OMES CPO FINAL PAPER 2025/2026 QUESTIONS WITH
ANSWERS GRADED A+
✔✔Best value performance characteristics - ✔✔Efficient, minimized transactions where
they buyer says what they want, and the vendor tells the buyer what they can get.
Transactions associated with communications, decisions, relationships are minimized to
achieve efficiencies unattainable in a price-based environment. Therefore, the State
seeks expertise and is willing to pay for this knowing that a job done correctly the first
time ultimately minimizes costs.
✔✔PIPS VS. RFP - ✔✔1. Identifies suppliers who can see the entire project through to
completion
2. Focus is on what is needed rather than how it will be accomplished
3. Process efficiencies provide win/win environment
4. Allows ID of all associated risks & provides for a comprehensive mitigation plan to
address each risk
5. Suppliers with superior expertise can differentiate themselves
6. Shifts contract management supplier to enable profit maximization
7. Relies on dominant info to minimize decision making
8. Allowing the expert to lead minimizes the amount of decision making
9. Metrics are agreed upon by supplier and State during the Clarification Phase
✔✔PIPS Process Benefits - ✔✔Initial responses to this process can be quickly prepared
and easily evaluated because a maximum of 6 pages are submitted to the evaluation
team (project capability - 2 pages, risk assessment - 2 pages, value added - 2 pages)
✔✔Scope Creep - ✔✔Anything outside the scope of work to be performed will not be
considered and if it were the client committing this action, they would be guilty of this.
This can happen in a RFP, but in the Best Value-PIPS process, the client is
acknowledged to know what they are trying to achieve, but may not know how to get the
optimum results.
✔✔Quality Control Plan (QC Plan) - ✔✔A document that will be submitted at the end of
the pre-award phase. It should contain a list of all the risks that the vendor doesn't
control, with a plan to minimize risks; a detailed project schedule w/critical milestones; a
list of all risks identified by all other vendors in the risk assessment plans, risks identified
by the client, and steps to minimize each risk; finally, a list of actions or tasks that the
vendor requires from the client.
✔✔Fuel - ✔✔An unauthorized purchase via P-card
✔✔$5000 - ✔✔Maximum single transaction limit allowed on a P-card when the item is
not on a statewide contract, interagency payment, professional service or a utility
, ✔✔Purchasing Card (P-Card) - ✔✔Credit card issued to state employees to purchase
goods and services needed for conducting official state business at fair and reasonable
prices
✔✔Spend volume - ✔✔P-card transactions less than $5000 represent appx 5-10% of
total spending for an agency, but represent about 75-80% of this.
✔✔Benefits of the P-card - ✔✔1. Reduces number of POs for small dollar purchases
2. Broadens vendor and category options
3. Agency convenience
4. Merchant cash flow
5. Eliminates lost, stolen or returned checks
6. Rebate earned through "combine spend"
7. Simplifies vendor maintenance (for instance, vendor doesn't have to be registered
with OMES prior to purchase)
8. Immediate payment to vendor
9. Visibility & transparency
10. Potential for discounts for faster payments
✔✔$74 - ✔✔Average savings per P-card transaction, including sourcing, purchasing &
payment activities
✔✔Prohibited P-card purchases - ✔✔Entertainment, per diem food & beverages, cash
advances, purchase of goods for personal use, motor vehicle fuel for state-owned or
personal vehicles, automotive maintenance, auto-drafts, gift certificates, split purchasing
✔✔Ratification Agreement - ✔✔Document used to resolve an unauthorized commitment
✔✔Prior to an audit response - ✔✔An agency under audit must provide a management
response at the end of the audit
✔✔Recall what an agency is expected to provide during an audit - ✔✔1. Workspace for
auditor
2. Response from agency management PRIOR TO release of the audit
✔✔Title 74 for State Leasing Contracts - ✔✔OMES' authority for the assignment of
state owned or privately leased space and award of such contracts is in this OK statute
✔✔150 net usable square feet per 1.0 FTE staff - ✔✔The amount of space allocated to
the state agency is determined by this amount, plus qualifying spacial needs
✔✔Ratification Agreement Process - ✔✔1. Agency's Chief Administrative Officer
approves
2. Agency negotiates a proposal
3. CAO documents facts and circumstances
ANSWERS GRADED A+
✔✔Best value performance characteristics - ✔✔Efficient, minimized transactions where
they buyer says what they want, and the vendor tells the buyer what they can get.
