Overview

This QRG is for eMMA users that will review and process Intake Requests in eMMA. Some  eMMA users can now initiate intake requests, guided by eMMA's intelligent AI assistant, for both IT and non-IT procurement needs in the eMaryland Marketplace Advantage (eMMA). This allows an intake request to be routed for the appropriate approvals in eMMA, including necessary approvals from the Department of General Services (DGS) and/or the Department of Information Technology (DoIT). eMMA will also connect intake requests to subsequent solicitations when one is created.


This QRG is broken into specific sections covering the different approvers that are present in the Intake approval workflow. Use the Table of Contents below to access the workflow step relevant to your role.


TABLE OF CONTENTS



NOTE: Depending on your role in eMMA, your screen may vary slightly from the images shown in this QRG.

NOTE: For best results, use the Google Chrome browser to access eMMA.

If you need help at any time, please reach out to the eMMA helpdesk at emma.helpdesk@maryland.gov.


NOTE: This QRG uses diagrams with specific callouts to show required and optional fields in forms. A yellow callout with a red border Mandatory callout indicates a required field, while yellow callouts with a black border Optional callout indicate optional fields. Letters within the callouts correspond to the explanations below the diagram.


Step-by-Step Instructions

Financial Approver

  1. Access eMMA at https://emma.maryland.gov and log in with your credentials.

    NOTE: Depending on your agency, you may only need to click the State SSO Login (Secure Auth) button or the MDOT SSO Login (MSAzure) button and log in with your credentials.

  2. You will receive an email notification whenever an Intake Request requires your review. The Intake Request will also appear in the My Pending Validations section of your homepage with an Activity of Financial Approver. From the homepage, click on the Object hyperlink to open the Intake Request. Object hyperlink
  3. Review the details of the Intake Request.  
    • The Intake Information section at the top of the page will include basic information about the request.Intake Information section
    • Below the Intake Information section, the eMMA AI Recommendation section will display the contract that was recommended to the Requester by eMMA AI when creating the intake request, if applicableeMMA AI Recommendation
    • At the bottom of the page is the Intake User Inputs section, where you can find the Estimated Budget, Certification of Funds, Supporting Documentation, and various fields that will be completed during the review process.Intake Inputs
  4. If you need to upload the Certification of Funds, scroll down to the Intake Inputs section. In the Certification of Funds field, use the Click or Drag to add a file button to select the fund certification document from your desktop and upload it. Certification of Funds Attachment field
  5. Click Save.
  6. To approve the Intake Request, and send it to the next step in the workflow, click Approve.Approve button
    To reject the intake request and send it back to the initial Requester at the Draft step, click Reject. The Requester will receive an email notification informing them of the rejection.  Reject button
    IMPORTANT!! If you reject, you will be required to enter a reason for the rejection in the pop-up that appears. These comments are open-ended and should include as much detail as possible, including instructions to the requester on what to correct and how to proceed, or an explanation why the procurement request is being denied. After entering the reason, click Confirm.Rejection comments


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Procurement Review Queue

  1. Access eMMA at https://emma.maryland.gov and log in with your credentials.

    NOTE: Depending on your agency, you may only need to click the State SSO Login (Secure Auth) button or the MDOT SSO Login (MSAzure) button and log in with your credentials.

  2. You will receive an email notification whenever an Intake Request requires your review. The Intake Request will also appear in the My Pending Validations section of your homepage with an Activity of Procurement Review Queue. From the homepage, click on the Object hyperlink to open the Intake Request. Object hyperlink
  3. Review the details of the Intake Request.  
    • The Intake Information section at the top of the page will include basic information about the request.Intake Information section
    • Below the Intake Information section, the eMMA AI Recommendation section will display the contract that was recommended to the Requester by eMMA AI when creating the intake request, if applicable
    • At the bottom of the page is the Intake User Inputs section, where you can find the Estimated Budget, Certification of Funds, Supporting Documentation, and various fields that will be completed during the review process.
      Intake Inputs
  4. In the Intake Reviewers section, click on the Agency Procurement Officer field, and begin typing in the name of the Procurement Officer that will be assigned to this Intake Request. Click to select them from the drop-down menu when they appear.Agency Procurement Officer Selector
  5. Click Save.Save button
  6. To approve the Intake Request, and send it to the assigned Procurement Officer, click Approve.Approve button
    To reject the intake request and send it back to the initial Requester at the Draft step, click Reject. The Requester will receive an email notification informing them of the rejection.Reject button
    IMPORTANT!! If you reject, you will be required to enter a reason for the rejection in the pop-up that appears. These comments are open-ended and should include as much detail as possible, including instructions to the requester on what to correct and how to proceed, or an explanation why the procurement request is being denied. After entering the reason, click Confirm.Rejection comments

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Procurement Officer Approval

  1. Access eMMA at https://emma.maryland.gov and log in with your credentials.

    NOTE: Depending on your agency, you may only need to click the State SSO Login (Secure Auth) button or the MDOT SSO Login (MSAzure) button and log in with your credentials.

