The NC Department of Administration’s Purchase & Contract Division launched a newly enhanced electronic Vendor Portal (eVP) for its eProcurement system on July 10, making it easier both for vendors and procurement agents to sell or buy goods and services for state agencies. The new eVP consolidates the functionality of state government’s three procurement applications into a single, cloud-based system, allowing for greater efficiency among North Carolina businesses and state procurement professionals.
“Our goal in developing the new eVP was two-fold: streamline the procurement process, saving time and taxpayer dollars and continue to modernize how vendors do business with the state,” said NC Department of Administration Secretary Pamela B. Cashwell. “This is just another way our agency is elevating the way goods and services are procured across North Carolina state government.”
For vendors, the new eVP improves and simplifies access by allowing them to perform multiple functions in one platform. In the new streamlined system, vendors can: register to do business with the state (a feature of the old eVP platform); view and submit bid opportunities to state entities (a function of the former Interactive Purchasing System and its subsite the NC Business Invitation Delivery System); register for NC Small Business Enterprise or Historically Underutilized Business (HUB) certifications; and view bid tabulations, and awards.
This upgrade helps reduce time for busy business professionals by eliminating the need to toggle between multiple systems. And it saves vendors and buyers time, money and resources by fully transitioning to a paperless system.
The new eVP also simplifies and improves operations among state agencies and institutions, improving processes for the hundreds of procurement professionals that use it. The new system eliminates double entry of all solicitation postings, addenda, tabulations, and awards by automatically transferring the data into the new eVP.
The new platform makes it easier for purchasers to find qualified vendors since businesses are now able to enter more detailed commodity codes and upload larger files. The new system also enables procurement professionals to perform HUB goods and services reporting.
Both vendors and purchasers will appreciate the improved transparency and ability to search public records for tabulations and awards indefinitely. The previous system only held the records for a month after the contract was awarded.
“As with any system, we know there will be a period of adjustment for both our vendors and purchasers,” explained David O’Neal, state purchasing officer and director of DOA’s Purchase & Contract Division. “But we are truly excited about this new platform and its ability to streamline, simplify and improve our purchasing process. This is a game-changer for the purchasing community.”
Vendors who are interested in doing business with state government agencies can log into their existing eVP account or visit https://evp.nc.gov/.
For more information about the new system, including training materials or technical assistance, visit the Department of Administration and NC eProcurement websites.