eSourcing

eSourcing is a suite of collaborative, web-based tools that enable procurement professionals and suppliers to conduct the strategic activities within the procurement lifecycle over the internet. These strategic activities including requirements and specification definition, tendering and supplier selection, and contract award and management are designed to deliver value for money procurement solutions to the public sector.

For further information, you should see the OGCbuying.solutions eSourcing homepage.

eSourcing helps to encourage consistency with policy and best practice and increase sourcing and contract management efficiency and effectiveness.

The diagram below illustrates the strategic sourcing and contract management tasks (on the right hand side) that are supported by eSourcing in contrast to the Purchase to Pay activities (on the left hand side) that are typically supported by transactional procurement solutions. The strategic activities generate contracts that are used to define the terms of orders and payments executed through the Purchase to Pay process.

 
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eSourcing delivers the following benefits to public sector procurement professionals:

Process efficiencies: eSourcing reduces tendering and contract management time and effort for both buyers and suppliers.
Improved public sector savings: eSourcing helps public sector procurement professionals to focus on core, value-added procurement activity rather than administration.

Policy: eSourcing helps users to ensure compliance with the requirements of the Efficiency Review and the National Procurement Strategy for Local Government;

Best practice: eSourcing encourages users to adopt procurement best practice, enabling a more consistent approach to sourcing.
Collaboration and Aggregation: eSourcing makes it easier for public sector procurement professionals to work collaboratively on common sourcing projects across geographically dispersed units and different departments;

Direct costs for buyers and suppliers: eSourcing reduces the direct costs of preparing and issuing the invitation to tender and responding with tenders. Direct costs include paper, printing and distribution costs such as couriers. Collaborative working reduces the need for teams to travel for face to face meetings.

OGCbuying.solutions has awarded a framework agreement to BravoSolution for the provision of secure hosted, managed eSourcing Services.