  2. You will receive an email notification whenever an Intake Request requires your review. The Intake Request will also appear in the My Pending Validations section of your homepage with an Activity of Procurement Officer Approval. From the homepage, click on the Object hyperlink to open the Intake Request. Object hyperlink
  3. Review the details of the Intake Request.  
    • The Intake Information section at the top of the page will include basic information about the request.Intake Information section
    • Below the Intake Information section, the eMMA AI Recommendation section will display the contract that was recommended to the Requester by eMMA AI when creating the intake request, if applicableeMMA AI Recommendation
    • At the bottom of the page is the Intake User Inputs section, where you can find the Estimated Budget, Certification of Funds, Supporting Documentation, and various fields that will be completed during the review process.
      Intake Inputs 
  4. In the Intake Inputs section, click on the New Procurement Needed field, and select Yes or No from the drop-down menu.Is New Procurement Needed SelectorIf you select No, proceed to step 5. If you select Yes, a new Solicitation Inputs section will appear directly below the Intake Inputs section. Complete the mandatory and optional fields in this section as appropriate. Solicitation Inputs Diagram
    1. Do you know the Sourcing Type needed? (*): Indicate the type of solicitation that needs to be conducted.
    2. Do you know the Rfx Type needed?: If known, select the corresponding RFx type to go along with the type of solicitation selected above.
    3. Primary Commodity (*): Indicate the primary commodity code that should be used on the header of the solicitation.
  5. Click Save.Save button
  6. To send the Intake Request it to the next step in the workflow, including notifying the Requester that no Procurement is required, click Approve.Approve button
    To reject the intake request and send it back to the initial Requester at the Draft step, click Reject. The Requester will receive an email notification informing them of the rejection.Reject button
    IMPORTANT!! If you reject, you will be required to enter a reason for the rejection in the pop-up that appears. These comments are open-ended and should include as much detail as possible, including instructions to the requester on what to correct and how to proceed, or an explanation why the procurement request is being denied. After entering the reason, click Confirm.Rejection commentsIf you approve the Intake Request and...
    • The Intake Request is for an IT purchase, it will be routed to a DoIT Approver to review the request (See DoIT Approvers)
      IMPORTANT: If the intake request is for an IT purchase, you must also email your request to doit.intake@maryland.gov after approving the request. This requirement is temporary and this process will be automatically performed by eMMA following a forthcoming update. We apologize for the inconvenience.
    • The Intake Request is for a non-IT purchase, no new procurement is needed, and the Estimated Budget is below the approval threshold associated with that category, the workflow will complete and the original requester will receive a notification of the resolution
    • The Intake Request is for a non-IT purchase, a new procurement is needed, and the Estimated Budget is above the approval threshold associated with that request type, it will be routed to the Category Approver to review the request (See Category Approvers) 
    • The Intake Request is for a non-IT purchase, a new procurement is needed, and the Estimated Budget is below the approval threshold associated with that Request Type, a new solicitation will be automatically created using the information from the Intake Request.

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DoIT Approvers

NOTE: eMMA will only route Intake Requests with a Request Type associated with an IT Procurement to the DoIT Approval step.  

