Building a More Agile Procurement Process

When we think of the lessons learned from the pandemic, one keyword comes to mind: agility. Merriam-Webster's definition of agile is "marked by ready to move with quick, easy grace, having a quick, resourceful, and adaptable character."

Sound familiar?

During COVID, most purchasing professionals worked remotely while still needing to interact with vendors, contractors, and the public. The entire process had to become virtual almost overnight. Agile eProcurement SaaS solutions became – and still are – an urgent need as we navigate to the new normal. Many purchasing professionals are back in the office, but the disruption of how we do business has made us more innovative, pushing us through the usual resistance to change. Embracing technology to get the job done is now a necessity, not an option.

Purchasing professionals are resilient and agile. You have to be in procurement. Unfortunately, procurement professionals often do not advocate for the tools they need to take their business functions from tactical to strategic. Finance professionals have spent money on their financial systems for decades to streamline their business functions. Yet still today, many procurement professionals at government agencies continue using manual processes.

As we transition to the post-pandemic, now is the time to research how an agile eProcurement solution and its additional features can benefit your staff, department, and organization. Many agencies received funds from the pandemic, and it is more important than ever for procurement to get involved.

Looking at lessons learned, how can technology take your department to the next level, from tactical to strategic? Even if you are currently using technology for electronic bidding and vendor registration, there are other business functions that can be digitized, such as project evaluation, contract management, compliance, insurance certificate management, and emergency operations. And how about prequalification and setting diversity goals?

Agile automation solutions, such as the PB System provided by PlanetBids™, a proven SaaS solution, offer many benefits at a cost-effective price, with a return on investment realized in as little as one bid. In most cases, automation costs less than you think and can be easily justified. Our agile PB System™ has been a proven leader for over 20 years in the industry, and it can handle your processes as well.

Items to consider in an agile eProcurement system include:

• Providing transparency beyond posting solicitations – to include bid awards, contracts, and certifications
• Tracking and compliance for diversity participation and payments on contracts
• Complete construction bidding, including accepting eBonds and subcontractors
• Automating project evaluations for scoring and/or ranking responses
• Bringing your entire prequalification process online for construction quickly
• Reducing Freedom of Information Act requests by having an easy-to-use system accessible to the public
• Increasing stakeholder access to critical data, including contracts and insurance
• Intelligent collaboration
• Additional automation offered beyond procurement:
  • Contract management
  • Contract compliance to ensure your primes are meeting diversity requirements
  • Complete insurance certificate management
  • Vendors/contractors enter their data online in the system
  • Multi-tiered prequalification application management
  • Emergency operations planning to prepare for the next unknown
• Interconnected modules on one dashboard for accurate reporting and error reduction
• Quick, easy, configurable implementation, with go-live in as little as two days

The PlanetBids solution is agile and a game-changer, taking the purchasing function from tactical to strategic. It also benefits your business community, providing a transparent solution connecting vendors and contractors to your organization.

Want to learn more? Contact us now to schedule a demo.