FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE THURSDAY, OCT. 29, 2009

CONTACT: LINDA MCDONALD, (850) 921-5266

~ VIP tools for vendor community increase efficiencies ~

TALLAHASSEE – Florida Department of Management Services Secretary Linda H. South announced today that MyFloridaMarketPlace (MFMP) launched an upgraded vendor Web site, “Vendor Information Portal.” MFMP is the state’s online procurement system for state employees and vendors, and the new portal, also known as “VIP,” continues to provide Florida’s vendors with self-service tools for registration, account maintenance, performance rating reviews and transaction fee reporting. In addition to these features, VIP provides registration for bid opportunities, improved navigation and simplified data entry for required reporting.

“We look every day for efficiencies in our state operations, and this upgrade increases efficiencies for vendors doing business with the state’s government,” said Department of Management Services Secretary Linda H. South. “This initiative is another example of our agency’s mission to provide smarter, better, faster services for our customers and the citizens of Florida.”

VIP continues to interface with other state systems, including the Office of Supplier Diversity’s certification systems. This system integration facilitates the registration, review and certification process to connect minority, women and service-disabled veteran business owners with business development opportunities.

The first step on the VIP path is registration with MFMP, the most sophisticated and comprehensive state purchasing system in the nation. Since its launch in 2003, MFMP issued nearly 800,000 purchase orders and processed more than 1.2 million invoices, totaling just over $7 billion.

“The improvements and upgraded enhancements in VIP increase the user-friendly tools for vendors to interact with the state’s purchasing community,” said Director of State Purchasing Charles Covington. “This is a great example of expanding self-service tools and visibility of business opportunities for the vendor community that we serve.”

Vendors register with MFMP by establishing user IDs and passwords at https://vendor.myfloridamarketplace.com, and access their accounts online at their convenience. MFMP serves more than 120,000 registered vendors, including 41,000 minority business enterprises.

For information on MFMP, visit http://MyFloridaMarketPlace.com.

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