Optimizing Procurement Processes for Not-for-Profits

The New York State Office of Information Technology (ITS) is announcing a Discretionary Procurement for qualified entities that can provide the consulting services described in the attached solicitation document. ITS is seeking consulting services to enhance the human services procurement experience and how human services nonprofit organizations interact with New York State Government.

New York State has a long history of working with Not-for-Profits (NFP) to provide essential services to the people of New York. New York State’s Prompt Contracting Law was enacted in 1991 to expedite the contracting process and payments to NFPs with the goal of reducing fiscal stress on these organizations. The state is committed to continuing to support NFPs and facilitating the procurement process for NFPs who do business with the state.

New York State Executive Chamber seeks to enhance, and even reimagine, the human services procurement experience for not-for-profit entities doing business with New York State by streamlining and simplifying the procurement process, making it more efficient and accessible for human services organizations to save time and money which will allow them to focus more on their core mission of serving the people of New York State.

This project, composed of two phases, has a contract term of one year and will engage the New York State Not-for-Profit Unit along with the following NYS agencies: New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA), Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS), Department of Labor (DOL), Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS), Office of Mental Health (OMH), Department of Health (DOH), and Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA). Executive offices and state agencies have identified a set of reform possibilities identified as “Existing Projects”. First, the Contractor role is to document and organize these Existing Projects to support project selection, design, execution, and implementation. Second, building on the first phase of work, the Contractor, with research, insight, and through additional stakeholder engagements, will identify and manage larger scale, end to end human services procurement and customer experience reforms.

This opportunity is authorized under Section 163 of State Finance Law as a Discretionary Purchase. ITS intends to contract pursuant to its discretionary purchasing authority under State Finance Law Section 163(6), which authorizes purchases without a formal competitive process in certain circumstances. This opportunity is limited to purchases up to the Discretionary Buying Threshold from respondent organizations qualified as:
•NYS certified Minority and/or Women-owned Business Enterprises (MWBE)
•NYS certified Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Businesses (SDVOB)
•NYS Small Business Enterprises (SBE)

NYS certified MWBE and SDVOB are qualified pursuant to Article 15-A of State Executive Law and Article 3 of Veterans’ Services Law. In accordance with Section 160(8) of State Finance Law and Article 4-B of Economic Development Law, a Small Business Enterprise is domiciled in New York State, independently owned and operated, not dominant in its field, and employs 100 or less persons.

PLEASE SEE ALL DETAILS FOR THIS PROCUREMENT IN THE ATTACHMENTS.