Vendor Information

Welcome to the State of Alaska Vendor Information page! The intent of this page is to provide references and resources not only for new and existing vendors doing business with the State of Alaska, but also for State of Alaska employees. Through Job Aids, FAQs, etc., we hope to broaden the knowledge for both vendors and state agencies in areas such as the online Vendor Self Service (VSS) application, signing up for Electronic Payments (EFT), and submitting vendor requests.

Stay Informed

Receive important notifications regarding changes to Vendor Self Service (VSS), System Outages, and Issue Resolutions by joining the VSS Vendor Information mailing list.

Vendor Help Desk

The Vendor Help Desk is responsible for adding and updating vendor information in the State of Alaska’s financial/procurement system based on requests from State of Alaska departments and vendors. We also field calls and emails daily from both departments and vendors, ranging from assistance with the Vendor Self Service (VSS) application registration process, payment inquiries, and assisting departments with vendor inquires.

The Vendor Help Desk is available Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm (Alaska time). Our phone number is (907) 465–5555 and our email address is doa.dof.vendor.helpdesk@alaska.gov

Vendor Self Service (VSS)

The online Vendor Self Service (VSS) application allows you, as a payee/vendor, to view your payments, respond to solicitations online, submit invoices electronically, view tax information, and manage some of your own account information.

Make sure to check out these sections in the VSS application. To view news related to VSS access the View Latest Announcements section for news related to VSS and Reference Guides and Forms for assistance.

Still have questions? Please contact us at doa.dof.vendor.helpdesk@alaska.gov or (907) 465–5555.

Sign-In

Click on the image below to access the VSS application.

VSS Application Hours of Availability

Days – available seven days a week
Hours – 6:00 am to 6:00 pm (Alaska Time)

Sign up for Electronic Payments (EFT)

Vendors

If you are a vendor, and you would like to set up EFT or make a change to your existing EFT banking information, an Electronic Payment Agreement Form for Vendors must be completed. Being able to set up EFT, or making changes to your EFT banking information, are no longer available in VSS.

Adoption/Foster Parents

If you are an adoption/foster parent, and would like to set up EFT or make a change to your existing EFT banking information, an Electronic Payment Agreement form for Adoption/Foster Parents must be completed.

State Employees

If you are a state employee, and would like to set up EFT, or make a change to your existing EFT banking information, as it relates to your travel reimbursements, an Electronic Payment Agreement form for State Employees must be completed. Note that this form should not be confused with the Payroll Direct Deposit form for your payroll checks. If you are looking to set up direct deposit for your payroll checks, please complete the Payroll Direct Deposit Form.

Submission instructions can be found on the Electronic Payment Agreement Forms.

References & Resources

Vendor Self-Service (VSS) Videos

Vendor Self-Service (VSS) Guides

Vendors may refer to the Reference Guides and Forms on the VSS application homepage for assistance.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How will a vendor receive activation codes for VSS?

This information will be communicated to the Vendor via email.

Which Internet browsers are compatible with VSS?

Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox

How long are passwords valid?

Passwords do not expire but account verification will occur every 360 days.

How many login attempts do you get before the system will lock you out?

Users will be locked out after five (5) invalid attempts. You can do a reset of your password in VSS or contact the Vendor Help Desk for assistance.

Can a vendor have multiple Account Administrators?

Yes, a vendor can have multiple Account Administrators.

If you are logged in, and you add items to the watch list, will everyone who has their own login see the same watch list?

If they are different users for the same Vendor they will not see each other’s watch list.

Will vendor invoices be electronic or paper?

Vendors awarded a contract, delivery order or purchase order will have the capability to submit electronic invoices in VSS. Vendors without an award document or access to a computer can mail them in as they do now.

Will all grant payments be visible on VSS?

Yes, they will be visible to the grantee.

Will confidential payments be viewable in VSS under the Checks/EFTs tab?

Yes, they will be viewable by the Vendor who was issued the payment.

