The process of engagement that led to a workshop to develop an online self-assessment tool for procurement was an example of professional procurement in action.
The workshop which was run by the Building and Construction Sector Productivity Partnership, involved three organisations working together collaboratively to develop an on-line benchmarking tool. The tool is aimed to enable organisations involved in the construction sector to benchmark their procurement capability and also to progress their procurement towards better practices.
Prior to the workshop Constructing Excellence, Optimation, and PMMS were all contacted to discuss the project and it was found that individually none had all of the "pieces" necessary to do the work effectively.
The Partnership’s Procurement Workstream Leader, Richard May, recognised the opportunity to build a team, and suggested that the three vendors might like to work together and pool their resources to efficiently arrive at a pragmatic solution to the need identified by the Partnership.
David Roberts, Client Director at Optimation saw the workshop as an opportunity to be able to see the full scope of the project. “It is great to be involved right from the beginning. The foundations can be laid with input from all involved. The value and benefits of this meeting were obvious – the right mix of industry/business experts, process experts and technical specialists were there.”
“All too often we get thrown a RFP and think ‘if only’. If we are consulted and have input into the design then we can maximise the innovative opportunities. This way we can be a part of the programme of work and make sure the tool is developed to best suit its purpose,” says David.
Sharing ideas and being aware of the tool’s goal has enabled the potential use of a tool that has previously been developed by Optimation This tool was developed for a Government led initiative, and through this workshop it was discovered that there is potential for this tool to be reused. It was suggested that by populating this existing tool with procurement specific information, it could provide a platform for the Productivity Partnership’s Procurement benchmarking tool.
“Collaboration leads to innovation,” says David. “Being involved in these early stages allows us to understand the initial scope and future of the programme to ensure that the technical foundations for the project are appropriate in the longer, as well as the shorter, term. Understanding what we have now and the needs for the future ensures that we have the right tool at the right time avoiding rework and unnecessary cost.”
“Later on it will be about making sure the flexibility is there to enable other services to be available and that the tool can provide for those. It will be rewarding to be part of transforming building and construction processes which align with the Productivity Partnership’s vision.”
This successful meeting of parties at the initial stages of a project highlights the value of collaborative thinking.
“The traditional approach has been that the client defines needs and designs what they think the technical aspects should be. This constrains the developer, inhibiting elaboration, and innovative opportunities can be missed. With this change in focus to enabling earliest involvement encourages innovation and better outcomes for dollars spent. Value for money – more for less,” says David.
A brief has been created for the Procurement benchmarking tool, and has entered the Partnership’s approvals process for development funding.