  1. Access eMMA at https://emma.maryland.gov and log in with your credentials.

  2. You will receive an email notification whenever an Intake Request requires your review. The Intake Request will also appear in the My Pending Validations section of your homepage with an Activity of DoIT Review. From the homepage, click on the Object hyperlink to open the Intake Request. Object hyperlink
  3. Review the details of the Intake Request.  
    • The Intake Information section at the top of the page will include basic information about the request.Intake Information section
    • Below the Intake Information section, the eMMA AI Recommendation section will display the contract that was recommended to the Requester by eMMA AI when creating the intake request, if applicableeMMA AI Recommendation
    • At the bottom of the page is the Intake User Inputs section, where you can find the Estimated Budget, Certification of Funds, Supporting Documentation, and various fields that will be completed during the review process.Intake Inputs
  4. In the Intake Inputs section, enter the Service Now Ticket Number associated with the Intake Request.Service Now Ticket Number field
  5. (optional) If appropriate, update the remaining fields in the Intake Inputs section. Intake Inputs diagram
    1. If there is an existing contract that the user should purchase off of that is different from the one suggested in the eMMA AI Recommendation section above, update the Do you want to override AI suggested Contract? field to Yes. Doing so will make a new User Selected Contract field appear directly below, where you can type in the name of the contract and select it from the drop-down menu when it appears.
    2. If there are State Resources available that can meet the needs outlined in the Intake Request, update the State Resources available? field to Yes.
    3. If you disagree with the Procurement Officer's assessment regarding whether a new procurement is required: 
      1. Because there are existing State IT contracts or resources that meet the Requester's needs, update the Is New Procurement Needed? field to No.
      2. Because there are no existing State IT contracts or resources that meet the Requester's needs, update the Is New Procurement Needed? field to Yes. If you select Yes, a new Solicitation Inputs section will appear directly below the Intake Inputs section. Complete the mandatory and optional fields in this section as appropriate. Solicitation Inputs Diagram
        1. Do you know the Sourcing Type needed? (*): Indicate the type of solicitation that needs to be conducted.
        2. Do you know the Rfx Type needed?: If known, select the corresponding RFx type to go along with the type of solicitation selected above.
        3. Primary Commodity (*): Indicate the primary commodity code that should be used on the header of the solicitation.

  6. Click Save.Save button
  7. To send the Intake Request to the next step in the workflow, including notifying the Requester and the Procurement Officer that no Procurement is required, click Approve.Approve button
    To reject the intake request and send it back to the Procurement Officer, click Reject. The Procurement Officer will receive an email notification informing them of the rejection. Reject button
    IMPORTANT!! If you reject, you will be required to enter a reason for the rejection in the pop-up that appears. These comments are open-ended and should include as much detail as possible, including instructions to the Procurement Officer on what to correct and how to proceed, or an explanation why the procurement request is being denied. After entering the reason, click Confirm.Rejection commentsIf you approve the Intake Request and...
    • The Estimated Budget is above the approval threshold associated with that request type, it will be routed to the Category Approver to review the request (See Category Approvers)
    • The Estimated Budget is below the approval threshold associated with that request type and no new procurement is needed, the workflow will complete and both the Procurement Officer, and the original Requester will receive a notification of the resolution
    • The Estimated Budget is below the approval threshold associated with that request type and a new procurement is needed, a new solicitation will be automatically created using the information from the Intake Request.


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Category Approvers 

NOTE: eMMA will only route Intake Requests that exceed the threshold associated with that Request Type and where a new procurement has been recommended to Category Approvers.  

  1. Access eMMA at https://emma.maryland.gov and log in with your credentials.

    NOTE: Depending on your agency, you may only need to click the State SSO Login (Secure Auth) button or the MDOT SSO Login (MSAzure) button and log in with your credentials.

  2. You will receive an email notification whenever an Intake Request requires your review. The Intake Request will also appear in the My Pending Validations section of your homepage with an Activity of Category Approver. From the homepage, click on the Object hyperlink to open the Intake Request. Object hyperlink
  3. Review the details of the Intake Request.  
    • The Intake Information section at the top of the page will include basic information about the request.Intake Information section
    • Below the Intake Information section, the eMMA AI Recommendation section will display the contract that was recommended to the Requester by eMMA AI when creating the intake request, if applicableeMMA AI Recommendation
    • At the bottom of the page is the Intake User Inputs section, where you can find the Estimated Budget, Certification of Funds, Supporting Documentation, and various fields that will be completed during the review process.Intake Inputs
  4. (optional) If appropriate, update the remaining fields in the Intake Inputs section. Intake Inputs diagram
    1. If there is an existing contract that the user should purchase off of that is different from the one suggested in the eMMA AI Recommendation section above, update the Do you want to override AI suggested Contract? field to Yes. Doing so will make a new User Selected Contract field appear directly below, where you can type in the name of the contract and select it from the drop-down menu when it appears.
    2. If there are State Resources available that can meet the needs outlined in the Intake Request, update the State Resources available? field to Yes.
    3. If you disagree with the Procurement Officer's assessment regarding whether a new procurement is required: 
      1. Because there are existing State contracts or resources that meet the Requester's needs, update the Is New Procurement Needed? field to No.
      2. Because there are not existing State contracts or resources that meet the Requester's needs, update the Is New Procurement Needed? field to Yes. If you select Yes, a new Solicitation Inputs section will appear directly below the Intake Inputs section. Complete the mandatory and optional fields in this section as appropriate. Solicitation Inputs Diagram
        1. Do you know the Sourcing Type needed? (*): Indicate the type of solicitation that needs to be conducted.
        2. Do you know the Rfx Type needed?: If known, select the corresponding RFx type to go along with the type of solicitation selected above.
        3. Primary Commodity (*): Indicate the primary commodity code that should be used on the header of the solicitation.

