We met up with the District of Columbia’s Chief Procurement Officer James Staton at a recent meeting at the DC Chamber of Commerce. He explained three common mistakes many new vendors make when doing business with the District of Columbia and told us how to avoid them. 1)Vendors performing work based on verbal commitments from a DC employee. Don’t do work without a purchase order or it may be pro bono! 2)Not checking solicitations issued by those agencies with independent authority. Over 62 agencies use the Office of Contracting and Procurement to purchase goods and services. However there are several major agencies such as DC Public Schools and DC Department of General Services who have their own rules and process. Check out the agency first to save you time and frustration.  3)Expecting payment from OCP. Payments are disbursed by the agency noted on the purchase order not from OCP.