your state purchase from any purchasing organizations listed below? (Select all that apply.)
A:
— NASPO ValuePoint [formerly WSCA-NASPO Cooperative Organization] (98 percent of respondents)
— GSA (61 percent)
— MMCAP (78 PERCENT)
Q: Does your central procurement organization have authority under statute or regulation to delegate portions of its authority to other state agencies?
A: Yes (98 percent of respondents)
Q: Does the Chief Procurement Officer report directly to the Governor?
A: No (89 percent)
Q: In the past two years, has your central procurement office staff size:
A: Increased (38 percent)
Q: Does your state’s vendor list identify the following socio-economic business categories according to any of your state’s applicable definitions? Please check all that apply.
A:
— Small business enterprise (61 percent)
— Service-disabled veteran owned business (46 percent)
Q: Is the small business certification performed?
A: Self-certification (38 percent)
Q: Does the State Central Procurement Office maintain a record of and track vendor performance?
A: No (47 percent)
Q: Does your state use an eProcurement or ERP system?
A: Yes (93 percent of respondents)
Q: Does your statute, rule or regulation authorize vendors to protest procurement decisions?
A: Yes (87 percent of respondents)
Q: Does your statute, rule or regulation authorize vendors to appeal a decision resulting from a protest?
A: No (37 percent)