  5. (optional) If you would like to add another layer of review on the Intake Request, you can add an ad-hoc approver using the Additional Category Approver field in the Intake Reviewers section. To add an approver, click in the Additional Category Approver field and begin typing in the desired user's name, then select them from the drop-down menu when they appear.Additional Category Approver selector
  6. Click Save.Save button
  7. To send the Intake Request it to the next step in the workflow, including ultimately notifying the Requester and the Procurement Officer that no Procurement is required if that is your recommendation , click Approve.Approve button
    To reject the intake request and send it back to the Procurement Officer, click Reject. The Procurement Officer will receive an email notification informing them of the rejection. Reject button
    IMPORTANT!! If you reject, you will be required to enter a reason for the rejection in the pop-up that appears. These comments are open-ended and should include as much detail as possible, including instructions to the Procurement Officer on what to correct and how to proceed, or an explanation why the procurement request is being denied. After entering the reason, click Confirm.Rejection commentsIf you approve the Intake Request and...
    • A user was entered in the Additional Category Approver field, the Intake Request will route to that user (See Additional/Adhoc Approvers)
    • No Additional Category Approver was assigned it will be routed to the DGS OSP Queue for review (See DGS OSP Queue)


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Additional/Adhoc Approvers 

NOTE: An Additional/Adhoc Approver will only be included in the Intake Request approval workflow is one is assigned at the Category Approver step.  

  1. Access eMMA at https://emma.maryland.gov and log in with your credentials.

    NOTE: Depending on your agency, you may only need to click the State SSO Login (Secure Auth) button or the MDOT SSO Login (MSAzure) button and log in with your credentials.

  2. You will receive an email notification whenever an Intake Request requires your review. The Intake Request will also appear in the My Pending Validations section of your homepage with an Activity of Category Approver. From the homepage, click on the Object hyperlink to open the Intake Request. Object hyperlink
  3. Review the details of the Intake Request.  
    • The Intake Information section at the top of the page will include basic information about the request.Intake Information section
    • Below the Intake Information section, the eMMA AI Recommendation section will display the contract that was recommended to the Requester by eMMA AI when creating the intake request, if applicableeMMA AI Recommendation
    • At the bottom of the page is the Intake User Inputs section, where you can find the Estimated Budget, Certification of Funds, Supporting Documentation, and various fields that will be completed during the review process.Intake Inputs
  4. (optional) If appropriate, update the remaining fields in the Intake Inputs section. Intake Inputs diagram
    1. If there is an existing contract that the user should purchase off of that is different from the one suggested in the eMMA AI Recommendation section above, update the Do you want to override AI suggested Contract? field to Yes. Doing so will make a new User Selected Contract field appear directly below, where you can type in the name of the contract and select it from the drop-down menu when it appears.
    2. If there are State Resources available that can meet the needs outlined in the Intake Request, update the State Resources available? field to Yes.
    3. If you disagree with the Procurement Officer's assessment regarding whether a new procurement is required: 
      1. Because there are existing State contracts or resources that meet the Requester's needs, update the Is New Procurement Needed? field to No.
      2. Because there are not existing State contracts or resources that meet the Requester's needs, update the Is New Procurement Needed? field to Yes. If you select Yes, a new Solicitation Inputs section will appear directly below the Intake Inputs section. Complete the mandatory and optional fields in this section as appropriate. Solicitation Inputs Diagram
        1. Do you know the Sourcing Type needed? (*): Indicate the type of solicitation that needs to be conducted.
        2. Do you know the Rfx Type needed?: If known, select the corresponding RFx type to go along with the type of solicitation selected above.
        3. Primary Commodity (*): Indicate the primary commodity code that should be used on the header of the solicitation.

  5. Click Save.Save button
  6. To send the Intake Request it to the next step in the workflow, including ultimately notifying the Requester and the Procurement Officer that no Procurement is required if that is your recommendation, click Approve.Approve button
    To reject the intake request and send it back to the Procurement Officer, click Reject. The Procurement Officer will receive an email notification informing them of the rejection. Reject button
    IMPORTANT!! If you reject, you will be required to enter a reason for the rejection in the pop-up that appears. These comments are open-ended and should include as much detail as possible, including instructions to the Procurement Officer on what to correct and how to proceed, or an explanation why the procurement request is being denied. After entering the reason, click Confirm.Rejection comments
    If you approve the intake request, it will be routed to the DGS OSP Queue for review


