Originally published in Virginia Town and City, the magazine of the Virginia Municipal League

Working with DGS can save time and money

The Virginia Department of General Services (DGS) is a resource for local governments. As the Commonwealth’s centralized agency responsible for the procurement of goods and services, we are available to support your staff as they develop solicitations, explore ways to attract better responses to your business opportunities, and help make your purchases and solicitations more transparent for your citizens.

In Virginia, procurement is governed by a hodgepodge of laws, regulations, ordinances and rules that vary by locality, school board, state agency, institution and authority. The one constant across all those public bodies is the goal of the procurement professional: To obtain high quality goods and services that meet the needs of the body and its citizens at a reasonable cost.

Meet eVA

All state agencies are required by Code to use eVA, the state’s electronic procurement system managed by DGS. However, this powerful, convenient tool also is used by nearly 1,000 local government entities. We know that local governments value transparency. eVA provides free, public access to past, current and future procurements while also giving access to detailed information on the rules, regulations, processes and standards behind these procurements so your citizens can feel confident about how their tax dollars are being spent.