Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
What is the most challenging aspect of managing procurement projects?
This is a question that we asked to public sector procurement professionals.
When we looked through the results, the same answers came up again and again…
That answer is stakeholder management. People venting their frustration over the continuous painful processes they endure when managing stakeholders during their more complex procurement projects. Managing stakeholders clearly present significant challenges due to several interrelated factors.
Managing Expectations
Stakeholders typically come from various departments, organisations, and sectors, each with their own set of priorities and expectations. Balancing these differing perspectives and ensuring that all voices are adequately heard and addressed requires skilful negotiation and effective communication.
Complex Communication Channels
The complexity of communication channels in large projects further complicates stakeholder management. Large procurement projects involve multiple layers of communication within and outside the organisation. Keeping all stakeholders consistently informed and engaged through these complex communication networks can be difficult. Miscommunications or delays in information sharing can lead to misunderstandings, missed deadlines, and increased tensions among stakeholders.
High-Risk
Another challenge is the high risks associated with large procurement projects. Such projects often have significant financial, operational and reputational implications. Stakeholders are more vigilant and demanding, increasing the pressure on project managers to meet expectations. Any failure or delay in the project can attract scrutiny from senior management, regulatory bodies, and the public, adding to the difficulty of managing stakeholders effectively.
Regulatory and Compliance Requirements
Regulatory and compliance requirements also add to the complexity. Large procurement projects are frequently subject to stringent regulations and compliance standards. Managing stakeholders in this context involves ensuring that all parties understand and adhere to these requirements. This often requires coordination with legal teams, regulatory bodies, and other stakeholders, adding another layer of complexity to the project.
Changing Project Dynamics
The dynamic nature of large projects, which can span several months or years, presents additional challenges. During the project lifecycle, stakeholder priorities and external conditions can change. Managing these evolving dynamics and keeping stakeholders aligned with the project’s goals is a continuous challenge. Changes in leadership, market conditions, or organisational strategy can lead to shifts in stakeholder engagement and support.
Resource Allocation and Prioritisation
Resource allocation and prioritisation also pose challenges in stakeholder management. Different stakeholders often compete for limited resources, and deciding how to allocate these resources fairly and transparently while maintaining stakeholder satisfaction is a delicate balancing act. Project managers must prioritise tasks and resources in a way that aligns with the overall project goals while addressing the most critical stakeholder needs.
Why isn’t there a way to empower project managers to take control and solve the all-too-common problems of managing procurements.
Well, there is. With AWARD® you can:
- Keep track and in control: dedicated project team and bidder communication channels; efficient task delegation capability – team members are only sent what is required; work in groups with restricted access for confidentiality.
- Automate bidder debriefing/assessment reports and generate to a template that can be sent to dozens or even hundreds of suppliers saving you the tedious task of manually producing supplier documents one by one for every project you deliver.
- Gain access to real-time team member reporting, this is built into the solution so you can see how you’re progressing against the project’s timeline all in one place.
- Be sure that all actions are collected automatically empowering you to establish a robust audit trail by demonstrating an organised, clear and transparent decision-making process so that you can confidently defend against legal challenges.
We recently had to defend a supplier selection decision. The selection process was run in AWARD®, including invitation, response, communication and evaluation. The comprehensive audit trail and the ability to run detailed communications and results reports from AWARD® were invaluable. We were able to construct a robust response to the challenge.
– Commercial Lead, Large Government Procurement Department
Customisable real-time reporting, covering key elements such as results, user progress and issues, provided valuable insight into the bid evaluation and debrief processes giving assurance that projects can be completed on time. The audit trail created by AWARD®, including the time stamp against activities, was crucial to illustrating transparency.
– Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)
AWARD® is a solution that is built for managing all types of complex projects. Not only does it solve the pains of managing them, but it also supports the variety of methods required to award the contract to the best bidder consistently and deliver the best possible outcomes.
AWARD® takes you through the entire procurement cycle from start to finish. No longer will you require spreadsheets to help you manage and document your projects. Plus, with its ability to integrate, you neither need to rely on your everyday sourcing tool that is unsuitable for your more complex procurements.
Not only does AWARD® solve the all-too-common issues procurement professionals regularly face, but customers also tell us they’ve delivered projects much earlier by 6, 7, 8 months… sometimes sooner compared to using traditional methods like spreadsheets and sourcing tools.
Find out in a few clicks how much you can save by switching to the AWARD® Solution by using our free ROI Calculator. Just click thepinkbutton below to get started. Or get in touch for more details.
