Administration Fee Update
As we mentioned in our previous Business Bulletin communication, OSD has been reviewing the Administration Fee collection process, examining both our internal procedures, as well as the vendor's experience. Thank you once again for forwarding your feedback through our survey back in August. It helped to provide perspective on the process and identify areas for improvement!
In response to what we've learned, the Operational Services Division is implementing several changes to the Administration Fee collection process that will take effect next month. Although we've provided some highlights below, vendors can expect to receive more detailed instructions before year end.
Beginning January 2017 for the reporting Quarter ending December 2016:
- Our Payment Portal service will move to a new contractor, nCourt, to accommodate additional online features that will facilitate payment capture and processing:
- Vendors will be able to report $0 payments, when applicable, directly through the Payment Portal;
- A new Payment Portal feature will enable vendors named on multiple Statewide Contracts to record and remit all quarterly payments in one transaction;
- Discover Card payments will be added to our list of credit card options.
Please note: Our previous waiver that enabled vendors to defer payment obligations of less than $50 to the following payment period no longer will be available unless authorized by your contract manager. All outstanding payment amounts must be remitted each quarter. As a reminder, payments must be submitted through the Payment Portal via ACH debit or credit card payments only. Payment by check is not permissible.
We look forward to providing additional details in the short term. Please direct questions about administration fees to OSD's Fee Administrator at
[email protected]
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New Legislation Prompts Communities to Explore COMMBUYS and Statewide Contracts
Governor Baker's
Act to Modernize Municipal Finance and Government was designed to promote municipal independence and streamline state oversight. One aspect of the Act, which went into effect on November 7, 2016, requires local government entities to post certain construction-related bid posting notifications on COMMBUYS. The use of COMMBUYS by Massachusetts cities and towns is strengthened through the passage of this legislation.
OSD has done considerable outreach to highlight the changes promulgated by the Muni Modernization Act and offer OSD resources, by hosting meetings from Berkshire to Plymouth County and welcoming more than 361 local government attendees from 165 communities. As a result of this outreach, COMMBUYS buyer organization registrations have surged. Today, 77% percent of Massachusetts municipalities are registered in COMMBUYS, up from 41% in August.
While the legislation does not mandate that municipalities conduct their purchasing activities through COMMBUYS, OSD's outreach also has focused on the advantages to using COMMBUYS and Statewide Contracts and we expect vendors to see an uptick in municipal purchasing activity.
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COMMBUYS Vendor Profile Management 101
Mailing Addresses
Maintaining an updated vendor profile in COMMBUYS will ensure that bid notifications, Purchase Order requests, and other updates are properly routed to your business. An important part of that profile includes the following address record types:
- General Mailing Address - Part of the initial COMMBUYS set-up, all registered vendors have one. When no other address types are entered, all COMMBUYS notifications default to the email address associated with this address type.
- Purchase Order Mailing Address - This optional address type allows vendors to designate a single email address to receive Purchase Order requests. If none is selected, notifications default to the General Mailing Address email.
- Bid Mailing Address - This optional address type allows vendors to designate a single email address to receive bid opportunity notifications that are aligned with your vendor's profile. If no Bid Mailing Address is designated, notifications default to the General Mailing Address email.
Note: Vendors only may specify one email address for each address record type. If vendors would like multiple staff to receive a particular notification type, we suggest creating a group distribution email (ex. [email protected]) so multiple individuals receive the notification.
Who Does What? Understanding Vendor Roles in COMMBUYS The
Seller Administrator role is able to make changes to vendor profile information, including address records, commodity code selections, completing Small Business Purchasing Program eligibility applications on behalf of the business, and setting up users (Seller role). Seller Administrators also may have the Seller role.
The
Seller role is used for responding to bids and receiving Purchase Order requests. This role has access to the Search function and may access and print documents in COMMBUYS.
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 COMMBUYS Helpful Hints:
Password Guidance for Vendors
If you have forgotten your login credentials, COMMBUYS offers a self-service option. On
COMMBUYS.com, select
Sign In followed by the
Login Assistance link. On the
Login Help page, select either
Forgot User ID or
Forgot Password and click
Continue. Users will receive the requested information via email.
Seller Administrators may reset passwords for other Sellers within their business organization by accessing the
Maintain Users icon under the
Seller Administrator tab.
Please note: Though users may be prompted to save their COMMBUYS password within their browser, this is highly discouraged. Sellers and Seller Administrators must change their COMMBUYS password every 60 days and will experience difficulty updating their COMMBUYS password if saved in their browser.
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Contact Us!
As always, please contact the COMMBUYS Help Desk with any questions at [email protected].
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