You are on this page: Contract Reform Initiative
OCFS continues to engage in an ambitious contract reform initiative with the goal of improving the experience for our contractors. In order to do this, we listened to our contractors, gained valuable feedback, and have spent 2022/2023 working hard to address recommendations and make improvements.
Below you will find information on exciting new resources. Updates will be posted to this page as they become available, so please check back often.
- New sample budgets and narratives to assist you in developing an expense-based or performance/deliverable-based budget. (08/2023)
- New "miscellaneous" line item for unexpected expenses that don’t fit into existing expense-based budget categories. (08/2023)
- Flexibility to make line-item adjustments between Non-Personal Services (NPS) categories in expense-based budgets. (08/2023)
- New guided tutorials to walk you through developing your budget, using the newly developed budget samples. These tutorials are broken down by budget section so you can easily navigate to the section needed or simply pick up again where you left off. (08/2023)
- New General Contracting Helpline for contractors who receive award letters. Our phone center staff are standing by to provide answers to the most frequently asked questions, walk you through many common technical issues, and/or put you in contact with the right person to answer any specific questions that may be unique to your contract. (07/2023)
- Upgraded Contract Management System (CMS), now fully compatible with Google Chrome. (04/2023)
- Updated CMS User Authorization Form, which may now be submitted via email. (04/2023)
- New step-by-step job aids to guide you through critical tasks within CMS, including:
- Viewing an Approved Contract (04/2023)
- Viewing Contract Schedule and Contract Status (04/2023)
- Logging a Claim – Step 1 (04/2023)
- Processing a Claim – Step 2 (04/2023)
- Signing an Online Claim – Step 3 (04/2023)
- Viewing the Status of a Claim for Payment (04/2023)
- Correcting/Rejecting a Claim (08/2023)
- New procedures to ensure that you are promptly notified of any changes to the OCFS staff handling your contract, so you will always know who to call for assistance. (04/2023)
- All RFP funding applications now allow you to designate up to five staff contacts to receive procurement notifications, ensuring sufficient notification of bid information. (04/2023)
- Redesigned OCFS website to provide you with clear and easy access to funding opportunities, guides and updated resources. (04/2023)
- All funding opportunities will now be announced on OCFS social media platforms, ensuring that new opportunities are quickly publicized and reach a greater audience. Please connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Twitter En Español and LinkedIn to receive announcements. (04/2023)
We have also improved many of our agency’s internal procedures for processing contracts and providing assistance to you.
As an agency, OCFS is committed to continually monitoring our processes and looking for ways to enhance the contracting experience for you.
More improvements coming soon! Updates will be posted to this page.