Executing a CRP Check / Search

1. Executing a CRP Check / Search

2. Welcome to the CRP Check / Search course! This course will provide you with the process steps necessary to execute checks and searches in the CRP system to determine if a contractor is deemed responsible, as defined in Management Directive 215.9. Select the NEXT button to continue

3. Course Navigation This course is presented on a series of slides. Navigate through the slides by selecting the NEXT or PREVIOUS button. Access the course menu by selecting the MENU button. You may exit the course at any time. When you return to the course, you can choose to resume the course or start from the beginning. Select the NEXT button now to start the course. MENU NEXT PREVIOUS

4. Introduction This course will address the lessons noted below, followed by a knowledge check: Contractor Responsibility Program System (CRPS) Overview Navigating the CRPS Executing a CRP Check Executing a CRP Search Generating Reports Knowledge Check Glossary

5. Introduction Upon completion of this course, you should be able to: • Understand the Contractor Responsibility Program (CRP) and how use of the new Contractor Responsibility Program System (CRPS) fits into the process • Access the CRPS and understand screen navigation • Understand how to execute a contractor responsibility check and search • Use the CRPS to produce reports

6. Contractor Responsibility Program System Overview MENU

7. CRPS Overview What is the Contractor Responsibility Program? • Executive Order 1990-3, Contractor Responsibility Program, mandated the development of this program by the Secretary of the Budget and the Secretary of General Services • The goals of the program are: • To ensure that COPA agencies contract with responsible and competent contractors

8. CRPS Overview What is the Contractor Responsibility Program? • To identify, evaluate, and appropriately sanction contractors that do not meet the standards of responsibility , that render deficient performance, or engage in wrongdoing or other inappropriate activities • To develop and maintain a centralized system to collect and disseminate information concerning issues affecting contractor responsibility

9. CRPS Overview What is the Contractor Responsibility Program? • Management Directive 215.9, Contractor Responsibility Program, establishes policy, responsibilities, and procedures for implementing the program • Objectives of the MD 215.9 include: • Providing standards and procedures for agency determination of contractor responsibility • Providing for the collection of liabilities through the offset process

10. CRPS Overview What is the Contractor Responsibility Program? • Establishing the CRPS and providing for the confidentiality of the information contained therein, and sanctions for the unauthorized use or disclosure of that information • Providing for the securing of information on contractor responsibility from the federal government • Providing for agency investigations of allegations of contractor non-responsibility 10

11. CRPS Overview What is the Contractor Responsibility Program? • Part 1, Chapter 14 of the Procurement Handbook, Contractor Responsibility, provides a standard reference for Commonwealth Purchasing Professionals relative to the aforementioned Executive Order and Management Directive 11

12. CRPS Overview What is the CRPS? • The CRPS is a new web-based application used in support of the business processes of the Contractor Responsibility Program • The CRPS is used to collect and disseminate information regarding contractorobligations with the Commonwealth, performance issues, or suspensions/debarments with either the Commonwealth or Federal government

13. CRPS Overview Why are we implementing the CRPS? • To standardize Commonwealth CRP Checks by maintaining a central database to store liability, suspension, debarment, and performance-related information • To include federal suspensions/debarments through queries to the Excluded Parties List System (EPLS) • To allow agencies to query for a single contractor or a batch of contractors

14. CRPS Overview How current are the CRPS data sources? • Tax obligations from the Department of Revenue are supplied daily • Tax obligations from the Department of Labor and Industry’s Unemployment Compensation and State Worker’s Insurance Fund are supplied weekly

15. CRPS Overview How current are the CRPS data sources? • Performance issue entries are created and stored in the CRPS when a supplier has not performed satisfactorily; the entry is followed by approval or rejection via workflow • Note: The system will only check for approved performance issues

16. CRPS Overview How current are the CRPS data sources? • The DGS Suspension/Debarment database queried with a CRP Check will return any Commonwealth suspensions or debarments from the past five (5) years • The EPLS queried with a CRP Check will return any known Federal suspensions or debarments