Where do PDF attachments go when attached to invoice submissions?

They are attached to the Invoice document header (INVSS) in IRIS Financial.

What is going to happen when a client doesn’t have a bank account for EFT payments or the bank closes the account due to inactivity or zero balance?

Vendors must have a valid bank account for EFT payments. If DOF receives an error regarding your EFT account information, such as a closed bank account, DOF will contact the vendor directly.

If a child care provider changes their physical address how do we verify that address? OCS needs to make sure the physical address is in compliance with the regulations.

CCPO will evaluate a vendor’s record before making payments to child care vendors to ensure addresses match their ICCIS program.

How will VSS handle the procurement preferences?

Vendors will have the ability to apply for preferences by checking those for which they qualify. During the evaluation process, the procurement officer will verify the selected preferences.

How are procurements signed in VSS?

Procurement documents are approved electronically in IRIS. If a Contract or Agreement needs a wet signature it can be printed from the application and mailed to the Vendor.

How many attachments are you allowed when responding to a procurement bid?

Each attachment can be two megabytes (2 MB) in size and the maximum total file for all attachments is five megabytes (5 MB) per response.

Can you search solicitations by region?

It depends how the solicitation is set-up. Region is not currently a searchable element on solicitations. However, the region could be included in the description.

Where will awarded attachments be posted in VSS?

There is an option to post attachments to the original solicitation if necessary.

Will the surplus auctions feature be used in the future?

Currently there are no plans to do so.

How long is payment information kept on VSS?

Payment history will be viewable for one year.

I’ve registered in VSS, but would also like to sign up for EFTs. How do I do that?

In order for the state to be able to send payments directly to your bank account, you first need to submit an Electronic Payment Agreement. Also available is information for State Employees and Subsidized Adoption / Guardianship and Foster Parents.

Address Changes

Payment and 1099 address changes are handled by the Division of Finance. If you need to update an address field in VSS that does not have an online edit option, please email your address change to the Vendor Help Desk or fax your address change request to (907) 465–2169. Please make sure to provide a callback number in case a member of our vendor team has follow-up questions.

NIGP Commodity Code Listing

Copyright Statement

The NIGP Commodity/Services Code displayed here is copyrighted material that is to be used for reference purposes only. All Rights Reserved. This material is for this Agency’s use only and may not be downloaded without a license from Periscope Holdings, Inc.

NIGP Code Lookup [XLSX]

State Employee Vendor Record Request Form

The Employee Vendor Record Requst Form should be filled out only for State of Alaska employees or board members who are expecting ongoing non-tax reportable travel or other reimbursements from the State of Alaska.

Vendor Record Request, Employee [PDF]

Before submitting this form, please search VCUST in IRIS to ensure the employee doesn't already have a vendor record on file.

Searching for a Vendor in IRIS [PDF] (SOA Only)

If you are expecting a one-time payment, you may not need to submit this form. Instead, your agency may use your department's miscellaneous vendor code to make payments. Please contact your Finance Officer for questions if you are not sure what type of payments the employee will be receiving.

Note there is a selection on the form to encourage employees to sign up for direct deposit for their reimbursements.

Please allow 3 to 5 business days for this requests to be completed. You may email this form to the Division of Finance Vendor Help Desk.

State of Alaska Substitute W-9 Form

If you are interested in becoming a vendor with the State of Alaska, you have the option of either using Vendor Self Service (VSS) to online register, or complete a State of Alaska Substitute W-9 paper form.

You may then email the completed form to the Vendor Help Desk or fax it to (907) 465–2169.

Once the form is submitted, the Vendor Help Desk will run an IRS TIN Match between the legal name and Taxpaper ID Number. If we get a match, and everything else looks good on the form, a vendor number should be emailed to you upon processing, which you can then provide to your State of Alaska contact to look up in our accounting/procurement system.

Our turnaround time is 3 to 5 business days. Please contact us if you have not received your vendor number after that time.