Approver’s Guide to Understanding Sourcing Events

Approvers’ Guide to Understanding Sourcing Events

User Guide

Publication Date 05.8.17

Version #1
Minnesota Management & Budget
Copyright 2017 All Rights Reserved

For updates to this and other training information, please see the SWIFT web pages at


Released 05.08.17 (Version #1)

Page 1

Approver’s Guide to Understanding Sourcing Events

Approvers’ Guide to Understanding Sourcing Events

To jump to an area within the User Guide, click on the topic in the Table of Contents. (Normal)

Table of Contents

Course Overview

Lesson 1: Approval Process in SWIFT

Lesson Overview

Process Steps to Approve a P/T Event in SWIFT

Lesson 2: Pages and Fields on the Sourcing Module.

Lesson Overview

Header on the Event Summary Page

Topic Overview

Define Event Basics Section

Topic Overview

Configure Line Items

Topic Overview

Select Bidders to Invite

Topic Overview

Course Summary

Appendix:

A. Key Terms for Strategic Sourcing

B. Category Code Search

Released 05.08.17 (Version #1)

Page 1

Approver’s Guide to Understanding Sourcing Events

Approvers’ Guide to Understanding Sourcing Events

Course Overview

The Approvers’ Guide to Understanding Sourcing Eventshelps approvers to navigate around Professional/Technical (P/T) events in SWIFT.

(1) It provides an overview of the process steps to approve an event.

(2) It describes key pages and the fields to review in the Sourcing module in SWIFT.

(3) The appendix lists key terms.

The Sourcing module in SWIFT provides the mechanism to solicit bids for the purchase of Professional/Technical services following State statute and policy. The solicitation is called an event in SWIFT. It requests that vendors accurately respond to the proposal requirements. It usually results in a vendor or vendors receiving an award to contract for Professional/Technical services.

Classifications of Contracts:
Since the majority of sourcing events end up in contracts, the Department of Administration organized sourcing events by Professional/Technical Services (P/T) and Commodity Contracts (or Non P/T Contracts).

  1. Professional/Technical Service Contracts:
    Professional/technical service contracts are defined as, “services that are intellectual in character, including consultation, analysis, evaluation, prediction, planning, programming, or recommendation, and result in the production of a report or the completion of a task. Professional or technical contracts do not include the provision of supplies or materials except by the approval of the Commissioner of Administration or except as incidental to the provision of professional or technical services.”
  2. Commodity Contracts:
    These contract types are for various types of construction, goods and/or services (services must be non-professional/technical in nature). These contracts do not encumber funds. The purchase orders placed against them are the encumbering documents. SWIFT documents track the use, and maintain the integrity of the contract line items; specialized contract forms are used as the actual contract agreement. Contracts may be set up by the Department of Administration or by agencies if within their Authority for Local Purchase authority. In some cases, there may be P/T services involved in construction/commodity services contracts.

This guide covers Professional/Technical Events only.
Commodity events are typically self-approved based on the event creator’s Authority for Local Purchase.

Target Audience for this Course:

This course supports SWIFT approvers with the Approval roles. It allows approvers to understand the parts of an event to review.

How to use this Course:
This guide helps event approvers who may not regularly use SWIFT’s Sourcing module to become familiar and comfortable with the online approval process. Approvers do not need to review every field and process described here. Check with the agency about expectations and policies regarding approval process as well as security access for this module.

Requirements:
Approvers must have the Approver roles in SWIFT. Contract your agency SWIFT security coordinator to set up those roles.

For more information about SWIFT’s Strategic Sourcing module, review to the Reference Guides.

After completing this guide, you should be able to:

  • Understand the process steps to effectively review and approve, deny or push back an event.
  • Understand key pages and fields on the Sourcing module.

Lesson 1: Approval Process in SWIFT

Lesson Overview

SWIFT routes approvals based on Business Unit, Origin and Category. One of the existing approvers can add additional approvers in an ad hoc capacity. Once all reviewers have approved, the event will route back to the creator so that the creator can decide whether to post the event. The event creator needs to approve the event so final posting occurs in the Supplier Portal.

The event creator can make the necessary changes and reroute for approval. If the event creator makes changes while approvals are in process, SWIFT will route the event to the beginning of the chain for re-approval.

Strategic Sourcing Event Type for P/T Services:

  • Requests for Information (RFI) P/T events do NOT need to follow the formal approval process in SWIFT. Check with your agency about any internal approval processes and policies.
  • Requests for Proposals (RFP) P/T events follow a formal approval process in SWIFT. Before you can post an event, your agency must approve it.

Typical Levels of Approval:

There can be up to five levels of approval for P/T events. Check with your agency about these approval processes and policies.

