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The Guide newsletter provides quick information and resources on how to do business with The Department of General Services (DGS) as well as other featured news, opportunities, and highlights.
Questions or ideas for The Guide can be sent to DGSNewsletter@dgs.ca.gov.
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The California Department of General Services provides a wide range of services to state and local government agencies, businesses, schools and the general public. They include the following: |
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- Contracting and procurement policies and solutions
- Real estate management and design
- Environmentally friendly transportation
- Energy efficient building upgrades, and clean energy generation and storage solutions
- Professional printing
- Design and web services
- Administrative hearings
- Building standards
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- Structural safety oversight
- Fire/life safety and accessibility for the design and construction of K-12 public schools and community colleges
- School construction funding
- Disability access
- Manage and maintain all buildings within the DGS portfolio statewide
- Manage and maintain partial building management services for over 200 other departments and agencies throughout the state
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Congratulations to Ida A. Clair on her reappointment by Governor Gavin Newsom as California's State Architect. Ida has served in this termed-appointment position since 2021 and more broadly at DGS since 2013. She also brings 26 years' experience in private architectural practice.
DGS' Division of the State Architect is tasked with providing design and construction oversight for K–12 schools, community colleges, and various other state-owned and state-leased facilities to ensure that they comply with all structural, accessibility, and fire and life safety codes.
Photo: State Architect Ida Clair with DGS Director Ana Lasso. Congratulations Ida!
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From the DGS Newswire Blog
Susan L. Formaker, General Jurisdiction Division Chief Administrative Law Judge for the Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH), was honored by the Los Angeles County Bar Association (LACBA) for her outstanding service in the legal profession for Women's History Month. Judge Formaker has been with the Los Angeles regional office of OAH since September 2008, and in her role, she oversees a central administrative tribunal serving hundreds of state and local agencies.
Judge Formaker began her career in private practice before going in-house, serving as a Senior Counsel in the Bank of America Office of General Counsel and then as First Vice President and Assistant General Counsel in the Washington Mutual Legal Department.
Judge Formaker has served on the Board of Governors of California Women Lawyers for over 17 years and was named the organization's 2010-2011 Woman of Achievement.
The OAH is an office under the California Department of General Services and is a quasi-judicial tribunal that hears administrative disputes. Established by the California Legislature in 1945, OAH provides independent Administrative Law Judges (ALJs) to conduct hearings for numerous state and local government agencies throughout California. The office offers a wealth of experience, qualified ALJs, professional case management staff, and the flexibility to mediate, arbitrate, or adjudicate administrative disputes.
For more highlights on Judge Formaker's service and achievements, visit the LACBA Women's History Month Honorees page.
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DGS recognizes and commemorates Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month. During this month, please join us in highlighting the tremendous work DGS' Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) does every day in serving Californians with developmental disabilities.
OAH has two hearing divisions, both of which serve the disability community. The Special Education Division helps resolve disputes between parents of public school children and school districts concerning the educational plan for students with special education needs. Each year, over 4,500 special education cases are filed with OAH. The vast majority of these disputes are resolved by mediation conducted by OAH's expertly trained Administrative Law Judges, while around 100 cases annually are resolved by an administrative hearing held by an Administrative Law Judge.
OAH's General Jurisdiction Division hears hundreds of cases for the California Department of Developmental Services and other state agencies serving the disabled community. These cases include California's Early Start Program, which focuses on children's development services from birth to 36 months, and the Lanterman Act, which provides for services to individuals beyond 36 months of age. OAH helps resolve disputes between individuals seeking services and the 21 Regional Centers throughout the state that provide those services.
OAH Administrative Law Judges are specifically trained to provide a comfortable, supportive, and neutral environment for individuals appearing in mediations and hearings without an attorney. The Administrative Law Judges focus on providing a fair hearing where all parties are able to present their case and tell their story. OAH also employs an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) coordinator to ensure that parties, witnesses and attorneys with disabilities are provided equal access to our proceedings.
The Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) is an independent office housed within the Department of General Services.
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National Procurement Month is celebrated throughout the month of March and is dedicated to honoring purchasing professionals. DGS' Procurement Division serves as the central procurement office for the state of California and provides purchasing services to all state departments including setting policy, delegating authority, training, and certification of Small Business (SBs) and Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (DVBE) firms. Throughout the year, DGS supports state procurement operations enabling departments to achieve their mission and goals in meeting the needs of Californians.
