Suppliers Receiving Encrypted SMART Purchase Orders

Suppliers have reported receiving dispatched SMART Purchase Orders via emails that have been encrypted. After researching the issue, it has been determined that this is due to Microsoft Office365 settings that must remain intact. The encryption only occurs when the Purchase Order contains some combination of characters or a phrase that meets the security criteria in Office365. If agencies receive calls from suppliers asking about an encrypted email containing a State Purchase Order, please encourage the vendor to follow the instructions provided in the email to view the contents. A job aid on how to open encrypted emails has been added to the Purchasing Training section of SMART Web, which agencies can point suppliers to: https://smartweb.ks.gov/training/purchasing

Below is an example of the encrypted email for reference:



Thank you,
The SMART Team