  • Agency P/T Coordinator
  • State Agency Contract Signer
  • MN.IT (only if an IT Category Code is used)
  • OSP P/T Approver
  • Event Buyer (if the buyer is not the event creator)

Approval Options:

  1. Approve: If you approve the event, SWIFT sends it to the Worklist of the next approver on the list.
  2. Deny: If you or any of the other approvers deny the event, SWIFT sends an email to the event creator. Always provide a comment about why you denied the event. The event creator will address the issues and repost it. The event goes through the approval chain again.

After completing this topic, you should be able to:

  • Follow the steps to review and approve a P/T event
  • Effectively approve an event.
Process Steps to Approve a P/T Event in SWIFT
  • Step 1: Event Creator Posts the P/T Event in SWIFT.
  • Step 2: The Approver Accesses the Event to Review.
  • Step 3: The Approver Reviews the Event.
  • Step 4: The Approver Approves or Denies the Event.

Step 1: Event Creator Posts the P/T Event in SWIFT.

  1. When an event creator completes a P/T event and posts it, SWIFT includes a message at the bottom of the event. This message states that the event has been submitted for approval.
  1. If the event creator clicks on the Event Approval Inquiry link, SWIFT displays the list of approvers who must review and approve it in the order listed.

Step 2: The Approver Accesses the Event to Review.

  1. Approvers learn about an event for them to review and approve via email and the SWIFT Worklist.
  • Click the Worklist link at the top menu on the right side on every SWIFT page.
  • SWIFT displays the Worklist Items. Click on the Event Approval link.
  1. SWIFT displays the Event Approval page. Click on the Event ID link at the top of the page.

Step 3: Review the Event.

SWIFT brings you to the event. Review the event following instructions from this guide as well as your agency guidelines.

Event Components to Review

Approvers do not review the entire event. They typically focus on these four components. Go to Lesson 2 of this guide to see the details of these components.

  1. Header:

The header on the Event Summary page allows you to review information that describes the event such as description, title, start and end dates.

  1. Define Event Basics:

The Define Event Basics section of the Event Summary page allows you to enter basic information, general settings and optional rules for an event.

  1. Configure Line Items:

This section provides links to create line listings for an event.

  1. Select Bidders to Invite:

This section allows agencies to send out targeted invitations to an individual event. Agencies can also designate the invitations to be public or both targeted and public.

Event Review Checklist for Approvers

Typically, event approvers review these areas of an event.

  1. Event Header

Origin

Procurement Type

Estimated Price

Name of the Event

Description

Start and End Date

  1. Define Event Basics

Event Settings and Options Page

  • Check the Defaults.
  • Category Code

Event Comments and Attachments Page

  • Review Comments. Send to Bidder box checked?
  • Review Attachments. Review the attachment and its description. Display to Bidder and Include on Notifications boxes checked?

Event Header Bid Factors Page

  • Are the existing bid factors appropriate for this event? Should they be required?
  • Are any bid factors missing?

Certification Review Page (Only appears for Professional/Technical Services RFP)

  • Fields to review: Effective Date, Initial Dollar Amount, Total Dollar Amount
  • Attached file
  1. Configure Line Items/Line Details Page(Does not appear for RFI events).

Basic Definition tab

Advanced Definition tab

Line Bid Factors

Line Comments and Attachments

  1. Select Bidders to Invite

Public Event

Bidder ID to see invited bidders

Bidder Search to find bidders to invite bidders.

Step 4: The Approver Approves or Denies the Event.

  1. After you review the event, return to your Worklist. Click on the Event Approval link.
  2. Scroll to the bottom of the Event Approval page. Add Approval Comments as needed. Then, click either the Approve or Deny button.
  1. SWIFT sends a confirmation. Click OK.
  • Approval Confirmation:
  • Deny Confirmation:

If you approve the event, SWIFT will update the Event Approval page to show that it is approved. It will now appear in the next approver’s Work List.

If you deny an event, SWIFT will update the Event Approval page to show that it is denied.

It will appear in the event creator’s Worklist as denied.

The event creator will address the issue on the event and repost it. It will return to you for another review and chance to approve or deny.

You have successfully learned the steps to review and approve a P/T event.

After completing this topic, you should now be able to:

  • Follow the steps to review and approve a P/T event
  • Effectively approve an event.

Lesson 2: Pages and Fields on the Sourcing Module.

Lesson Overview

Each Strategic Sourcing event has several components in SWIFT that event coordinators must complete to create an event. Event coordinators enter the information on the Create Event/Modify an Event page. Most events do not need the entry of most of the fields to create and manage an event. This user guide describes the required pages and fields for anapprover to review.

