MPA FAQ

An MPA provides for broad categories of goods and services for a specified period on a statewide basis. State agencies order their goods and services off relevant MPAs, as their agency needs arise. Statewide applicability (state law) permits quasi-agencies, municipalities, and school districts to piggy-back the State’s MPA pricing contracts, at the vendor’s discretion. An exception to this is in some circumstances Rhode Island participates in Cooperative Agreements hosted by a cooperative purchasing organization who performs the Bid Solicitation Process on the organization’s solicitation platform and allows public procurement entities to participate in them.

Access active MPAs on the OSP Contract Board. Each MPA Contract Page begins with the Description Summary, Contract Administrator Name & Email Address, Agreement Type (Purchase Agreement/State or Cooperative Agreement/External Organization), Contract Periods with Renewal Option Term Dates. Scroll further down the page to see vendor contacts, followed by the “Attachments” section that allows download access to the existing Awards and User Guides. At the base of the page use the share button to copy the link for the specific MPA to bookmark and share. Go to the OSP Bid Board to view the MPA solicitation and other supporting documents that you may find helpful.

Our office hears this broad statement from vendors very often. What MPA is it that you think you can perform under? Please consider that there are over 200 specific MPAs in the portfolio. To gain a better understanding of MPAs that may align with your organization, view “active” MPAs on the Contract Board HERE.

To be perfectly clear, each state issued MPA does go through the Bid Solicitation process and does require Vendor Bid Submissions. Vendors who meet the requirements of the solicitation may be added to the MPA vendor pool. The MPA is a qualified list allowing agencies to seek quotes from the pool of vendors, and as such is not a guarantee that the vendor will be issued contracts for goods or services.

State MPAs are solicited by the State as bidding opportunities. The state also participates in MPAs made available by cooperative organizations, such as the National Association of State Procurement Officials (NASPO). Those MPAs may be referred to as Cooperative, Coops, or Participations.

Vendors are responsible to monitor the OSP Bid Board for Solicitations HERE. See the FAQ for "Open Enrollments" below.

Certain State-Issued MPAs provide for Open Enrollment Periods enabling vendors to submit a bid response over a specified period during a portion of the MPA term. OE submissions may be submitted at any time during the OE period, and will be opened/awarded by the buyer on a quarterly or semi-annual basis. Vendors interested in these opportunities will see the words “Open Enrollment” or the acronyms “OE” or “OEV” in the OSP Bid Board Solicitation Number.

The OSP Bid Board is an external portal that hosts the Ocean State Procures^TM (OSP) bidding opportunities posted by the Rhode Island Division of Purchases for MPAs and Requests for Proposals and Quotes on behalf of centralized agencies. To submit a bid, Vendors must respond to the solicitation by performing their bid response in the OSP portal. Notable requirements for a vendor to submit a bid response include internet connectivity and at a minimum, a soft registration that will enable login access to the OSP Portal.

Ocean State Procures^TM  accronym OSP, is the Rhode Island Division of Purchases electronic procurement module. The module is hosted by a third party and allows public access to view the OSP Contract Board and OSP Bid Board on our website. Vendor registration is performed online through the vendor registration portal. Vendors with active login credentials access the portal for enhanced user features and to respond to bids. When using the OSP Module you will see reference to the Host Provider's organization under two names, Proactis and WebProcure.

Yes. Many of our MPAs include "statewide applicability". Political Subdivisions (municipalities, institutions for higher education, municipal/state schools, quasi-public agencies), as authorized by law, may participate in this Agreement.  For any projects with a political subdivision, all ordering and billing shall be between the vendor and the political subdivision.

There may be other information while not MPA-specific in nature, you may find beneficial:

• Training - live virtual sessions are available bi-weekly. View and Register on our All Events & Training page.
• Registration for OSP, including the How-To Guide is on our Registration Page.
• Bid Response and Registration training guides & videos are at our Vendor Training Center. 
• Bid Requirements FAQs.

If you remain curious about what you should know, consider hearing the questions posed by other vendors during a training session. There is no limit to how many training sessions you attend.

An MPA provides for qualified vendors who meet the requirements for broad categories of goods and services for a specified period and threshold amounts. MPAs are the best starting point for agencies and municipalities planning to procure. Search for an MPA that fits your procurement need and procurement threshold amount. See the MPA User Guides for instructions and threshold amounts. Access the contract on the OSP Contract Board. For solicitation supporting documents, go to the OSP Bid Board to view the MPA solicitation and download the supporting documents that are helpful to your documentation needs. 

Purchases supports agencies and municipalities before, during and after emergency preparedness and disaster recovery by providing a portfolio of MPAs that are readily available for use. The MPA contact listing for all Contracted vendors is updated at the beginning of each calendar year and available for download HERE.