Procurement Guidelines - New York State Office of General Services

I. OVERVIEWA. Introduction and PurposeState agencies must procure commodities, services, and technology in accordance withArticle 11 of the New York State Finance Law.The Procurement Guidelines presented in this document are established by the StateProcurement Council pursuant to State Finance Law §161(2)(d). The Guidelines are designedto assist state agencies in making procurements efficiently and effectively by providing agencyprogram and fiscal staff with a source of basic, systematic guidance about state procurementpolicies and practices.State procurement must facilitate each agency's mission while protecting the interests ofthe state and its taxpayers, on the one hand, and promoting fairness in contracting with thebusiness community, on the other. The Guidelines are intended to advance these goals byencouraging agencies to adopt and implement appropriate procurement practices consistentwith state policies.The state’s procurement policies form a framework for conducting procurements andestablishing contracts. Policies address such issues as ensuring sufficient competition,preserving fair and open competition, and establishing vendor responsibility. When conductingprocurements, each agency may have supplemental policies and requirements that should alsobe reviewed and followed.B. TerminologyBecoming familiar with the vocabulary is fundamental to understanding and properlyperforming procurements. In these Guidelines, important terms will appear in blue italicizedbold face upon first use (as demonstrated in this paragraph) and are defined in Chapter VII:Glossary.Some terms are used interchangeably. For example, an entity that providescommodities, services, or technology may be variously, and often interchangeably, referredto as a “vendor,” “offerer,” “bidder,” “proposer,” or “contractor.” Similarly, the words “service”or “services,” when used in these Guidelines, are meant to include both services and technology(as each term is separately defined in the Glossary), unless the context indicates that themeaning is expressly directed at one or the other term.New York State Procurement Guidelines 1