Project: Procurement Organizational and Operational Improvement
Customer: DC General Hospital (DCGH)/Public Benefit Corp (PBC)
Prime Contractor: Business Promotion Consultants, Inc. (BPC)
Subcontractor: None
Project Description
The Challenge:
BPC was engaged to:
- Obtain Control Board approval of DCGH contract backlog so pending contracts could be awarded and service and supply sources could be maintained.
- Improve operational efficiency and throughput capacity of the DCGH procurement office so subsequent contracts could be approved by the Control Board and the internal backlog of requisitions for new products and services could be eliminated.
- Develop new procurement regulations, reflecting the improved procurement process, to facilitate DCGH transition to the PBC.
The Work:
- To obtain Control Board approval of the DCGH contract backlog, BPC:
- Met with Control Board personnel to determine their contract submission requirements and approval process.
- Assessed the DCGH contract package preparation process for Control Board submissions.
- Developed inventory of contract packages in various stages of submission, rejection, and re-work.
- In coordination with DCGH senior management, prioritized contract package inventory, and designed an improved contract packaging process, tailored to respond to Control Board contract submission criteria.
- Co-located a BPC team with the DCGH procurement staff, trained DCGH procurement staff to utilize the new process, and worked with the DCGH procurement staff to simultaneously process multiple contract packages, and push the contracts through the Control Board approval process.
To improve the operational efficiency and throughput capacity of the DCGH procurement office, BPC:
- Mapped the overall procurement process; assessed procurement staff purchasing knowledge and computer skills; evaluated procurement office automation infrastructure; worked with DCGH senior management to develop plans for improvement.
- Worked with senior management to identify and train a suitable candidate to lead the procurement office (i.e., a new Contracting Officer).
- Worked with the new Contracting Officer and senior management to design improved procurement process flow, and train procurement staff to implement new process.
- Worked with the new Contracting Officer and legal department to revise and improve contract terms and conditions and develop model terms and conditions.
- Worked with procurement staff to develop model work statements for repeat transactions.
- Provided input to Contracting Officer for future enterprise-wide IT solution (comprehensive agency-wide hardware and integrated software) upgrade.
BPC also worked with DCGH senior management to develop acceptable PBC procurement regulations (based on the new procurement process) and supported DCGH through the multiple DC-agency review and approval process in route to the approval of PBC procurement regulations by the Control Board.
The Benefits:
BPC successfully obtained Control Board approval of all DCGH contracts. BPC improved the procurement office’s operational efficiency, increased throughput capacity, and eliminated the backlog of requisitions. BPC developed procurement regulations acceptable to DCGH, and the transition of DCGH and clinics to the PBC has been completed.