State Procurement

What State Procurement does

The State of Ohio Office of Procurement Services is a centralized state government procurement agency that operates as the General Services Division of the Ohio Department of Administrative Services under Ohio Revised Code 125.02. The agency provides procurement services to Ohio state agencies, boards, commissions, political subdivisions, higher education institutions, and registered suppliers. Its flagship product is OhioBuys, the State of Ohio's electronic procurement platform built on IBM WebSphere Portal and hosted within the InnovateOhio Platform; OhioBuys connects government buyers with bidders and suppliers and supports catalog-based purchasing, solicitation management, contract administration, and procure-to-pay operations. As of the most recent disclosure, OhioBuys is deployed across fourteen state agencies with active plans to onboard additional agencies, boards, commissions, local governments, and higher education institutions. Authentication is provided through OHID, the state's identity management system.

The product portfolio extends beyond OhioBuys to the Cooperative Purchasing Program (which extends state contract pricing to over 2,800 participating political subdivisions, schools, universities, county boards of elections, chartered non-public schools, private fire companies, and private non-profit EMS organizations at no membership cost), the Community Rehabilitation Program (mandated by Ohio Revised Code to source from nonprofit organizations employing Ohioans with work-limiting disabilities), the Natural Gas Program for pooled utility procurement, the Statewide Debarment List (maintained jointly by DAS, ODOT, OFCC, and the Ohio Secretary of State), the Public Catalog for contract item discovery, and the Ohio Public Procurement Training & Certification Academy offering Certified Ohio Procurement Manager (COPM) and Certified Ohio Procurement Agent (COPA) credentials.

As a government entity, the Office of Procurement Services does not generate commercial revenue and is funded entirely through state appropriations; there is no pricing model, no investor base, and no equity structure. The agency is led by Chief Procurement Officer Justin Lovett, supported by Deputy Chief Procurement Officers for IT procurement (Brian Calandra), non-IT procurement (Randall Dublikar), and operations (Steve Meese), with category-specific procurement managers spanning IT, healthcare, fleet, maintenance/repair/operations, food/clothing/office, asset management, and the eProcurement platform itself (Andrew Cochran). Operations are headquartered at 4200 Surface Road, Columbus, OH 43228.

Name

State Procurement

Legal name

State of Ohio Office of Procurement Services

Website

https://procure.ohio.gov

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The State of Ohio Office of Procurement Services is a centralized state government agency operating under Ohio Revised Code 125.02 that provides procurement services to Ohio state agencies, boards, commissions, political subdivisions, schools, and universities through its OhioBuys e-procurement platform and the Cooperative Purchasing Program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Procurement Services

NAICS

Public Administration (92)

SIC

Services-Help Supply Services (7363)

akta.pro primary industry

Procurement Systems Administration (ERP/P2P Tools Support) (BPAAAJAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sourcing Support & RFx Administration (RFI/RFP/RFQ) (BPAAAJAC), Procurement Platforms, Catalogs & Contract Purchasing (Co-ops, GPOs, eProcurement) (EDAEAIAO)

Keywords

• Government procurement services
• E-procurement platform
• Cooperative purchasing
• Supplier solicitation management
• State contract administration

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbus

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Public Procurement Services: Centralized procurement services provided to state agencies, boards, commissions, and political subdivisions as a government function under Ohio Revised Code 125.02. Services are funded through state budgets and not commercially monetized.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

State of Ohio Office of Procurement Services operates OhioBuys, a centralized electronic procurement platform that connects state agencies with registered bidders and suppliers for purchasing goods and services, managing solicitations, awarding contracts, and tracking procurement spend. The agency also runs the Cooperative Purchasing Program (extending state-negotiated pricing to 2,800+ political subdivisions), the Community Rehabilitation Program (mandatory sourcing from disability-serving nonprofits), the Natural Gas aggregation program, and the Ohio Public Procurement Training & Certification academy.

Product overview

State of Ohio Office of Procurement Services provides a centralized procurement ecosystem primarily through the OhioBuys e-procurement platform. The offering consists of OhioBuys as the core unified platform for purchasing, combined with specialized programs including State Purchasing, IT Procurement Services, Cooperative Purchasing Program, and Community Rehabilitation Program. Supporting services include the Public Catalog for searching contract items, Natural Gas Program for energy procurement, and Ohio Public Procurement Training & Certification for professional development. The system also includes the Statewide Debarment List to ensure supplier compliance. These products work together to serve state agencies, local governments, political subdivisions, and suppliers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• OhioBuys: The State of Ohio's online purchasing solution that empowers government buyers and suppliers. OhioBuys is the State's electronic procurement system for purchasing goods and services, managing contracts, and soliciting bids.

Products and services

• OhioBuys eProcurement Platform Centralized electronic procurement platform that connects Ohio state agency buyers with registered bidders and suppliers, supporting catalog-based purchasing, solicitation management, contract administration, and procure-to-pay functionality. Available to state agencies with planned expansion to boards, commissions, local governments, and higher education institutions.
• State Purchasing Assists Ohio state agencies with procurement of non-IT supplies and services through competitive selection and negotiated contracts.
• Information Technology Procurement Services Assists Ohio state agencies with the procurement of IT-related supplies and services through competitive selection and negotiated contracts.
• Cooperative Purchasing Program Enables governmental agencies, state higher education institutions, political subdivisions, county boards of elections, chartered non-public schools, private fire companies, and private non-profit EMS organizations to acquire IT and non-IT supplies and services by purchasing from established State of Ohio contracts at state-negotiated pricing. Free membership with 2,800+ participating organizations.
• Community Rehabilitation Program (CRP) Mandated by Ohio Revised Code, enables state agencies to purchase goods and services from nonprofit organizations employing Ohioans with work-limiting disabilities at fair market prices. State agencies are required to purchase from CRP suppliers before all other sources.
• Natural Gas Program Optional-use natural gas purchasing program open to State Agencies and Cooperative Purchasing members providing access to discounted natural gas rates from various utility providers.
• Ohio Public Procurement Training & Certification 2.5-day Virtual Instructor-Led Training program covering the Ohio Procurement Life Cycle across 6 modules, with certification available as Certified Ohio Procurement Manager (COPM) or Certified Ohio Procurement Agent (COPA). Available to Ohio procurement professionals under partnership with UPPCC since 2017 (expanded to other Ohio entities in 2021).

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 2,800 eligible organizations currently participate in the Cooperative Purchasing Program
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerODOT participates in procurement activities and is one of four agencies with authority to debar suppliers under Ohio Revised Code. DAS and ODOT both establish contracts available through the Cooperative Purchasing Program.
• Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOFCC is one of four agencies with authority to debar suppliers. The commission manages construction-related procurement for state facilities.
• Ohio Secretary of StatecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of four agencies with authority to debar suppliers. Also maintains list of federally debarred contractors that state agencies must check during procurement.
• U.S. General Services Administration (SAM)supportingTechnology or IntegrationFederal System for Award Management used by Ohio state agencies to verify supplier debarment status for federally funded contracts.
• Universal Public Procurement Certification Council (UPPCC)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational certification body for public procurement professionals. Ohio procurement managers have obtained certification through UPPCC since 2001.
• NASPO (National Association of State Procurement Officials)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured on NASPO Pulse Podcast discussing the OhioBuys procurement transformation journey. Represents collaboration with other state procurement offices.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ohiodas
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/state-procurement

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles19 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about State Procurement