Housing group opts for online procurement

East Thames Housing Association is to install an eprocurement system to improve purchasing processes.

The association, which provides affordable housing and services for lower income families in London and Essex, is planning to increase buying efficiency and deliver greater value.

‘We know the system could work better for us and we could have better controls on it than we do at the moment,’ said Jacky Kutner, East Thames’ director of business. ‘We need a system that will handle not just the procurement, but the whole process that goes with it.

‘East Thames properties are spread across a number of locations, and we are not keeping as strong a purchase audit trail as we would like.’

The association hopes to get deliver greater value from its purchases, search for better deals, and avoid duplicate procurements being made in different areas of the business.

Another aim is to reduce the amount of paper the association uses, says Kutner.
‘Like most organisations, we do need to reduce the level of paper we use, and with that goes a cost saving in administrative handling,’ she said.