Office of State Procurement

The court-challenged reasoning of State Procurement Director Edward Armstrong prevailed last week as state lawmakers gave their blessing to a $366 million duo of contracts to provide dental HMO services to Arkansas Medicaid recipients. read more >

Presentations to be made by the three final advertising firms vying for the state's parks and tourism account, which used to be open to the public, will be closed this time. read more >

Disclosure provisions in the state’s competitive bidding process have landed Procurement Director Edward Armstrong in the hot seat again. read more >

Did you see that announcement about the three finalists chosen for the state’s richest advertising contract — the $14 million-a-year pact for marketing the Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism? read more >

The public-private partnership that Bob Sanders helped create, Information Network of Arkansas, is celebrating its 20th anniversary and is still setting records. read more >

Disputes over recent state contracts have put Republican lawmakers at odds with the Republican governor, angered potential vendors and muddied understanding on what businesses can expect from the process of awarding state work. read more >

The state reopened the bidding process on its largest advertising contract Wednesday afternoon, seeking pricing information from ad agencies hoping to land a $14 million-a-year pact for marketing Arkansas tourism and the state parks system. read more >

This week we praise the joint effort — even if neither coordinated nor fully intentional — of local media outlets to shed light on a puzzling situation involving the award of a $159 million state contract to an Indiana company. read more >