Components to Create an Event in SWIFT on the Event Summary page

  1. Header
  2. Define Event Basics
  3. Configure Line Items
  4. Select Bidders to Invite

After completing this lesson, you should be able to:

  • Understand the components (pages) used to create a sourcing event in SWIFT.
  • Understand the fields within each of these pages.

Header on the Event Summary Page

Topic Overview

The header on the Event Summarypage allows you to review header information for events.

After completing this topic, you should be able to:

  • Understand the fields on the Event Summary header section.

The Header on the Event Summary section allows you to review header information for events. It is required for all events entered into SWIFT.

Scroll down the page to review the items on the header.

Fields on the Event Summary Header section.

Field Name / Field Description
Procurement Type / The Procurement Type defines the type of event and the purpose. It also determines the terms and conditions applied to it. It is viewable by the vendor.
  • ALP RFB: Use for creating RFB requests for standard goods and services
  • Acquisition Conference/Construction/RFB/RFP/RFI: Used by OSP Only
  • Outgoing Grant RFI: Use for creating RFI requests for outgoing grants
  • Outgoing Grant RFP: Use for creating RFP requests for outgoing grants
  • Professional/Tech Services RFI: Use for creating RFI requests for professional and technical services
  • PT Delegated Authority RFP: Used for creating RFP requests where agencies have authority to bypass workflow processes.
  • Professional/Tech Services RFP: Use for creating RFP requests for professional and technical services

Estimated Price / Estimated Price is optional. It is an internal reference field only and not visible to vendors. The range may vary depending on the Procurement Type selected. The Estimated Price includes a suggested period for the event to be open for response.
Event Name / The field length is 50 characters. It is displayed on the Event Workbench and is viewable to vendors on the Supplier Portal.
NOTE: As a best practice, begin the Event Name with the agency’s initial. Include the type of event (RFB, RFP, RFI). End with a brief description of the event. Here’s an example of an event name: ADM RFP for ABE Services.
Description / Description provides an overall description of the event and any other pertinent information potential bidders may need to know. Each agency may have specific guidelines regarding details to include in the description. The field length is unlimited.
NOTES: Potential vendors use the description to determine whether to respond to the event.
Preview Date/Time / This is the date and time that vendors can review the event before it is officially open for responses (bid).
  • Once the agency approves and posts the event, vendors can view the Preview Date and Time on the Supplier Portal.
  • Vendors can review the event details after the Preview Date and Time. NOTE: attachments for the event are not viewable until the Start Date/Time.
  • Vendors can enter and save their bids after the Preview Date and Time. They cannot submit bids until the event Start Date/Time is reached.
  • Agencies can use the time between the Preview Date and the Start Date for vendors’ questions or site visits.
  • If collaboration is going to be performed in SWIFT, then set the Preview Date/Time in the future to allow enough time for your collaboration period.
  • Be sure to account for the approval process. Depending on the type of event, approvals may require additional time.

Start Date/Time / Date and time after which vendors can submit proposals. NOTE: the Start Date can be adjusted after the event is published.
End Date/Time / This is the date and time the event will close and no further electronic proposals can be submitted. Proposals received non-electronically can be entered by agency staff after the End Date/Time as long as they were received prior to this End Date/Time. Each agency may have policies in place defining who can enter the non-electronic bids or if they can even be accepted. Agencies can adjust this date and time as needed.

You have successfully reviewed the Event Summary Header section on an event.

After completing this topic, you should now be able to:

  • Understand the fields on the Event Summary Header section.

Define Event Basics Section

Topic Overview

The Define Event Basics section of the Event Summary page controls how the event appears to responders and how requirements appear for vendors who can respond to it. Approvers spend most of their time reviewing these items. Scroll down to the Step 1: Define Event Basics section. Click on the links to open up pages to review.

Depending upon the Procurement Type chosen, there are several links to review.

  1. Event Settings and Options
  2. Event Comments and Attachments
  3. Event Header Bid Factors
  4. Payment Terms and Contact Info
  5. Certification Review (For P/T RFP’s only)

After completing this topic, you should be able to:

  • Understand the basic fields on the Event Settings and Options pages.
  • Understand the basic fields on the Event Comments and Attachments page.
  • Understand the basic fields on the Event Header Bid Factors page.
  • Understand the basic fields on the Payment Terms and Contact Info pages.
  • Understand the basic fields on the Certification page. (For P/T RFPs only)

Event Settings and Options Page

The Event Setting and Options page allows agencies to specify the rules related to an event, as well as what information can appear to vendors. Typically, agencies use the defaulted values. The Category field is required for all events.

Review the event settings and options and update as necessary.

  • Click the Event Settings and Options link.
  • Review only the fields that are listed below.
  • When you are done, click Save Event Changes. Then, click the Return to Event Overview link located at the bottom of the page.