1214 DHS Office of Procurement Services Policy

Georgia State Seal

Department of Human Services

Policy and Manual Management System

Index:

POL 1214

Effective:

10/31/2024

Review:

10/31/2024

Subject: DHS Office of Procurement Services Policy

Policy

It is the policy of the Department of Human Services (DHS) to comply with all procurement laws, rules and regulations as administered by Georgia Department of Administrative Services (DOAS) through the Georgia Procurement Manual or other federal mandatory requirements for federally funded programs/projects. The Office of Procurement Services (OPS) has the responsibility to process and coordinate all procurement functions for DHS.

Authority

O.C.G.A. 50-5-50, et seq.
O.C.G.A. 50-5-69.

References

O.C.G.A. 49-1-1
O.C.G.A 49-2-1 et seq.

Applicability

All Divisions/Offices of Department of Human Services.

Definitions

Procurement

Is used to describe activities such as: buying, purchasing, renting or otherwise acquiring any supplies, services or construction. It includes all functions that pertain to obtaining of any supply, services or construction, including description of requirements, selection and solicitation of sources, preparation and award of contract and all phases of contract administration.

Contract

Is a legally binding promise, enforceable by law; an agreement between parties usually to exchange goods or services for money or other considerations. This definition includes all types of Agreements, Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), etc.

Responsibilities

  1. The Divisions/Offices will determine the need for goods/services and develop specifications.

  2. The procurement specifications, the approved solicitation data sheet and/or contract authorization form is forwarded to Office of Procurement Services (OPS) for review; ensure compliance with the state/federal procurement law, rules and regulation and that the best interests of the Department are protected; and to develop the procurement tool e.g. Request for Quotes (RFQ), Request for Proposal (RFP), Statement of Need (SON), Request for Qualified Contractors (RFQC), etc. as well as develop the contract for execution by the Division/Office Director.

  3. It is the responsibility of the Budget Officer for the originating Division/Office to ascertain that funds have been budgeted; and correct codes have been entered on the contract authorization form. All contracts will be obligated in total on or before the contract effective date.

  4. Each Division/Office Director shall designate a staff person to serve as program officer for each procurement. It is the responsibility of the program officer to initiate procurement/contract, to serve as a contact source to OPS throughout the procurement process.

  5. It is responsibility of the Division/Office to ensure effective monitoring of the contractor’s performance i.e. that any required reports are promptly submitted by the contractor and that the other parties to the contract live up to the letters and spirit of the contract, regulations, guidelines, etc., including the audit requirements of all contracts involving state and federal funds.

  6. Agreements between Divisions/Offices within the Department will not require a contract. MOU may be used to state the responsibilities expectations of each party. OBA will facilitate the movement of funds between the Divisions/Offices

  7. Agreements/contracts between DHS and other State Agencies follow the same contracting procedures as any other contractor. OPS will determine the best contractor documentation that will be suitable for each procurement/relationship.

  8. All DHS contracts must be logged into the department’s contract management system and must be assigned a unique contract number by OPS. The department’s official copy of the contract will reside in OPS.

Evaluation

The outcome of this directive will be evaluated by OPS.