10 steps to find the best Procurement Platform

Jan Siderius, President of Negometrix Inc., USA presenting at Negometrix User Day in the Netherlands.

A recent Municipal article written by Michael Keating, How to achieve digital transformation with a new e-procurement setup, identifies key considerations that public agencies should take into account in seeking an e-Procurement platform. In the municipal article, Purchasing Manager of the city of Leesburg, Mike Thornton, and Director of the city of San Diego’s Purchasing & Contracting Department, Kristina Peralta, respectively articulate keys to identifying and selecting the best digital procurement offering. These are the ten tips that Michael identifies as critical in the adoption of e-Procurement, after interviewing professionals who had undergone the transformation in their respective cities:

1. Identify & document key benefits a new system will provide
2. Speak to other public procurement agencies to see what system they are using
3. Seek feedback from suppliers about pain points they experience in the procurement process
4. Make a strong business case for the adoption of an e-procurement system; “Champion the procurement department’s needs” — Kristina Peralta
5. Inform stakeholders early in the process
6. Invite leading eProcurement providers for a demonstration and discussion
7. Run a pilot solicitation in the system to see how it would work for your agency
8. Train and educate users on how to use the software properly
9. Ensure platform provides support to buyers and suppliers alike
10. Get feedback from suppliers and procurement staffers on the system

Keating quotes a statement from Mike Thornton that sums up shifting to e-procurement perfectly:

“There’s one catch to selecting an e-procurement system, Thornton says, and this especially applies to government staffers who are unfamiliar with e-procurement setups. “You don’t know what you don’t know.”

Making an informed decision on selecting an e-Procurement platform can present a challenge, but these 10 steps from Keating’s article will provide a useful framework for taking your purchasing digital.

For more on Negometrix, e-Procurement & Contract Management see: https://www.negometrix.com/us/

Sources cited:

1. Keating, M. 2017. How to achieve digital transformation with a new e-procurement setup. The Municipal: The Premier Magazine for America’s Municipalities, July 17, 2019. http://www.themunicipal.com/2019/07/how-to-achieve-digital-transformation-with-a-new-e-procurement-setup/
2. Negometrix: https://www.negometrix.com/us/