In the public procurement world, we hear the words streamline, transparency, and savings thrown around regularly. Everyone claims their procurement practices achieve transparency, create efficiencies, and offer vendor equality, but very few have the results to prove it.
When Periscope says we do something, we mean it, and we have proof to back it up!
Transparency Establishes Accountability – Transparency involves full visibility to all agreements between government entities and their vendors. There’s no picking and choosing which contracts are open record versus which contracts are non-disclosed. Recently, a large southeastern state spent millions implementing multiple disparate eProcurement systems that fail to post contracts to a central location for public viewership. The casual observer or “John Q. Public” has to dig through the state’s website, understand the difference between a statewide and agency contract, and follow the links to multiple contact websites.
On the contrary, the state of Arizona implemented BuySpeed eProcurement, calling the project ProcureAZ. ProcureAZ exemplifies transparency. Anyone with a web browser can visit ProcureAZ’s website and view all Arizona state and agency contracts in one place. This transparency establishes accountability with the general public. Citizens deserve the assurance that their hard-earned taxes are spent wisely. We need more accountable government entities that not only preach but practice true transparency.
Less is Not Always More – When it comes to public procurement contracts and catalogs, the term “less is more” doesn’t apply. Some eProcurement systems only offer 200 – 300 catalogs, creating major inefficiencies. Ordering from non-catalog statewide contracts is complex and lengthy, since you have to contact vendors directly, as opposed to simply placing an order in the system. Efficiency is thrown out the window, while staff workloads increase. Often, there is an option to load and maintain additional catalogs to the tune of $25,000 – $50,000 per year, but this approach diminishes cost savings and causes entities to choose what contracts are worth the extra investment.
With BuySpeed eProcurement, there’s no contract or catalog limit and no additional contract or catalog fees. Whether an agency has 100 or 10,000 contracts, BuySpeed hosts each catalog at no additional cost. Our QuickBuy functionality enables users to quickly search and purchase off thousands of catalogs, with the click of a mouse. Periscope’s unique approach to cataloging maintains efficiency and cost savings.
Level the Playing Field – State and local governments stand as economic engines pumping billions of dollars back into the economy. With this powerful influence, public sector entities should be impartial with vendor selection and include both the “little guys” (local small businesses) and the “big dogs” (national vendors). We’re finding more and more eProcurement systems offering set contracts with massive suppliers undermining local and minority businesses.
BuySpeed has tremendous success in public sector because we provide means to practice vendor equality. One of our top priorities is to level the playing field for vendors, so you can drive business to local economies. That is why we include all contracts, no matter how small the vendor, in our catalog search. We also provide tools to create agency -specific categories including MBE/WBE/DBE, and we offer the ability to track certification associated with these categories. In addition, the NIGP Code can be used to identify vendors for solicitations and as a tool to gauge the level of true competition. Leveling the playing field ensures procurement practices are fair and non-discriminatory.
Periscope is committed to procurement integrity. If we say we do it, we do it, and we do it well. Make sure your government entity is practicing fair and honest procurement practices with transparency, efficiency and equality.