Office of State Finance Plan Approval Process

Agencies should process their information technology and telecommunication procurement needs through the Office of State Finance (OSF) according to statutes, thresholds and procedures developed. All requests for Form 115 approval should be submitted to: purchasing@osf.ok.gov.

With the passage of recent legislation (HB 1304), no agency shall expend or encumber any funds for the purchase, lease, lease purchase, lease with option to purchase, rental or other procurement of any information technology assets without the prior written approval of the Chief Information Officer (CIO). In addition, no state agency shall initiate or implement an information technology planned project without the prior written approval of the CIO. This means that an Office of State Finance Form 115 should always be submitted in advance of initializing the project. If you submit a Form 115 for approval after the effective date of the contract/purchase order, the request could be denied and a settlement agreement could be required.

For more information, please refer to the OSF Information Services Division web page.

When submitting an OSF Form 115 (Excel (26 KB) | PDF (1 pp, 162 KB)) Plan Approval to OSF, agencies need to include all of the required standard documents, as applicable:

• specifications/scope;
• special provisions;
• sole source document;
• purchase order (should be in un-dispatched format);
• quotes;
• non-collusion;
• agreement or contract;
• a suggested vendor list;
• VPAT(s);
• PeopleSoft requisition form; and
• evaluation scoring tool.

All exceptions to mandatory IT or Telecommunication statewide contracts should be submitted on an OSF Form 115, with details as to why the exception is need. This request should also include all of relevant information identified above.

Request for Proposal, Request for Information, and Request for Quote

If the agency is preparing a request for proposal (RFP), request for information (RFI), or request for quote (RFQ), OSF would expect to see the entire set of applicable documents at the time of submission. If the OSF review includes RFP, RFI or RFQ documents, the agency should always submit these documents for approval prior to releasing to the public.

OSF may approve the release of the RFP, RFI or RFQ, but a secondary approval will be required for the final selected vendor. The contract (or agreement) should be submitted, and approved, prior to contract award. A Form 115 should be used for this approval. All documents related to the procurement should be submitted with the Form 115, including the bid responses and evaluation documents and recommendation.

In some cases, an agency may not want to spend a significant amount of time developing documents, without knowing whether or not the project or concept will be approved. In this case it may be beneficial to request preliminary approval of a project prior to expending all the required effort on document development. If requesting a preliminary review (prior to finalizing the RFP, RFQ or RFI), you may request that OSF review the project concept by submitting a Form 115, detailed project description, and a requisition or purchase order (or document number). However, final approval will be required prior to releasing the document in final form to the public.

Statewide Information Technology Contracts

All statewide information technology and telecommunications contracts require approval prior to use. A Form 115 and the vendor's quote should be submitted. Agencies should use all instructions and user's guides developed and posted with each statewide contract. Submission of documents not in accordance with the user's guide could result in approval delays. If a vendor includes terms that conflict with, or are in addition to a statewide contract, OSF may comment on the approval requesting the agency have the comments removed. OSF will work with statewide contract vendors as needed to remove such references to quotes as needed.

Exceptions to Mandatory Contracts

All exceptions to mandatory information technology or telecommunication statewide contracts should be submitted to OSF on a Form 115, with details regarding why the exception is needed. 

Sole Source Documents

All information technology or telecommunication sole source procurement should be submitted with a Form 115, non-collusion form, sole source document, the vendor's quote, and any other supporting documentation to justify the purchase.

Change Orders

Any change to the contract's terms, cost or significant schedule changes should be submitted on a Form 115 for approval. The change order form (or other internal agency paperwork) should be included in the request along with the reason for the change. A quote from the vendor stating the required effort, as applicable, should be included. The original contract document should be included unless size limitations prohibit.

P-Card Purchases

P-Card purchases are treated the same as all other procurement. Approval requirements at statutory thresholds also apply to purchases completed utilizing a state P-Card.

Emergency Purchases

Emergency acquisitions should be handled in accordance with Title 74 requirements. However, every effort should be made to obtain OSF approval or communication prior to proceeding with the purchase. Statutory references to the state purchasing director in terms of reporting requirements, should also include the state CIO.

Return of Documents

Please be sure to identify where you would like the document(s) returned. If the bottom section of the Form 115 is not completed, OSF will return the document(s) to the person identified as the agency's "Agency Contact" person, by default.

If OSF has comments or requires additional information, you will be contacted as quickly as possible.

Assistance

Please note: the above was developed as a guide. You may contact OSF if special circumstances such as exceptions to state statutes (Title 74 for instance) apply to your particular situation.

OSF may make comments and recommendations on the 2133.  However, your agency is responsible for completing the procurement in accordance with all applicable laws, rules and statutes.

Additional Information

Please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions section of this website and the Common Reasons Plan Reviews are Delays.

Questions about this information should be directed to the OSF Service Desk at helpdesk@osf.ok.gov or (405) 521-2444.