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SPCO Procurement Training Policy

Effective Date: 7/1/2025

Approved by: Sherri Maxwell, CPPB, Chief Procurement Officer, State of Colorado

Procurement Training Policy

Authority  

  1. §24-101-106, C.R.S. Procurement Training
  2. 1 C.C.R. 101-9, Procurement Rule R-24-102-202-02 Purchasing Delegations
  3. §§4 (i), 4 (iv), and 7 (i), Purchasing Authority Delegation Agreement

Background  

  1. The Department of Personnel and Administration (DPA), through the executive director’s delegation to the chief procurement officer and the State Purchasing and Contracts Office (SPCO), has authority and responsibility for all procurement activities statewide.
  2. The chief procurement officer delegates this responsibility to state agencies and institutions of higher education, subject to certain conditions. These conditions include, without limitation, training requirements.

Definitions  

  1. Agency: Any governmental body that holds a purchasing delegation from the chief procurement officer, except an institution of higher education.
  2. COPROU: The “Colorado Procurement University” system maintained by the SPCO to provide procurement training for procurement staff members, including any future replacement system.
  3. Institution of higher education (IHE): Any state institution of higher education that has not elected to be excluded from the meaning of “governmental body” pursuant to §24-101-301(18), C.R.S. For purposes of this policy, “institution of higher education” includes the Colorado Charter School Institute, the Colorado Department of Higher Education, and the Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind.
  4. Procurement official: The individual of an Agency/IHE with purchasing authority created pursuant to §24-102-202(3), C.R.S. or §24-102-302(2), C.R.S.
  5. Procurement staff member: A staff member at an Agency/IHE whose job responsibilities primarily relate to procurement as defined in §24-101-301, C.R.S. This includes, without limitation, both purchasing and contracting functions.
  6. Program staff member: A staff member at an Agency/IHE whose job responsibilities do not primarily relate to procurement as defined in §24-101-301 (28), C.R.S. Program staff members may be involved in procurement processes from time to time but have different primary job responsibilities. Program staff may include, without limitation, staff members who make small purchases, subject matter experts, evaluation committee members, contract managers as defined in the State Controller Policy “Contract Management,” project managers, leadership, or other individuals (staff or non-employees) who participate in, or manage staff who participate, in the procurement process.

Policy 

  1. Procurement staff training
    1. Each procurement staff member at an Agency/IHE, shall, at minimum, complete the “Basic Procurement Certificate” in COPROU within ninety days after hire or no later than September 29, 2025, whichever is later.
    2. Procurement officials are encouraged to set additional training requirements for procurement staff members at their Agency/IHE. Each procurement official shall document any such training requirements and provide this documentation to the SPCO upon request. Such training requirements may include, without limitation:
      1. Other courses in COPROU that the procurement official determines are relevant to the employee’s job responsibilities.
      2. Any agency-specific training that the procurement official determines is relevant to the employee’s job responsibilities.
      3. Any outside training that the procurement official determines is relevant to the employee’s job responsibilities.
    3. Procurement officials shall determine the required frequency for recurring completion of the requirements in i. and ii. above by the Agency/IHE’s procurement staff members based on a consideration of the Agency/IHE’s procurement operations.
      1. The chief procurement officer may, in the chief procurement officer’s sole discretion, impose a specific recurring training frequency on any Agency or IHE.
    4. Each Agency/IHE shall comply with any additional training standards required by the SPCO under their purchasing authority delegation agreement.
  2. Program staff training
    1. Each procurement official at an Agency/IHE shall, as requested by the SPCO, promote and facilitate any training provided by the SPCO and intended for program staff members. Such training includes, without limitation, Contract Management Training, Statutory Violations Prevention Training, and Statement of Work Drafting Training.
    2. Each Agency/IHE shall comply with all training requirements in State Controller Policies, including, without limitation, the State Controller Policy “Contract Management.”
    3. Each Agency/IHE shall conduct “Purchasing 101” or similar training for program staff members at the Agency/IHE at least once each fiscal year, beginning in fiscal year 2026. Such training shall include, but is not limited to, the Agency/IHE’s procurement operations and processes, approval processes, dollar thresholds, Agency/IHE contract signature authority, and timelines.
      1. The procurement official shall determine which program staff members are required to complete this training based on staff roles and the Agency/IHE’s procurement operations.
      2. The procurement official shall determine the frequency of recurrent training for program staff members, which may vary based on staff roles.
    4. Procurement officials at Agencies/IHEs are encouraged to provide additional training to program staff as appropriate based on a consideration of the Agency/IHE procurement operations. Such training may include, without limitation, more detailed training on Agency/IHE procurement processes/systems, project management, specification or statement of work drafting, procurement ethics/conflicts of interest, contract processes, market research, and cooperative purchasing agreements.
    5. Procurement officials at Agency/IHEs are encouraged to present relevant procurement information to Agency/IHE executive leadership teams on an as needed basis.
  3. Training Records
    1. Each Agency and IHE shall maintain records of all procurement training required to comply with this policy for a period of at least three years and shall provide such records to the SPCO on request.

For more information contact:

Barbara Musick
barbara.musick@state.co.us