Why you shouldn’t use legacy applications to build complex solicitations

How often do you hear “Procurement takes forever”? We do. A lot. Why? Because unlike commodity procurement, complex government procurement is a highly intricate and involved process, involving multiple steps, detailed requirements, and a rigorous evaluation process to ensure transparency, fairness, and cost-effectiveness.

The complexity of government procurements often necessitates the involvement of procurement professionals, legal experts, and subject-matter specialists to ensure that the process is carried out efficiently and in compliance with applicable laws and regulations. City Innovate is unique in its ability to automatically streamline and manage this complex process end-to-end.

Today, government agencies use a multitude of disconnected tools to get through these steps, such as Microsoft Word, Excel, SharePoint, and email. Unfortunately, these tools were not purpose-built for developing and managing complex government procurements.

Characteristics of a Complex Document

1. Extensive requirements: detailed and specific requirements that must be met by potential suppliers.
   Large budgets. These procurements usually involve significant financial commitments by the government, requiring approval from legislative bodies or higher authorities due to their significant impact on public finances. finances.
2. Multiple stakeholders. Various government departments, agencies, or authorities may be involved in the procurement process, each with its own set of interests and requirements.
3. Legal and regulatory compliance. Government procurement is subject to various laws, regulations, and policies. Compliance with these rules is crucial.
4. Transparency and accountability. Due to the public nature of government procurement, transparency and accountability are paramount. Detailed records of procurement processes, decisions, and outcomes are often required and may be subject to public scrutiny.

Challenges of Using Legacy Applications for Complex Procurement

1. A lack of collaboration capabilities creates linear workflows (e.g., document development, reviews, and approvals) resulting in years to get a procurement to market.
2. A lack of visibility and insights into the status of solicitations reduces control of procurement activities to adequately plan, resource, and forecast opportunities.
3. Agencies are exposed to compliance risk and audits, reducing authority over time.
4. Procurement staff is overwhelmed, spending significant time on manual processes versus higher-value work.
5. Agencies are not getting enough responses to RFx’s and, as a result, are not getting the best goods and services.

There’s a better way. We know, because we built it. And we did so specifically for government agencies with complex document-centered processes – such as procurement, policy, HR, budgeting, contracts, and grants – to accelerate time to result while ensuring compliance, insight, and oversight. It’s called Document Process Automation. To learn more, download our free solution overview today!