10 signs that it’s time for new procurement software

Procurement is a hard job — but managing the procurement process with outdated tools (or no tools at all) is making it even harder. That’s the reality for 60% of procurement teams who rely on manual hard-copy processes for their bid and RFP process.  

Every team has a tipping point, after which the status quo becomes unsustainable. Read on to see if you recognize any of these signs on your team:  

1.  Paper cuts are an occupational hazard of your job. 

2. Your office is running out of storage space for filing cabinets.

3. You have procurement software—but it’s so old that it only runs on a computer from the 1990s and only one person on the team knows how to use it. 

4. Your blood pressure spikes on bid closing day. 

5. More than once, you’ve debated the time on the clock with a vendor at bid closing time.

6. You have procurement software, but you spend more time in Excel than in the system. 

7. A vendor debrief can send your department into detective mode trying to track down scores and comments. 

8. You have procurement software, but nobody has logged in for months. 

9. Getting people to serve on evaluation committees is like pulling teeth. 

10. With all the email threads from vendors and evaluators, ‘inbox zero’ is a faraway dream. 

If you’re nodding your head to any of the above, it’s time to take a look at the evolving procurement technology marketplace. Modern sourcing software has adopted the same principles of user experience as the apps you use in your day-to-day life, resulting in an intuitive interface that is easy for stakeholders and procurement teams to learn and use. By digitizing and centralizing your bid and RFP process, your team can: 

• Eliminate paper and Excel completely (resulting in less time spent on paperwork, less storage space needed, and no risk of lost or misfiled documents)                
• Reduce timestamp disputes and bid closing chaos with a simple and straightforward online submission experience for vendors
• Improve collaboration, by providing a convenient online platform for evaluators to communicate on project progress, review proposals, and complete scoring 

Wondering where to start?

 Attend the webinar with NIGP: 

Making Sense of Procurement Tech:  a practical guide to digital transformation

With Patrick Moore, Senior Fellow, Centre for Digital Government

August 13, 2:00 pm ET