We will publish these templates in the Washington State Procurement Manual.

We plan to publish completed templates by the end of 2026, followed by trainings and implementation in early 2027.

Why we’re making this change

Currently, agencies often use different templates and contract language for similar purchases. This can increase costs for the state through extra work and increased risk of inconsistent or outdated language. It can also make it harder for businesses to navigate the procurement process across agencies.

What it means for businesses

Over time, you’ll begin to see more state agencies using the same solicitation, contract, and purchase order templates for routine procurements. You’ll spend less time learning different agency formats and more time focusing on your response.

What it means for agencies

We will ask procurement professionals to review the proposed templates and share feedback before they’re finalized. Once complete, agencies will begin using the shared templates for most routine procurements, while still having flexibility for specialized purchases.

We want to hear from you

We’re starting this work by hosting introductory sessions with businesses and agency procurement professionals. In those sessions, we will discuss the project, our goals for it, and next steps.

Then, we will host template-specific sessions in the fall to discuss specific feedback on the draft templates.

Introductory sessions

• Businesses: This session has passed. If you were unable to attend, you can still give your feedback. Please fill out a survey to share your thoughts on current procurement templates. Please view the presentation for businesses.
• State procurement professionals: This session has passed. If you were unable to attend, please view the presentation for state professionals.

Template-specific sessions

Listening session dates and times are listed below. If you have feedback but cannot make it to a session, we will be sharing polls and surveys in the coming months to collect input.

Aug. 5: 1-3 p.m.
Topic: We will review a competitive solicitation.
This session has passed. Please view the presentation and survey results.

Aug. 19: 1-3 p.m.
Topic: We will focus on the bidder response document (including):

• Bidder certifications
• Cost and non-cost factors
• Subcontractor inclusion plans

How to attend: Please complete a short survey on the topic to be registered for this virtual session.

Sept. 2: 10 a.m. – noon
Topic: We will review contract and purchase order terms.
How to attend: Details will be posted soon.

Sept. 16: 1-2 p.m.
Topic: We will review purchase order, bid tabulation, and RFI templates.
How to attend: Details will be posted soon.

Questions?

Contact the DES Contracts Strategy team at DESContractsStrategy@des.wa.gov.