Top Procurement Resolutions for 2023

Diet of Paper-Free “Bytes” Tops the List from Agency Leaders and Purchasers

Have you considered setting New Year’s resolutions for your procurement team? Many of us are focused on personal resolutions but as working professionals, since we spend about a third of a 24-hour day on the job, it’s a good idea to reflect on how we can improve our work lives.  

At your first team meeting of the year, consider a discussion on setting resolutions to address problem areas and implementing innovative ideas for the future. 

Based on PlanetBids’ interactions with our clients across the country, we often hear testimonials on how eProcurement has transformed operations. We thought you might like a sampling of procurement insiders’ goals for 2023: 

Goal: Like the mug says, nix unnecessary meetings 

Project evaluations in person? Not! “Trying to get 12 people in a room and trying to get them to be confidential about what they’re doing didn’t work at all,” says a former school district purchasing director. An online Project Evaluation module allows evaluators to review a project from their own computer, comment on it and score it – at any time of day (or night)!

Goal: Save paper, save time

A process that relies on paper - whether it’s hard copy advertising, issued paper solicitations, and receiving proposals by mail or in-person – is slow. Postings, submissions, issuing addendums and tracking compliance are much faster on a computer. Wouldn’t you rather use the time to strategize? 

Goal: Control bid participation  

Using an online certification process puts the procurement professional in control of prequalification certification and increases real time tracking on SBE, DBE participation goals. 

Goal: Take construction bidding to the next level 

Construction bids are intense and require many documents, including a list of subcontractors and bonds. eProcurement software helps vendors reach out to potential subcontractors and include them on their bid submissions. And the PB System™ accepts ebonds. 

Goal: Grow your vendor pool and include minority businesses  

An online platform opens the door for vendors inside and outside of your region to register. Your team may access other agency databases from the region to augment your vendor pool, including minority, women-owned and disadvantaged businesses.  

Goal: Improve contract management

Once a contract is awarded, it often is handed over to a customer department to manage for the lifetime of the contract. If it’s filed away in a drawer, then who is monitoring performance? But if it's online, the procurement and customer departments can ensure that all performance standards are met, and that the contract is renewed in a timely manner.  

Goal: Keep track of Insurance Certificates 

Insurance is one of the hardest items to manage with little follow-up to ensure there is compliance. An online Procurement system eliminates manual tracking of expiration dates and entering insurance data. It also neatly ties into contract management and helps manage all aspects of contract compliance.  

Goal: Experience a new way of procurement and bidding 

• No more printing, reviewing and filing away reams of paper documents 
• No more vendors driving dozens of miles to submit a bid 
• No more missing deadlines for contracts 

If your team hasn’t yet moved to automation, then 2023 can be the year to make that happen. PlanetBids offers a digital platform of eight interconnected modules that cover the gamut of eProcurement processes, and we have a team of former procurement professionals in our customer service department to help you set up your purchasing processes online. 

Schedule a demo to understand how the PB System™ can help you achieve your team resolutions.