Transactions associated with communications, decisions, relationships are minimized to
achieve efficiencies unattainable in a price-based environment. Therefore, the State
seeks expertise and is willing to pay for this knowing that a job done correctly the first
time ultimately minimizes costs.
✔✔PIPS VS. RFP - ✔✔1. Identifies suppliers who can see the entire project through to
completion
2. Focus is on what is needed rather than how it will be accomplished
3. Process efficiencies provide win/win environment
4. Allows ID of all associated risks & provides for a comprehensive mitigation plan to
address each risk
5. Suppliers with superior expertise can differentiate themselves
6. Shifts contract management supplier to enable profit maximization
7. Relies on dominant info to minimize decision making
8. Allowing the expert to lead minimizes the amount of decision making
9. Metrics are agreed upon by supplier and State during the Clarification Phase
✔✔PIPS Process Benefits - ✔✔Initial responses to this process can be quickly prepared
and easily evaluated because a maximum of 6 pages are submitted to the evaluation
team (project capability - 2 pages, risk assessment - 2 pages, value added - 2 pages)
✔✔Scope Creep - ✔✔Anything outside the scope of work to be performed will not be
considered and if it were the client committing this action, they would be guilty of this.
This can happen in a RFP, but in the Best Value-PIPS process, the client is
acknowledged to know what they are trying to achieve, but may not know how to get the
optimum results.
✔✔Quality Control Plan (QC Plan) - ✔✔A document that will be submitted at the end of
the pre-award phase. It should contain a list of all the risks that the vendor doesn't
control, with a plan to minimize risks; a detailed project schedule w/critical milestones; a
list of all risks identified by all other vendors in the risk assessment plans, risks identified
by the client, and steps to minimize each risk; finally, a list of actions or tasks that the
vendor requires from the client.
✔✔Fuel - ✔✔An unauthorized purchase via P-card
✔✔$5000 - ✔✔Maximum single transaction limit allowed on a P-card when the item is
not on a statewide contract, interagency payment, professional service or a utility
, ✔✔Purchasing Card (P-Card) - ✔✔Credit card issued to state employees to purchase
goods and services needed for conducting official state business at fair and reasonable
prices
✔✔Spend volume - ✔✔P-card transactions less than $5000 represent appx 5-10% of
total spending for an agency, but represent about 75-80% of this.
✔✔Benefits of the P-card - ✔✔1. Reduces number of POs for small dollar purchases
2. Broadens vendor and category options
3. Agency convenience
4. Merchant cash flow
5. Eliminates lost, stolen or returned checks
6. Rebate earned through "combine spend"
7. Simplifies vendor maintenance (for instance, vendor doesn't have to be registered
with OMES prior to purchase)
8. Immediate payment to vendor
9. Visibility & transparency
10. Potential for discounts for faster payments
✔✔$74 - ✔✔Average savings per P-card transaction, including sourcing, purchasing &
payment activities
✔✔Prohibited P-card purchases - ✔✔Entertainment, per diem food & beverages, cash
advances, purchase of goods for personal use, motor vehicle fuel for state-owned or
personal vehicles, automotive maintenance, auto-drafts, gift certificates, split purchasing
✔✔Ratification Agreement - ✔✔Document used to resolve an unauthorized commitment
✔✔Prior to an audit response - ✔✔An agency under audit must provide a management
response at the end of the audit
✔✔Recall what an agency is expected to provide during an audit - ✔✔1. Workspace for
auditor
2. Response from agency management PRIOR TO release of the audit
✔✔Title 74 for State Leasing Contracts - ✔✔OMES' authority for the assignment of
state owned or privately leased space and award of such contracts is in this OK statute
✔✔150 net usable square feet per 1.0 FTE staff - ✔✔The amount of space allocated to
the state agency is determined by this amount, plus qualifying spacial needs
✔✔Ratification Agreement Process - ✔✔1. Agency's Chief Administrative Officer
approves
2. Agency negotiates a proposal
3. CAO documents facts and circumstances