17. CRPS Overview Who will be using the CRPS? • Anyone who has been assigned one of the three “roles” created for the system: • Performance Issue (PI) Creator • Authorized to create new performance issues for their agency, and to edit performance issues for their agency with a pending status • May search and/or view approved and resolved performance issues • May execute CRP Checks and CRP Searches

18. CRPS Overview Who will be using the CRPS? • Performance Issue (PI) Creator, cont’d • May generate reports • Does not have the ability to approve or resolve performance issues, and they may not edit approved or resolved performance issues • Does not have the ability to see pending performance issues for any other agency returned in a search 18

19. CRPS Overview Who will be using the CRPS? • Performance Issue (PI) Approver • Authorized to approve or resolve performance issues, and edit performance issues with an approved or resolved status • May search for and view all performance issues • May execute CRP Checks and CRP Searches • May generate reports • Does not have the ability to edit performance issues with a pending status 19

20. CRPS Overview Who will be using the CRPS? • CRPS User • May execute CRP Checks and CRP Searches • May search for and view approved and resolved performance issues • May generate reports 20

21. CRPS Overview MD 215.9 Policy and Procedures MD 215.9 contains detailed policy and procedures pertaining to the performance of CRP checks on contractors. This course will address only those relative to an Agency making a procurement award, and will do so in a broad manner. After completing the course, it is your responsibility to acquire and review the cited documents, and to reference them as appropriate when performing your duties as a CRPS User, PI Creator, and/or PI Approver. 21

22. CRPS Overview MD 215.9 Policy and Procedures As a using agency (e.g., an agency procuring supplies and/or services under the procurement code), you must: • Determine contractor responsibility prior to making any contract award, renewal, extension, or assignment in excess of $5,000 Note that such determination must be made part of the contract documentation 22

23. CRPS Overview MD 215.9 Policy and Procedures The methods used by agencies to make a determination of contractor responsibility shall include but not be limited to: • Accessing the CRPS to ascertain the contractor’s current status • Collect all available information that bears upon responsibility determination 23

24. CRPS Overview MD 215.9 Policy and Procedures • Meeting with and discussing performance issues with the contractor prior to awarding, renewing or extending the contract 24

25. CRPS Overview MD 215.9 Policy and Procedures Agency personnel authorized to access the CRPS shall do so only for official purposes related to and permitted by this program. Any unauthorized use of the CRPS, disclosure of the information contained in the CRPS, or any use of such information for other than official purposes is prohibited. Violation of these prohibitions will result in disciplinary action against the personnel involved. 25

26. Navigating the CRPS MENU

27. Navigating the CRPS How to access the CRPS As noted previously, the Contractor Responsibility Program System is web-enabled for COPA end-users with assigned roles. The CRPS is located on the Department of General Services website, under “Doing Business with the Commonwealth”. The CRPS webpage is part of the Commonwealth intranet (requiring a network connection), so you must log-in to your account in order to access it.

28. Navigating the CRPS Logging In Go to the DGS website at www.dgs.state.pa.us Next, select Log In at the bottom of the left navigation pane

29. Navigating the CRPS Logging In • User accounts are divided into two groups: • CWOPA, for persons in agencies under the Governor’s jurisdiction • MUSER, for persons in agencies not under the Governor’s jurisdiction

30. Navigating the CRPS Logging In • Upon selection of the Log In button, one of the following will happen: • For CWOPA users, log-in will occur automatically with your CWOPA credentials (i.e., a secondary log-in unnecessary) • For MUSERS, log-in credentials must be entered in the format: • Username: MUSER\<your username> • Password: (Enter the password provided to you by OA when your role was assigned)

31. Navigating the CRPS Logging In Now, select Doing Business with the Commonwealth,followed by selection of the CRPS link

