Deltek Analyst Derek Johnson reports.
Most national vendors know New York probably ranks as one of the most private states in the country when it comes to divulging information about future contracting opportunities. While many states such as Virginia and Maryland are often happy to answer or even publicize upcoming opportunities, strict procurement laws in New York often leave vendors in the dark when it comes to the future plans. While procurement officials are happy to answer questions about requests for proposals (RFPs) after they are released, asking questions outside the narrowly-defined scope of whatever the state has determined is "in bounds" for a particular solicitation can sometimes feel like banging your head against a brick wall. Hence, it was somewhat refreshing to see New York's Office of General Services release a request for information (RFI) late last week seeking advice and guidance from vendors on a range of IT service issues. According to the RFI, the state is looking to "develop a general understanding of current vendor demographics and capabilities," "obtain vendor feedback on working with New York State" to determine process improvements, and "solicit vendor perspective on the future direction for acquiring hourly-based information technology services."
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