Procurement Training
The Department of Transformation and Shared Services (TSS), through its Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and its Office of State Procurement (OSP), provides the following learning resources for persons seeking to learn more about Arkansas Procurement Law and procurement processes:
- Online procurement training courses through ARCareers.
- TSS OSP P-Card training via Zoom meetings.
- The State of Arkansas Procurement Manual, a searchable procurement process reference.
- State of Arkansas Procurement Laws and Rules, a searchable compilation.
- Procurement Forum schedule, and links to recordings of previous forums.
ARCareers: MyARLearning Online Procurement Courses
TSS OPM provides online procurement training for the state’s procurement personnel.
We want to ensure all Arkansas procurement professionals have access to information that will allow them to better serve the departments and institutions they work for and, by extension, the people of Arkansas whom they serve.
As of July 1, 2021, any state employee conducting procurements under Arkansas Procurement Law is required, by law, to receive a minimum amount of procurement instruction annually.
A state employee who will be authorized to procure commodities or services in an amount of $75,000 or more must have at least 2 hours of continuing procurement training annually.
A state employee who is only authorized to make requisitions and/or procure commodities and/or services in an amount of $75,000 or less is required to have at least 1 hour of continuing procurement training annually.
Below is a list of approved courses and the amount of training time that they are recognized for.
Approved Course Listing – Time Credited
All of the classes above are provided free of charge. Other classes may count towards meeting the initial or continuing procurement training requirements with approval from the Office of State Procurement of the Department of Transformation and Shared Services (TSS OSP). To access the above classes, select the Training menu option under the PERSONNEL tab on the TSS website. Click on the ARCareers option, then on the MyARLearning option. https://www.transform.ar.gov/personnel/training/.
(Please note, if you are not an ARCareers user, you can access the courses at the bottom of this page, but no ARCareers record will be created of your successful completion. ARCareers users are expected to access the courses and document their successful completion through MyARLearning.)
For additional information regarding the State’s procurement training requirements or the subject matter of the courses, please contact TSS OSP at (501) 324-9316. For additional information regarding access to or availability of the courses, please contact TSS OPM Training at (501) 682-1846 or OPM.Training@arkansas.gov.
Purchasing Card (P-Card) Classes
A state employee must attend a P-Card training class prior to being issued a P-Card or being authorized as the P-Card reviewer for their agency. Click the link below to enroll in one of these classes. For more information, see the Credit Cards menu option on the OSP web page. Online Purchase Card and Travel Card training is available through the MyARLearning tile in ARCareers.
Procurement Manual
The Arkansas Procurement Manual (the “Manual”) is intended to provide procurement professionals with practical guidance that is consistent with Arkansas Procurement Law, but it is not an official statement of the law. It is not a substitute for statutes and official rules. Whenever there is any question about what the applicable law is as to a procurement issue that may arise, such questions should be answered by reference to applicable law and not by resort to the Manual. If there is any inconsistency between something contained in the Manual and in Arkansas Procurement Law, Arkansas Procurement Law governs. See the Laws, Rules, and Guidelines page of this website to access a compilation of Arkansas Procurement Law and Rules, as well as other procurement resources.
State of Arkansas Procurement Manual
AASIS INSTRUCTION
AASIS Steps for Creating a PR
AASIS Steps for Initiating and Monitoring the AASIS Approval Process
AASIS Steps for Changing or Cancelling a PR
AASIS Steps for Approving a PR
AASIS Steps for Rejecting a PR Approval Request
AASIS Steps for Reversing or Cancelling an Approval on a PR, OA, or PO
CREATING AND ISSUING SOLICITATIONS
Planning a Solicitation: Timing Factors
Market Research
Writing Specifications
Performance Standards
The Competitive Bid (CB) Template
The Invitation for Bid (IFB) Template
The Request of Proposal (RFP) Template
Publicly Posting Solicitation Documents
Receiving Solicitation Responses
CONTRACTOR SELECTION AND PREPARING CONTRACT AWARD
Anticipation to Award
Evaluation Committee Structure
Evaluation Score Sheets
Role of the Facilitator in Evaluation
Facilitating Demonstrations in Evaluation
Negotiation
Supplemental Documentation for Contracts
Protests and Protest Resolution
Finding or Creating a Vendor Record in AASIS
Legislative Review and Reporting Requirements
CONTRACTS AND RECORDS
The Function of POs an OAs
Firm and Term Contracts and Contract Renewal Options
Components of a Procurement Contract and the Procurement Record
Contract Administration Best Practices Guide
PROCUREMENT JOB AIDS
Job Aid: Document Attachments for a Purchase Requisition
Job Aid: Item Entry Guidelines for Creating a Purchase Requisition
Job Aid: Required Supplemental Documents for Contracts
Job Aid: Typical Procurement Methods
Job Aid: Small Order Procurement Process Flowchart
Procurement Forums
The Office of State Procurement will host a procurement forum to share pertinent information and create an exchange of agency best practices as the need arises.
April 2021 Procurement Forum: Certification, Training Web Page, MAP Approach
Procurement Forum Archive
ARBuy Forums
Tutorials
Contract Expiration Report ZMM19
