Understanding the State of Kansas Procurement Process

The Office of Procurement & Contracts mission is to promote the use and development of processes which serve the best interests of the State of Kansas and its citizens. This session will cover a few of the SOK procurement processes to provide a better understanding to the agencies we serve.

• Encumbrance Policy
• PA & PA Revisions
• Bid Process
• Contract Renewal Process

Speaker: Candace Smith

Unlocking Insights with Power BI: Turning Data into Action

This presentation provides a practical introduction to Microsoft Power BI, a powerful business analytics tool designed to help organizations transform raw data into meaningful insights. Attendees will learn how Power BI connects to various data sources, cleans and transforms data, and creates interactive dashboards and reports for informed decision-making.

Speaker: Dawn Palmberg

From Errors to Excellence - Correcting Common Audit Findings

While state agencies strive to meet a high standard of compliance to state laws and policies, the State of Kansas maintained an error rate of approximately 13% in voucher processing in FY25. This session will provide information on the common deficiencies and findings, review policies and procedures, as well as provide guidance to avoid findings in the future.

Speaker: Stacy Jaramillo

Intro to Procurement: Being a Successful Procurement Officer

People initially choose to work in Procurement Services for a variety of reasons, but those that are successful have five unique traits. In this session, Lee will discuss how he first started in Procurement and discuss which traits a person innately has or will acquire to be a successful Procurement Officer with the State of Kansas.

Speaker: Lee Askew

Rise Together: Insights From Agency Panel

A panel of state agency fiscal and purchasing officials will provide insight on their internal policies and procedures that have led to minimal errors and successful processing. Through collaboration, state agencies can reduce errors in processing and rise together!

Speaker: Jesse Becker (OSBC), Brenda Kindle (KDOL), John Hess (KSDE)...And More!

Moderator: Stacy Jaramillo 

Money for Nothing? Best Practices for Fraud Prevention

Fraud is an ever-present and evolving threat in today’s landscape. Join us to gain a foundational understanding of fraud risks and learn key strategies for fraud prevention and detection. Don’t settle for letting a fraudster get away with money for nothing!

Speakers: DofA Office of Accounts and Reports and State Treasurer's Office

Introduction to the Legislative Process

Learn about the Legislative Session: The timeline of a bill, how to prepare testimony, how to navigate the website, and more.

Speaker: Leigh Keck

Bid Specifications Workshop

The cornerstone of any successful bid event lies within the accuracy and completeness of the specifications. Specifications provide a roadmap for the vendors to understand the agency’s need and desired solution. Lack of specificity results in numerous vendor questions and a lackluster solution, while too much specificity limits competition and restricts vendor creativity. In this session, Kelly Johnson, OPC Chief of Operations, will go over the basics of specification development and explain the parameters that OPC requires in all bid submissions. Emphasis will be on the importance of market research, and the project planning process.

Speaker: Kelly Johnson

KARS, KITO & CISO

The approval process by OITS for IT procurement projects has changed recently. This session will cover the process agencies should follow for approval, and highlight recent changes to the process, as well as common issues that cause delays.

Speaker: Sara Spinks

Good, Bad and Ugly: Uncovering the Ins and Outs of Contractual Provisions

Contracts provide the State of Kansas with many benefits including better pricing, clearly defined terms, and the opportunity to acquire consistent services/commodities.

Reading and understanding contracts is crucial for protecting your interests and ensuring a successful purchase & agreement. Join OPC and OAR to learn more about reading contracts and what will be required when payments are made.

Stacy Jaramillo and Candace Smith

SMART 101

This session is for any agency fiscal staff who are new to using the statewide financial system known as SMART. It will provide an overview of SMART functionality and how data flows across different areas of the system, guidance on how to determine what security role access you need and where to find training resources, options for how to report your agency’s financial information and more.

Sarah Tongier and Sunni Zentner

Basics of Cooperative Purchasing - NASPO Session

In this session, a representative from the National Association of State Procurement Officials (NASPO) will discuss the basics of cooperative purchasing. More details to come.

Speaker: TBD

State Printing Services

The Department of Administration's Office of Printing and Mailing handles printing jobs for State of Kansas agencies. Publications include copies, letterhead, business cards, envelopes, brochures, documents, newsletters and much more. Attend this session to learn what the State Printer can do for you and your agency!

Speaker: Sherita Clifton

Introduction to State Government

A crash course for those new to state government. Learn about the processes of the three branches of government and how each agency works to help one another serve the people of Kansas.

Speaker: Samir Arif

State Learning Resources

The state has a wide variety of research and training resources available to agencies at no charge. In this session, State Librarian Ray Walling will discuss how to use the State Library as a resource in agency work. Craig Kibbe, Deputy Director of Public Safety and Training for the Office of Personnel Services will also cover the use of the LinkedIn Learning tool, which agencies can use to structure professional development or skills sharpening.

Speakers: Craig Kibbe and Ray Walling 

Budget Training and Legislative Presentation Protocol

State agencies are required to submit an annual budget request to the Division of the Budget for the upcoming Legislative Session by September 15 of each year. This session will cover how and when agencies should start developing their budgets, how the Division of the Budget and the Director of the Budget evaluate items, how the Director gives the presentation to the joint committees at the beginning of session, and how the budget works its way through the legislature.

Speaker: Jeff Arpin 

Business Communications Best Practices

Learn about the State of Kansas Graphic Standards and implementation within agency communications and designs, presentation tips and tricks, and best practices for official State of Kansas communications.

Speakers: Samir Arif and Kaylee Berroth