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As a Project Manager for the UK MOD, you have a huge part to play in driving the success of complex, strategic, high risk procurements on some of the country’s most crucial defence projects. On a typical project you’ll have to juggle a whole host of challenges from establishing defined goals, managing tight deadlines and lack of resource, to dealing with scope changes and upskilling the team. All too easily, these challenges can cause project delays and in the worst-case scenario, project failure.
With the possibility of risks arising at any time, the need to conduct thorough research and plan ahead is a high priority when wanting to protect against project delays and potential failure.
That’s where we can come in – whilst we work closely with the MOD on projects of all sizes, did you know that AWARD® is also here to support you in your role as a Project Manager and help you deliver successful outcomes?
Used across UK MOD since 2001, and with a corporate licence agreement in place since 2013, our AWARD® solution has been successfully deployed as its preferred online procurement solution for strategic projects. Throughout this time, AWARD® has enabled the MOD to better manage and standardise its evaluation practices, reduce time to contract, and improve value for money.
But if you’re new to AWARD® and would like to learn more about how we can help you manage strategic projects, take a look below at some of the common questions newcomers often have:
How can I be confident that I’m asking the right questions at the outset to ensure the best outcome?
We can efficiently support your projects at an early stage, when knowledge of the requirement and industry’s capabilities is often limited. Our expert team can help you get exactly what you expect from potential suppliers, ensuring they fully understand your requirements from the outset and helping you uncover any stakeholder concerns early on that may delay progress. Using AWARD’s weighting functionality to establish robust and meaningful weights across your project’s criteria set, AWARD® can protect your decision-making process from any unnecessary risks. And you’ll be better prepared to select the optimal bid when you reach the options analysis and war-gaming stage to ensure the best possible outcome.
How can I ensure the procurement process stands up to scrutiny?
As a Project Manager you’ll need to frequently communicate with multi-disciplinary teams and manage several versions of draft documents in a range of formats, so it’s critical that all your records are fully tracked and traceable. With the ability to control the access levels of your project team members, and a clear and transparent audit trail, our AWARD® solution supports you to efficiently and securely manage the multiple communications that take place throughout your procurement, helping you adhere to policy and overcome any challenges.
How can I ensure the requirement is built in an objective way that allows for maximum innovation from the market?
Our AWARD® Requirements Management functionality, part of the AWARD® SCD module, is specifically designed to help Project Managers capture more information than ever before. Not only does it help you to author, collaboratively review and capture a project’s requirements right from the project’s outset, but it also helps you identify and record any ‘stretch goals’. With the ability to focus and control activity, you can build an evidence-based requirement. This mitigates the risk of bidders submitting minimum compliant bids that offer varying degrees of value for money and ensure you get exactly what you want.
How can I build a strong case for procurement?
We provide a much-needed external perspective, helping you manage transparent communications with prospective suppliers before a competition has started. Combining AWARD® SCD to develop a robust set of criteria with AWARD® RVfM, VfM training, sensitivity analysis and competition testing, helps you differentiate between average and excellent suppliers. The outcome being a more informed and focused competition and a set of suppliers who are better prepared to provide tenders that meet your needs. If you’d like to learn more how our AWARD® software and expert services can help you deliver the best possible outcome on your next project, please contact: Ian Wiseman, MOD Account Manager
You may also like to take a look at our guide, ‘6 steps to better procurement outcomes – MOD‘. In this guide, we draw on 20 years of experience in shaping and refining best practice for public sector complex procurements, to share our top six tips for making sure you get the best possible outcome.
