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Contracts Connection




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In this edition
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* Goods and services contracts
* Contract news
* Upcoming statewide contracts

"Contracts Connection provides news about statewide contracts for goods and services, which are available to state agencies and other organizations that have signed a contract usage agreement. "

*Learn more about statewide contracts* [ [link removed] ]






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Goods and services contracts

Help us develop a drug and alcohol testing, products, and services contract

DES seeks feedback about awarding vendors on contract 07625, drug and alcohol testing, products, and services. This is a cooperative contract from MMCAP.

MMCAP has awarded five contractors that can be considered for participating addenda on Washington’s contract. Please contact the procurement coordinator below to get a confidentiality form, review available contractors, and provide us with your recommendations on which contractors we should award in Washington.

Questions? Email Samantha Lowdon at [email protected] <[email protected]?subject=07625%20Drug%20and%20Alcohol%20Testing,%20Products,%20and%20Services>.

*View contract 07625* [ [link removed] ]


DES starts solicitation to replace office supplies contract

DES is starting solicitation for contract 09925, office supplies, to succeed statewide contract 06019 [ [link removed] ], which expires June 30, 2026.

This solicitation is for office supplies to eligible purchasers in Washington state. Available products range from paper supplies to storage solutions.

We are looking for purchasers and subject matter experts to help us develop this contract. If you are interested, join our kickoff meeting [ [link removed] ] on August 7 at 11 a.m. Attendees will learn more about the solicitation process, time commitment, and responsibilities.

Questions? Email Phillip Song at [email protected].

*View contract 09925* [ [link removed] ]


DES adds contractor to dental supply contract  

DES added Patterson Dental Supply to contract 00924, dental products, equipment, and services, effective July 21. This contract is in partnership with MMCAP.

Questions? Email Samantha Lowdon at [email protected] <[email protected]?subject=00924%20Patterson%20Dental%20Supply>.

*View contract 00924* [ [link removed] ]


Share your feedback on fingerprinting and background checks contract

DES is seeking feedback on a new contract that would include electronic fingerprint services capturing electronic fingerprints according to required background checks for agencies. If your agency is using these services or is interested, please complete this survey [ [link removed] ] by August 14.

Questions? Email: Maree George at [email protected].

*Take the survey* [ [link removed] ]


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Contract news

Improving contracts, strengthening service: How DES is improving purchasing for Washington governments

One of DES’ jobs is to make it easier for agencies to buy what they need—on time, within budget, and through a process they can trust. In 2024, our procurement team made some improvements on how we manage statewide contracts and to better serve Washington government purchasers.

*Here are some improvements we introduced in 2024:*


* Every statewide contract to include *new pay equality requirements*.
* Added FAQ to every statewide contract for* clarity*.
* Held more than *40 contract-specific listening sessions* to better understand purchasers’ needs and make improvements.
* Updated the *new **Washington State Procurement Manual* [ [link removed] ] to add key resources for state agencies.

*Statewide contracts by the numbers as of June 2025:*


* 1,667 government purchasers
* 1,959 contractors
* 739 Washington small businesses on statewide contracts (38% of all contractors)

We’re proud of this work—and grateful for the *ongoing feedback from state government purchasers and vendors* that helps us do better every year.

 

DES outreach boosts small business WEBS registrations by 2%

Earlier this year, DES launched a focused outreach effort to *help more small, diverse, and veteran-owned businesses (SDVBs) get registered* in Washington’s Electronic Business Solution (WEBS)—the system for vendors to bid on state contracts.

Between March and June, 10 of our partner organizations *reached out to more than 3,440 SDVBs*, with help from our State Contracts Assistance Network (SCAN) [ [link removed] ], which connects small and diverse businesses with organizations and tools to make working with the state easier. The goal of this outreach—to *encourage and help more businesses register* in WEBS and *get involved in state contracting*.

*Key results:*


* Businesses contacted: *More than 3,440*
* New businesses registered in WEBS: *218*
* SDVBs in WEBS: *Increased from 45% to 47%*

*Why this matters*

Registering more SDVBs ensures that agencies have a *stronger, more diverse pool of businesses* to choose from, which supports statewide equity and diverse spending goals. Plus, registering in WEBS helps businesses by making them* more visible to state purchasers*.

*What we learned:*


* Many businesses were hard to reach or mistook outreach efforts for sales calls.
* Some businesses were already registered in WEBS, located out of state, or not interested in government work.
* More effective outreach may require better contact lists and multichannel strategies—like texts, emails, printed mailers, and webinars.

This initiative helped move the state closer to its goal of having 55% of vendors registered in WEBS be small, diverse, or veteran-owned by the end of fiscal year 2026. It also showed *the power of working with trusted community partners* to build *stronger connections* and *open more doors* to state contracting.

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Upcoming statewide contracts 

Interested in seeing the statewide contracts we are working on? Visit our planned procurements to see statewide contracts under development, the contracts they are replacing, and the timeline.

*Planned procurements* [ [link removed] ]






*Share feedback with us* [ [link removed] ]* about using statewide contracts, suggest a new contract, or request a customer listening session.
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Contact us
Contact Us

*DES Contracts & Procurement*

360-407-2210 [ tel:360-407-2210 ] | [email protected]

 









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