Consulting For Buyers

QinetiQ Commerce Decisions consulting services for buyers help them:

• Adopt and make best use of AWARD on their procurement project;
• Conduct a robust, auditable and efficient supplier selection;
• Run a Competitive Dialogue in an effective and efficient way;
• Deploy eEvaluation technology across an organisation;
• Conduct effective and efficient post-contract supplier monitoring and review.

Adopting and making best use of AWARD on a procurement project

Procurement projects often have the specific challenges of tight timescales, newly-formed and rapidly-evolving teams, and complex, often poorly-understood, legal requirements to meet. The  AWARD solution provides many benefits, but the overhead of adoption of new technology is often viewed as a distraction from the core business of conducting the procurement.

QCDL supports projects in adopting AWARD in various ways, from a training / “technology transfer” approach where we aim to up-skill the client’s staff so they can use AWARD; to a “full managed service” approach where we undertake all the work in implementing AWARD to best advantage, enabling the client to obtain the benefits and focus on “normal business”.

Specific services include:

• AWARD Practitioner training course
• AWARD configuration support
• Bidder briefing
• Loading bid documentation
• Evaluation team briefing
• Analysis of results and reporting

Conduct a robust, auditable and efficient supplier selection

Preparing for and conducting a supplier selection process that is objective and focuses the evaluation on the issues that will affect the success of the project is not easy:  dispersed stakeholder views need to be addressed and complex risks to success identified and analysed.  Doing this in a way that keeps the effort required manageable and provides the transparency necessary to meet the Public Contract Regulations requires an experienced hand and well-proven techniques.

QCDL has extensive experience of working with clients to do this successfully whilst ensuring that the evaluation meets the highest standards of objectivity and transparency.  We have encapsulated years of experience into the Structured Criteria Development (SCD) methodology that provides a robust technique of developing the evaluation criteria to ensure the success of your project.
QCDL supports procurement teams in various ways, from limited support to ensure your team are aware of and deploying appropriate techniques – including SCD - to more comprehensive support allowing us to join your team to help you get ready for, and conduct, the supplier selection activities.

Specific services include:

• Evaluation model development
• Developing evaluation criteria using SCD method
• Evaluation criteria weighting workshop
• Evaluation methodology workshop
• Evaluation quality assurance 
• Analysis and reporting
• Results analysis
• Building evaluation reports

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Run a Competitive Dialogue in an effective and efficient way

The Competitive Dialogue procedure included in the Public Contract regulations since early 2007 provides a new way of engaging with industry in a competitive way to develop a technical and commercial solution to your needs.  It presents new challenges to procurement teams including:

• the need to carefully control the exchange of information with bidders;
• the need to identify up-front the detailed evaluation criteria against which the evolving solutions will be judged;
• the need to foster and maintain the interest of industry despite higher bidding costs;
• the need to manage a large team including stakeholders and advisors over a prolonged period.

QCDL has extensive experience of supporting teams using the Competitive Dialogue process.  We are able to help in various ways, from simply providing the technology needed to manage the exchange of information and ongoing evaluation of bidders, to managing the entire competitive dialogue process.

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Deploy Award eEvaluation technology across an organisation

When organisations decide to adopt new technologies, significant difficulties often arise.  The scope of change needs to be identified and requirements for the change clearly articulated. Old processes need to be updated and new templates and processes put in place in order to make best use of the new technologies.

The roll-out of the new technology needs to be controlled to ensure appropriate testing and opportunity for refinement.  People need to be trained and kept informed.  Finally, the user-community needs to be carefully engaged in the process, ensuring they have realistic expectations of what benefits can be achieved at each stage and are able to recognise successful roll-out of the new technology.

QCDL supports organisations in the roll-out of eEvaluation technologies in various ways, from simply providing focused training on aspects of the new technologies to managing the entire change programme. 

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Conduct effective and efficient post-contract supplier monitoring and review

Having placed a contract with a successful bidder, the hard work necessary to successfully deliver the product or service has normally only just begun.  The ongoing monitoring of the contract and relationship with the contractor is normally critical to the success of the project.  This presents its own, unique challenges including development of appropriate Key Performance Indicators and deployment of appropriate data collection mechanisms.

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