Achieving Procurement Nirvana: Strategic Best Practices and Lessons Learned
“Good Fences Make Good Neighbors”
Deneen Omer
CSG Government Solutions
August 22, 2012
Procurement Nirvana
What is a successful procurement?
 Fast? Painless?  A successful procurement is one that leads to Project Success!
 Complex projects are filled with challenges
 The client and vendor need a sound relationship to successfully work together
Nirvana!
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Successful Procurement
Positive Client / Vendor relationships
 Working together client & vendor achieve…
• Client: Successful project outcome
• Vendor: Good reputation for quality work
 A contract establishes the relationship between the client and the vendor
 The procurement is the basis for the contract 8/22/2012
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Good Fences Make Good Neighbors
“Good Fences Make Good Neighbors”
 A contract sets the boundaries for vendor responsibilities and client expectations
 In this way – a contract is like a fence • The better everyone can see that fence and understand the boundaries –
• The more assurance the neighbors respect their boundaries and achieve their goals
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Building a Good Fence
Lessons Learned: Building a good fence…
 Manage the procurement as a project
 Start with the end in mind
 Clearly identify the scope
 Identify what is to be done as well as how
 Develop evaluation criteria early
 Establish governance model as part of the procurement
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Lessons Learned
Manage the procurement as a project
 Establish a procurement project manager
 Create a schedule with critical dates
 Allow time for QA reviews – saves time in the end
Tips:
 Leverage materials from others
 Collaborative Application Lifecycle Tool (CALT)
 Engage agency leadership early
 Monitor progress 8/22/2012
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Lessons Learned
Start with the end in mind
 Create an outline of the procurement goals  Establish the definition of success
 Identify key deliverables
Tips
 Ensure the goals for the procurement are aligned with the vision for project
 Perform upfront industry analysis
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Lessons Learned
Clearly identify the scope
 Identify points of overlap with other efforts
 Develop clear language to articulate the scope
 Identify requirements around both • What is to be done
• How the work must be accomplished
Tips  Review for realistic requirements
 Avoid ambiguity
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Lessons Learned
Develop evaluation criteria early
 Identify what will be evaluated
• Establish the relative weight
 Take the time to review for alignment
• Is something expected that is not asked for??
Tips
 Ensure evaluation criteria are clearly articulated in the procurement  Check to make sure requirements match the evaluation criteria
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Lessons Learned
Establish governance
 Procurement document should identify
• Vendor reporting relationships
• Protocols for Change Management
 Identify roles and responsibilities
Tips
– Clearly stated expectations serves everyone
• Minimizes future finger pointing
 Use straightforward descriptions
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Maintaining the Fence
The RFP is not the end of the procurement process
– Vendor selection provides valuable insight
– Contract negotiations require time and effort
Managing the contractual relationship is an ongoing process to ensure success!
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Contact Information
Thank you!
Deneen Omer
Director, Project Assurance Services
Mobile: : (217) 891‐6629
[email protected]
www.CSGdelivers.com
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