VCC_Spring_2017

EVa

automatically provides the purchase order to payment match easily tying purchase order and payment data together. Currently, the pilot program using DGS procurement and payment data eliminates any gaps in transparency. DGS is looking to expand the report functionality to the Virginia Community College System and other agencies and universities that have requested it. “Simply put, matching procurement and payment data together is a gap that needs to be closed to be fully transparent,” Caudill said. “We owe that to our citizens, agencies, and our vendors. I’m excited that our team at DGS was able to leverage eVA to meet that need. We are looking forward to the challenge of implementing this functionality across the Commonwealth.” Beyond transparency, eVA delivers two crucial elements to ensure taxpayer dollars are being spent wisely: efficiency and savings. By replacing paper with an electronic solution, efficiency gains result in an inherent overall reduction in the cost of doing business, with $11 million saved annually in administrative efficiencies. eVA also provides savings on items and services purchased to the tune of around $30 million per year. Todd said businesses like his can help keep the Commonwealth’s costs down by mining the data that’s on eVA, businesses can identify if they are able to compete based off historical contracts and orders or if they need to sharpen their pencils. Instead of receiving paper orders through fax or mail, vendors can choose to receive orders electronically and within minutes of being fully issued by an agency. eVA has made it easier for businesses to connect with the launch of its Business 2 Business tool tied to each solicitation. “There’s a vast group of agencies that are out there and there’s a lot of purchasing going on for multiple products,” Todd said. “It’s tax dollars. It’s my tax dollars; it’s your tax dollars. We’re just trying to be good stewards.” Dena Potter is Director of Communications at the Department of General Services. The Dragon Roars... V See EVa , continued on page 10

By Dena Potter Every day, a team of employees at Andy and Janet Todd’s small office supply company, Snap Office Supplies, search Virginia’s online eProcurement marketplace, eVA, for their next business opportunity. With a few clicks of themouse, a business can find out what Virginia state agencies and other public entities are buying, who they’re buying from, and how much they are paying for items. Armed with this information, the

employees at Snap Office Supplies reach out to agency procurement professionals to explain why they should be doing business with the Richmond supplier instead of their competitors. “Our team is on eVA every day. It’s a wealth of information that is public information,” Andy Todd said. “The information is there, you’ve just got to know how to find it.” Todd credits his team’s use of eVA over the past two and a half years for “substantial growth” in their business, which offers over 60,000 office supplies, from traditional items to standup desks and hard- to-find supplies. While Snap is considered a micro-business, meaning it has 25 or fewer employees and has averaged less than $3 million in gross receipts over the past three years, with eVA’s help Todd hopes it won’t be micro for long. “It provides the key for us to get in,” Todd said. The biggest challenge, he says, is harnessing the power of eVA by learning how to navigate its variety of reports, such as the popular ‘Who is buying what I’m selling’ report that allows vendors to see who, what, when, and where of purchases in the Commonwealth. A vendor can run a report using keywords such as “office furniture” and see exactly which Commonwealth entities bought office furniture, the exact details of the furniture item, the price, quantity, and the buyer who made the purchase. eVA Director Shane Caudill hears stories like Todd’s often. “eVA really levels the playing field,” Caudill said. “Most small businesses don’t have an army of sales staff that is able to go out and aggressively search, research, respond, and compete for state business. eVA gives everyone the tools, no matter what your size, to easily research past purchases to identify your target market and find upcoming business opportunities so you can bid and win business.” To help businesses leverage the power of the information found on eVA, the Department of General Services’ eVA team travels Virginia teaching businesses like Todd’s how to use the free tool. eVA brought transparency to government procurement more than a decade ago. Data about everyday purchases the Commonwealth makes is available on the eVA website, www.eVA.virginia.gov . Businesses, citizens or government officials seeking information about whatVirginia needs and is buying simply need Internet access to see past, current and future procurements, as well as detailed order and contract information. With more than 700,000 purchase orders representing more than $6.4 billion in annual spend visible, eVA brings innovation to the promise of transparency by leveraging the best procurement software and tools that are available in the marketplace. eVA’s publicly accessible Procurement Transparency Reports page offers every vendor, buyer, citizen and the public easy-to-use reports that provide access to up- to-the-day detailed order data. Additionally there are easy-to-read pie charts, bar graphs, and maps that categorize the purchases made through eVA for monitoring or analysis. These reports give a snapshot of the dollars the Commonwealth spends in various categories, such as Top Commodities, TopVendors, Orders by County, etc. To further enhance eVA’s transparency features, the eVA team is working on a procure-to-pay transparency report that links purchase transactions to payments. Currently, purchase order data, through eVA, and payment data, through APA’s Data Point ( http://datapoint. apa.virginia.gov/ ) are publicly available. However, in order to tie a purchase order to the corresponding payment information you would have to manually match the purchase order to a payment voucher and check. The eVA procure-to-pay report removes the manual process and

June 9-11, 2017 • Tazewell, Virginia

• Bill Dixon 5 Time Champion • Monster Freestyle MX Show • Kaitlyn Baker & Outshyne • Bike & Car Shows • Kids Area • Vendors

• Dragon Master Ride • Friday Night Kick Off Celebration

• Craft Beer Garden • Demolition Derby

V irginia C apitol C onnections , S pring 2017

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