Tips on Marketing to State Government

Gwenn D. Godfrey, ChiefBureau of General Services

Florida Department of Environmental Protection

3800 Commonwealth BoulevardTallahassee, Florida 32399-3000

Phone: 850/245-2350(Last Updated 11/05/2011)

You’ve set your sights on State Government, what should you do?Identify the commodities and services

that you intend to offer.Identify the geographical areas you want

to serve.Register in MyFloridaMarketPlace

(MFMP)Identify government agencies that use

the commodities and services that you offer.

Utilize the tools available to conduct research and understand your market.

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What Services/Commodities Do I Offer?

1. Develop a simple list of the general services and/or commodities that you offer.

2. Refine the list to include subgroups, to the extent possible.

3. Research the Department of Management Services (DMS) Class and Group listing to locate appropriate codes for registration and other research purposes.

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Example:Primary Categories

Promotional Items

Advertising Services

Secondary CategoriesAdvertisingAwardsPrinting/LayoutSouvenirsConcessionsPrint AdsBillboardsGraphic DesignPhotography

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What geographical area can I serve?

CountyGroup of

CountiesStatewide

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ResearchKey State of Florida website:

www.myflorida.com

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1. Offers access to general business information and government procurement.

2. Provides access to state and local government.3. Assists in locating government contacts.

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MyFloridaMarketPlace (MFMP)To register in MFMP you will need the following information:Company Name and AddressTax ID Type (FEID or SS) and Number (recommend obtaining

an FEID to protect personal financial information)Business Designation – Corporation, Limited Liability

Company, Sole Proprietorship, Professional Association, etc.Tax Filing Information – Business Name on 1099 Tax Form. W-9 (Note: You must file an electronic W-9 with the

Department of Financial Services.)Location Information

Business Name for each Location, if different from company name.

Complete Address for each Location Contact Person for each Location

DMS Class/Group Information for Commodities/Services Offered

Certified Minority Business Enterprise Information, if applicable. 8

How do I find DMS Class/Group Codes?

Go to the following website:http://myflorida.com/apps/spurs/

SPURS.commodity_search.criteria

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Insert the word “Promotion” in the Description

box and click on “Execute Search”

button.

Our search returned the following information:

DMS Class and Group numbers are 6 digits in length. Do not use the Item and Detail information.

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Don’t forget our secondary categories!

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Where do I register?Go to the following website:

https://vendor.myfloridamarketplace.com/

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What will registering in MFMP do for my business?

Make your company visible in the marketplace for State of Florida government agencies.

Reduce delays in being awarded work by a State agency. Before you can conduct business with any State agency in Florida, you must be registered in MFMP.

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How do I find State agencies that purchase the goods or services that I offer?

For this example, we are going to use DMS Class/Group No. 080-670 entitled “Promotional Items.”

Go to the following website:

http://myflorida.com/apps/spurs/SPURS.po_search.criteria

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DMS Class No. 080DMS Group No. 670

Sorting on the Purchase Unit ID will help identify

State Agency.15

Consider establishing a date range (by issue date) to focus on current information. Select “Between” from dropdown for this search option.

Search Results:

Notice the data returned:Total OrdersNumber AvailableNumber of PagesValue for Number Displayed

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Can we get more information from the data elements?

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Where do I go to find out about competitive procurement opportunities?

Go to the following website:

http://myflorida.com/apps/vbs/vbs_www.search.criteria_form

For this example we are going to look at advertisements appearing on the Vendor Bid System for the Department of Environmental Protection.

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For this example, I have selected the Department using the dropdown menu.

Click on “Initiate Search” to begin the process.

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Review the “Ad Type”

Agency Decision = Recommended Award or

Action

Competitive Solicitation = Procurement Opportunity

Be cautious of this date because it is based on a date for the end of the

advertisement and may not reflect the true due

date for a vendor response.

For this example we are going to click on the Number “2011004C.”

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Each agency must identify at least one DMS Class and Group Number to place an advertisement in the Vendor Bid System. Always review the numbers for ads you are interested in to make sure you are registered under all the appropriate codes for your business.

Periodically, return to the advertisement

to check for updates.

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Take note of important dates!

For the most part, DEP includes all solicitation documents with the Vendor Bid System Advertisement.

If you have a question, put it in writing and submit it to the procurement officer as directed.

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Additional instructions provided as part of the advertisement should always be reviewed/considered.

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Revisit the advertisement periodically to check for additional documents/ information that may have been posted for respondents to consider. The “Version” column should help in identifying additional documents added over the course of the procurement process.

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State Agency Spending PlansProvided to the Office of Supplier Diversity

on a calendar quarter basis.Posted on the Internet for review.Available for download in an Excel format

for searching and sorting.Provides general information and contacts.Recommend that vendors review early in

each calendar quarter.

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Steps to Follow to Access Plans1. Go to www.myflorida.com2. Click on the tab entitled “Business”3. Select link entitled “Doing Business with the

State”4. Under the column entitled “Everything for

Vendors and Customers” select the link entitled “Office of Supplier Diversity”

5. On left side of the screen, select the link entitled “Vendor Resources”

6. Click on the “Office of Supplier Diversity Resources” title in the middle of page

7. In the middle of the screen, select link entitled “State Agency 90-day Spending Plans”

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State Fiscal Year: July 1st – June 30th

Recommend that this data be reviewed within the first few weeks of each quarter.

Using the State Fiscal Year noted above, calculate the current fiscal year quarter to be

considered. Q1 = Quarter 1Q2 = Quarter 2Q3 = Quarter 3Q4 = Quarter 4

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Who are my potential competitors?

Using the DMS Class and Group numbers you have selected to register with, you can search the web to view a list of vendors who registered using the same number(s).

For this activity, you can use the same process you used to search for your DMS Class and Group Numbers. We will continue with the DMS Class and Group Number of 080-670 entitled “Promotional Items.”

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Our earlier search returned the following results.

Click on the “Description”

link.

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The following information is displayed.

Note: The vendor names are displayed in alphabetical order. The city and state fields do not play a part in the ordering process. Using this search, you can identify competitors within your market area.

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Information located at the bottom of the screen will report the number of vendors registered with the DMS Class and Group Number requested and allow you to skip through information on a page by page basis.

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General State Procurement Methods/GuidelinesNo quotes required – purchases valued at less than

$2,500.Verbal/written quotes – minimum of two quotes

required for purchases valued at $2,500 up to $35,000.

Formal competitive procurement required for purchases exceeding $35,000.Invitation to Bid (ITB)Request for Proposal (RFP)Invitation to Negotiate (ITN)Request for Statements of Qualifications

(RFSOQ) – Professional Services32

Exceptions to the above:Exemptions afforded under Chapter 287, F.S.

and other statutes.Single Sources – must be documented and

those exceeding $35,000 must be advertised on the Vendor Bid System. Department of Management Services review required if single source exceeds $195,000.

State Term Contracts – state agencies are required to use state term contracts if goods/services are covered by the contract.

State agencies are required to purchase items certified with DMS for offering by RESPECT and PRIDE.

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Methods of Purchase Authorization

MFMP Purchase Orders (formerly referred to as Direct Orders)

State P-Card (Visa Card)Formal Contract

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Most Important Tip of All!If you have questions, don’t hesitate to put your questions in writing and direct them to the procurement officer. Through your questions, we improve our purchasing efforts!!!

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