New Information Paradigms - Transformative MetaSystems for Collaborative Teams

Gathering procurement data for analysis can be a difficult and time consuming task. As such, it can be hard for Chief Executives to really get to grips with the information necessary to drive strategy.

The PL-cms is an expenditure intelligence system that coordinates the elements of the procurement flow, from initial requirement to post delivery performance measurement. Unlike core transaction processing systems, where information is a byproduct, the PL-cms actively drives the flow of management information, pulling it together from wherever it is held. The PL-cms can therefore provide invaluable information on the entire procurement process, not just eventual spend.

The PL-cms enables outcomes (selected in the business case stage) to be presented to the contract manager at specified performance review dates. This means that all contracts, suppliers and even service departments can be compared against specific outcomes (a default list is initially presented).

Management are also able to see exactly what projects are in the pipeline and access various statistics on time taken for certain projects to move from stage to stage.

Not only does the PL-cms represent a significant reduction in time and effort required to track and administer contracts, it also provides management with a new and highly valuable insight into the procurement function.

A frustrating issue for top-level management is the difficulty in accessing information and reports relevant to particular ongoing strategy.

The PL-cms benefits lie in the ability to assess and influence strategy, including the enhanced ability to ensure that government policy is enforced.

An important part of the procurement planning process is to clearly and directly link procurement activity to service delivery and to improve the way goods and services are purchased.

For the Procurement Head (as stated by the OGC):

If contracts are not well managed from the customer side, any or all of the following may happen:

• The provider is obliged to take control, resulting in unbalanced decisions that do not serve the customer’s interests
• Decisions are not taken at the right time – or not taken at all
• New business processes do not integrate with existing processes, and therefore fail
• People (in both organisations) fail to understand their obligations and responsibilities
• Phere are misunderstandings, disagreements and underestimations; too many issues are escalated inappropriately
• Progress is slow or there seems to be an inability to move forward
• The intended benefits are not realised
• Opportunities to improve value for money and performance are missed.

PL-cms places great emphasis on performance management. By specifically focusing on outcomes defined at the 'requirement' stage, PL-cms assists Members and Chief Execs to ensure that strategy is followed and can be reported on.

Clearly, it is important that information is readily accessible as and when required. Local Authorities are also under pressure to make certain information publicly available under FOI requests.

PL-cms specifically addresses these challenges, highly customised access levels can be assigned to determine what data the user can view, register and edit. Access levels ensure staff can only work depending on their role (or position) within the organisation. For example, read only access may be given to staff not directly involved with the procurement function but have an interest in such activity. Selected information can easily be uploaded to a public website (see pan-London Contracts Register) if required, and is readily available upon any request made under the Freedom of Information Act.

The very fact that data is captured electronically improves access to management information drastically. The fully searchable nature of the PL-cms enables interested parties to access information that had previously been unavailable or extremely difficult to identify or discover. Saved search reporting facility assists staff whose job requires them to have access to specific kinds of information at any given time.

No more chasing paper trails or trying to figure out which draw, filing cupboard, file, hard-drive or server contains critical business documentation. All relevant information can be stored and accessed any time, anywhere. (Dependent on access rights and Internet connection.)

Communication can often be difficult between departments and also within individual departments. Local Authorities tend to have either a decentralised procurement function with significant resources stretched across the authority, or a departmental reliance on central expertise with no departmental independence. In each case, it can be a challenge to get the right information to the right people. Frequently, important information can take weeks to reach staff in the best position to act upon it. Occasionally, this information does not become available until it is too late to be of any use.

This problem has resulted in some costly mistakes being made. Not only is it damaging to be unaware of all the facts, but valuable opportunities for collaboration can be missed.

The PL-cms eliminates this crucial issue as any authorised user can access all relevant procurement information through a secure login.