32. Navigating the CRPS Logging In The CRPS navigation page displays

33. Navigating the CRPS CRPS Navigation Page Select anywhere in the above graphic to continue to the CRPS Home Page

34. Navigating the CRPS CRPS Home Page The CRPS Home page displays

35. Navigating the CRPS CRPS Home Page Note the navigation pane along the left side of the page, and the User ID confirmation above the right side of the Welcome Message

36. Navigating the CRPS CRPS Home Page Upon login, links to the various functions are contained within the navigation pane As noted in the CRPS Overview, the visibility of information (e.g., results of checks/searches) is based upon the permissions of the role(s) assigned to the end user

37. Navigating the CRPS CRPS Home Page The Welcome Message contains key information about contractor responsibility, including hyperlinks to policy and management directive documents

38. Navigating the CRPS CRPS Home Page Additional hyperlinks within the Welcome Message will open the Excluded Parties List System (EPLS) and a CRPS Quick Reference Guide

39. Navigating the CRPS Timeouts and Exiting the CRPS • For security purposes, close the CRPS at any time that you are not actively working in the system, as shown above: • Select the red “X” in the upper-right corner of the Internet Explorer (IE) window • Select File, then Exit within the IE menu

40. Navigating the CRPS Timeouts and Exiting the CRPS • It is important to note that your portal connection to the CRPS will timeout after remaining idle for 20 or more minutes • When a timeout occurs, you must close Internet Explorer and restart it • Attempting to open another tab in IE to open the CRPS will not work because the system will prevent you from logging in

41. Navigating the CRPS Now that you understand how to access and navigate the CRPS, we’ll move on to reviewing the functions of the User role. In the next lesson, Executing a CRP Check, you will learn the steps involved to determine whether a Contractor is responsible, and how to print the CRP Check Certification form. Select the NEXT button to proceed with the lesson.

42. Executing a CRP Check MENU

43. Executing a CRP Check MD 215.9 Policy and Procedures As noted earlier, MD 215.9 states that you must perform a CRP Check for procurements in excess of $5,000 to obtain the contractor’s current status. • Determine, based on the results of the CRP check, if the contractor is responsible • If the determination is made that an obligation is owed, you must provide the contractor with an opportunity to fulfill the obligation within a reasonable time 43

44. Executing a CRP Check MD 215.9 Policy and Procedures • You must attach the CRP Check Certification Form (or clearance certificate, as applicable) to the procurement document for the entire approval process • If the CRPS web-service is used for the CRP Check, then you must provide the CRP audit ID number • At three months post-award, you must search the CRPS again to ensure that the contractor continues to be responsible 44

45. Executing a CRP Check Overview By following the previously described steps, you will have successfully logged into the Contractor Responsibility Program System. In this lesson, we will review the CRP Check functionality, which allows you to query the CRPS database for approved performance issues and outstanding obligations using the contractor’s name and TIN.

46. Executing a CRP Check Overview The CRP Check also queries the DGS Suspension/ Debarment database and the EPLS for contractor suspensions and/or debarments. The results returned from these Checks will depend on the availability of data within each of the source databases.

47. Executing a CRP Check Overview Executing a CRP Check involves only a few steps, so it is relatively simple. The screen examples used in this lesson are broken down by scenarios showing three common results: • no records found • obligations found • suspension/debarment/approved performance issue found

48. Executing a CRP Check Begin the Check Required information for a CRP Check: Contractor’s name and Tax Identification Number (TIN) • Select the CRP Check link from the left navigation menu

49. Executing a CRP Check Required Field Entry • The CRP Name/TIN Check entry form displays • Complete the required Name and TIN fields • Note that the Contractor’s name must be the official Name and a minimum of three characters

50. Executing a CRP Check Required Field Entry • Also note that if the Contractor is an individual, the name should be entered in the format: Last Name, First Name; and the TIN must be 9 digits with no punctuation (i.e., no dashes) • Select the SEARCH button