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DGS OSP Queue

  1. Access eMMA at https://emma.maryland.gov and log in with your credentials.

  2. You will receive an email notification whenever an Intake Request requires your review. The Intake Request will also appear in the My Pending Validations section of your homepage with an Activity of DGS OSP Queue. From the homepage, click on the Object hyperlink to open the Intake Request. Object hyperlink
  3. Review the details of the Intake Request.  
    • The Intake Information section at the top of the page will include basic information about the request.Intake Information section
    • Below the Intake Information section, the eMMA AI Recommendation section will display the contract that was recommended to the Requester by eMMA AI when creating the intake request, if applicableeMMA AI Recommendation
    • At the bottom of the page is the Intake User Inputs section, where you can find the Estimated Budget, Certification of Funds, Supporting Documentation, and various fields that will be completed during the review process.Intake Inputs
  4. In the Intake Reviewers section, click on the DGS OSP Procurement Officer field, and begin typing in the name of the Procurement Officer that will be assigned to this Intake Request. Click to select them from the drop-down menu when they appear.DGS OSP Procurement Officer Selector
  5. Click Save.Save button
  6. To approve the Intake Request, and send it to the assigned DGS Procurement Officer, click Approve.Approve button
    To reject the intake request and send it back to the Procurement Officer, click Reject. The Procurement Officer will receive an email notification informing them of the rejection. Reject button
    IMPORTANT!! If you reject, you will be required to enter a reason for the rejection in the pop-up that appears. These comments are open-ended and should include as much detail as possible, including instructions to the Procurement Officer on what to correct and how to proceed, or an explanation why the procurement request is being denied. After entering the reason, click Confirm.Rejection commentsIf you approve the intake request, it will be routed to the assigned DGS OSP Procurement Officer for review. 


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DGS OSP Procurement Officer Review

  1. Access eMMA at https://emma.maryland.gov and log in with your credentials.

  2. You will receive an email notification whenever an Intake Request requires your review. The Intake Request will also appear in the My Pending Validations section of your homepage with an Activity of DGS OSP Procurement Officer Review. From the homepage, click on the Object hyperlink to open the Intake Request. Object hyperlink
  3. Review the details of the Intake Request.  
    • The Intake Information section at the top of the page will include basic information about the request.Intake Information section
    • Below the Intake Information section, the eMMA AI Recommendation section will display the contract that was recommended to the Requester by eMMA AI when creating the intake request, if applicableeMMA AI Recommendation
    • At the bottom of the page is the Intake User Inputs section, where you can find the Estimated Budget, Certification of Funds, Supporting Documentation, and various fields that will be completed during the review process.Intake Inputs
  4. (optional) If appropriate, update the remaining fields in the Intake Inputs section. Intake Inputs diagram
    1. If there is an existing contract that the user should purchase off of that is different from the one suggested in the eMMA AI Recommendation section above, update the Do you want to override AI suggested Contract? field to Yes. Doing so will make a new User Selected Contract field appear directly below, where you can type in the name of the contract and select it from the drop-down menu when it appears.
    2. If there are State Resources available that can meet the needs outlined in the Intake Request, update the State Resources available? field to Yes.
    3. If you disagree with the Procurement Officer's assessment regarding whether a new procurement is required:
      1. Because there are existing State contracts or resources that meet the Requester's needs, update the Is New Procurement Needed? field to No.
      2. Because there are not existing State contracts or resources that meet the Requester's needs, update the Is New Procurement Needed? field to Yes. If you select Yes, a new Solicitation Inputs section will appear directly below the Intake Inputs section. Complete the mandatory and optional fields in this section as appropriate. Solicitation Inputs Diagram
        1. Do you know the Sourcing Type needed? (*): Indicate the type of solicitation that needs to be conducted.
        2. Do you know the Rfx Type needed?: If known, select the corresponding RFx type to go along with the type of solicitation selected above.
        3. Primary Commodity (*): Indicate the primary commodity code that should be used on the header of the solicitation.

  5. To process the intake request and, and make a final determination whether a new procurement will be conducted or the user should leverage existing State contracts or resources, click Approve. Both the Agency Procurement Officer that worked on the Intake Request and the Requester will be notified. Approve button
    To reject the intake request and send it back to the Agency Procurement Officer, click Reject. The Procurement Officer will receive an email notification informing them of the rejection. Reject button
    IMPORTANT!! If you reject, you will be required to enter a reason for the rejection in the pop-up that appears. These comments are open-ended and should include as much detail as possible, including instructions to the Procurement Officer on what to correct and how to proceed, or an explanation why the procurement request is being denied. After entering the reason, click Confirm.Rejection comments