During National Procurement Month, DGS gives a special shoutout of appreciation to the dedicated purchasing professionals both in the DGS Procurement Division and across state department buying teams who work tirelessly to ensure continuity of state operations through purchasing.
Thank you for all you do. We appreciate you!
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Find current bid opportunities on the California State Contracts Register (CSCR). To search for DGS-specific opportunities, enter 7760 in the “Department” field.
Please note that the majority of California state purchases are facilitated by the individual state departments making the purchase, not by DGS. A filtered list of each state department and what goods and services they are looking to purchase can be found on CaleProcure.ca.gov.
Statewide Leveraged Procurement Agreement Opportunities Leveraged Procurement Agreements (LPAs) allow departments to buy directly from suppliers through existing contracts and agreements. LPAs are available to California's state, county, city, special district, education, and other government entities. Here are some of the current opportunities being solicited for statewide contracts:
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Excellence in Sustainability Award for Design-Build Project
From the DGS Newswire Blog
DGS is honored with an Excellence in Sustainability award by the Engineering News-Record (ENR) for their work in overseeing the design-build project for the California Air Resources Board’s (CARB’s) new Southern California headquarters – Mary D. Nichols Campus.
Under the Project Management and Development Branch, DGS' Real Estate Services Division served as the project manager for the design-build of the facility located in Riverside, Calif.
Some of the structure highlights include:
- On hundred percent energy for all end-uses will be supplied on-site using renewable energy, producing an excess of power that will be used for the site’s electric vehicle charging stations.
- The building exceeds Title 24 requirements by 30%, increasing energy cost savings by 75%. This cost reduction will lead to 100% payback for the solar array system in under 10 years.
- Some of the innovative net-zero energy strategies include a high-performance envelope, daylighting, an on-site solar array on the building roof and atop the on-grade parking, capturing of energy generated in test cells by AC dynamometers for direct use or storage in the battery system, decoupled chilled water and process chilled water system cooling, adiabatic/evaporative humidifiers, airflow monitoring system, and a high-bandwidth Building Management System.
- The facility is situated optimally on 19 acres to encourage biking, walking, public transit, and the use of zero-emission vehicles to reduce transportation impacts.
- The structure was designed to be a vehicle emissions testing and research facility for next-generation vehicles. It is the world’s largest net-zero building and the largest on-site net-zero energy facility in the United States!
More highlights on the DGS project for CARB’s new Southern California Headquarters (Mary D. Nichols Campus) are featured in the March 2023 issue of ENR.
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DGS facilitates and participates in many public meetings and events to conduct state business, including the featured list below. Please note that meeting dates are subject to change. Visit our DGS website for the most up-to-date information and a listing of all DGS public meetings and events.
State Allocation Board Meeting The State Allocation Board is responsible for determining the allocation of state resources used for the construction, modernization and maintenance of local public school facilities.
Date: Wednesday, March 22 at 10 a.m. Meeting details will be posted in advance of the meeting and can be found on the Office of Public School Construction website.
California Building Standards Commission: Plumbing, Electrical, Mechanical & Energy Code Advisory Committee Meeting The California Building Standards Commission produces sensible and usable state building standards and administrative regulations that implement or enforce those standards.
Date: March 15 & 16 at 9 a.m. This meeting will be held virtually, via Zoom. The agenda and meeting details can be found on the Building Standards Commission website.
NEW: Joint Agency Virtual Office Hours with the Office of Public School Construction, Division of the State Architect, and the California Department of Education Staff from each agency will be available to provide assistance in all areas of the school planning review and approval process, funding application and approval process, and construction and funding closeout process that is required for state-funded programs.
Date: Friday, March 17, 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Zoom.
Are you a small or disabled veteran-owned business looking to do business with the state of California? There are many benefits to working with the State of California as a certified Small Business (SB) or Disabled Veteran Owned Business Enterprise (DVBE), but knowing where to start can be a challenge. Sacramento Regional Builders Exchange (SRBX) is partnering with DGS to offer this introductory webinar covering the following topics:
Topics:
- Overview of SB/DVBE Program
- State Certifications
- Cal eProcure Registration and Certification
- Keywords and UNSPSC Codes - Bid Solicitations
- Past purchases - SB/DVBE Advocates
- Commercially Useful Function (CUF) Resources
This free webinar is for businesses that are interested in certification and for those who are already certified and looking to utilize their certifications for state procurement opportunities. A representative from the Department of General Services will be available to answer questions during this webinar, which will be hosted via Microsoft Teams.
Join us on Thursday, March 9, from 2:30 – 3:30 p.m. Register HERE.
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