COSTARS PROGRAM PARTICIPATION

SUPPLIER GUIDE

COSTARS PROGRAM PARTICIPATION

Revised 3/1/17

Forward

The purpose of this guide is to acquaint potential suppliers with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's cooperative purchasing program, "COSTARS", managed by the Department of General Services (DGS) Bureau of Procurement. The COSTARS Program provides registered local public procurement units as well as state affiliated entities (members) and suppliers a tool to find and do business with each other effectively using a contract established by DGS. We welcome you as a potential supplier to the COSTARS Program.

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Introduction

The passage of the Commonwealth Procurement Code, Act 57 of 1998 ("Code"), permitted local public procurement units (LPPUs) and state-affiliated entities to engage in cooperative purchasing with the Commonwealth. Initially, DGS limited the LPPUs' cooperative purchasing options to certain statewide agency contracts. In spring 2004, DGS developed the COSTARS Program to increase the cooperative purchasing options available to its members. In 2004, the General Assembly passed an amendment to the Code that expanded DGS's authority, allowing DGS to enter into contracts exclusively for the benefit of LPPUs and stateaffiliated entities. DGS has included these special non-Commonwealth agency contracts, known as "COSTARS-exclusive contracts", as part of its COSTARS Program. All DGS contracts through which LPPUs and state-affiliated entities may make purchases, including specific statewide agency contracts as well as COSTARS-exclusive contracts, are part of the COSTARS Program. Local purchasers using these contracts must be registered COSTARS members. This guide is for suppliers who wish to do business with COSTARS members using a COSTARS-exclusive contract established by DGS. (Commonwealth agencies may not make purchases from COSTARS-exclusive contracts.) While this guide addresses COSTARSexclusive contract participation, suppliers may also do business with COSTARS members using certain statewide agency contracts. For more information regarding statewide agency contracts participation, please visit the DGS Materials & Services Procurement website at dgs..

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Table of Contents

ONE OVERVIEW

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1.1 Legislative History 1.2 Contracts 1.3 Member-Specific Benefits of COSTARS Participation 1.4 Supplier-Specific Benefits of COSTARS Participation 1.5 Frequently Asked Questions

TWO MEMBERS

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2.1 Member Eligibility 2.2 Member Registration 2.3 Member Participation 2.4 Purchasers

THREE GENERAL REQUIREMENTS FOR SUPPLIERS

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3.1 Supplier Registration 3.2 Registering with the PA Department of State 3.3 Department of General Services Small and Small Diverse Business Programs

FOUR SOLICITATIONS & SOLICITATION RESPONSES

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4.1 Bidding Opportunities 4.2 e-Alert Subscription Service 4.3 Solicitations 4.4 Submission of Bids 4.5 Exceptions or Qualifications to Provisions 4.6 Facsimile Bids 4.7 Electronic Bidding 4.8 Bid Opening Date 4.9 Public Bid Openings (Paper Bids)

FIVE EVALUATION, AWARDS & PERFORMANCE

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5.1 Signature of Bid 5.2 Questions 5.3 Multiple Awards 5.4 Administrative Fee 5.5 Bid Protest 5.6 COSTARS-Exclusive Contract Accessibility 5.7 Contractor Responsibility Provisions 5.8 Performance Bond (Security) 5.9 "Assembly/Installation/Construction Activities" when applicable as an Ancillary Service 5.10 Subcontracting 5.11 Right-to-Know Law

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CONTRACT SALES

6.1 Ordering and Payments 6.2 Volume of Sales 6.3 Marketing 6.4 Sales Reporting 6.5 Suppliers Gateway

APPENDIX A TERMS & CONDITIONS

APPENDIX B DEFINITIONS

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Page 18 Page 19

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