Council looks to £1m procurement savings
The London Borough of Enfield procurement processes go electronic
The London Borough of Enfield is predicting annual savings of more than £1m through electronic procurement.
The local authority has started installing an electronic tender and auction platform and a system to enable its 6,000 suppliers to trade electronically.
The SAP electronic supplier trading platform, provided by vendor BizAps, will improve efficiency and generate savings via better information management, closer relationships with suppliers and a highly automated purchase-to-pay process.
‘The aim is a paperless end-to-end electronic trading process from placing an order electronically, generating an electronic invoice sent out via email and then paid by Bacs,’ said Julie Oliver, Enfield’s interim assistant director of procurement.
The move to convert all procurement processes online is being driven by an internal efficiency drive and recommendations by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM), says Oliver.
As well as a return on investment within 18 months, the council expects to reduce its e-tendering process from 12-14 weeks to six to eight weeks.
The borough plans to convert the quarter of a million invoices it receives each year into electronic form to make processes more efficient and to save paper.
Improved internal auditability through electronic tracing of invoices is one of the key benefits, according to Oliver.
‘Council staff would previously initiate spend by picking up the phone or placing verbal commitments rather than raising a purchase order for goods or services which cannot always be traced,’ she said.
What do you think? Email [email protected]
Further reading: