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2009 |
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Key Efficiency Opportunities:
Harnessing Cost Savings and Information Technology to Drive DOT Accountability
By
Jennifer Harris,
Consultant, with contributions from Chris Heuschkel, Engagement Manager and Ken Liang, Consultant – all of CGI’s Spend Management Practice
Published June 2009 NEW!
Departments of
Transportation (DOTs) will be placed under increasing scrutiny as funds
from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act become available. While
there can be no doubt that these funds will provide transportation
agencies with much needed lifeblood to continue serving the public
during this economic downturn, this new source of funding will also
translate into a need for strengthened organizational efficiency. At
the same time that strict deadlines for spending funds will force DOTs
to move swiftly to undertake projects, heightened accountability and
transparency requirements will require that transportation agencies meet
strict reporting standards. The need to adapt quickly to a new economic
and political landscape will begin placing new demands on DOTs, forcing
many to accelerate transformation initiatives that had previously been
planned for implementation over a time horizon longer than 120 days (the
initial period states have to obligate the $19 billion transportation
portion of the Recovery Act funding.)
Now
more than ever transportation agencies must focus on rapid project
delivery, spending accountability, and department-wide information
availability. Though DOTs are state organizations with some of the most
complex objectives, they garner little sympathy in this position and are
required to provide just as much, if not more, justification for the
dollars they spend. While the Recovery Act funds represent an
opportunity for transportation agencies to catch up on filling much
needed construction gaps, they also represent an opportunity for them to
become leaner, more efficient organizations that are able to more
objectively and credibly justify every dollar spent to the public, as
well as to legislators.
Full Text
Staying Anchored
During Times of Economic Uncertainty: Procurement for Short- and Long-Term
Sustainability
By
Jennifer Harris,
Consultant
Published January 2009
Businesses and government
agencies today face a worldwide economy in the midst of a downturn that may be
more severe and longer lasting than any in recent memory. As a result, they must
reevaluate organizational goals and plans to quickly adapt to an economic
climate pushing the 21st century organization into uncharted territory. More
challenging still is ongoing uncertainty about how the downturn will affect
various sectors of the economy or how precisely the government should intercede
to lessen its impact.
The challenge is perhaps greater for the procurement department. Unlike
functional divisions of corporations that can highlight revenue streams, or
government departments that can point to the services being provided to
constituents, procurement departments must communicate largely in terms of what
must be subtracted from their organization’s bottom line – often without a full
appreciation by others of the value being added in exchange. The result: A
perfect storm of economic factors is conspiring to challenge procurement
departments to meet the demands placed upon them.
Full Text
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2008 |
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Beyond Better Contracts: An Integrated
Toolkit for Transforming Procurement
By
Mark Montanari,
Practice Leader
CGI has addressed the challenge
of pushing procurement innovation beyond sourcing for our clients. We have
created a proprietary Spend Management Transformation Toolkit™ to help
procurement organizations identify, target, and transform their operations and
consistently delight their customers. By building innovation into the ongoing
governance and operational processes, organizations can create a more efficient
procurement function. This ensures that every activity is planned, every plan is
executed, every activity is measured and monitored, and that intelligence is fed
back into the planning process to drive continuous improvement. All aspects of
the procurement function are considered holistically during the planning effort,
and the appropriate processes, accountabilities and infrastructure are put in
place to ensure the plan is executed. Innovation becomes part of ongoing
procurement program management.
Full Text
Risks and Opportunities: Seven Ways to
Prepare for Environmental Changes
By Rucker Alex, Senior
Consultant
Magazine covers and news
headlines are saturated in green these days, and few scientists and public
figures deny that the unprecedented rate of climate change poses problems for
the world. What is not so clear is the consequence of global warming on the
future profitability of companies. However, we do know that corporations are
indirectly impacted by environmental changes from various fronts: availability
of natural resources and manufacturing inputs, cost of procured products and
services, stakeholder environmental demands, insurance premiums, weather-related
damage to physical assets, and government regulations. Though there are no clear
lines of consequences, environmental factors create an increasingly complex web
of risks and opportunities for companies to improve their strategy and processes
and stay ahead of the competition. This article illustrates seven ways companies
can cost-effectively prepare for uncertain environmental change.
Full Text
A/P Automation Efficiency Dreams Become Reality with ECM
By
Don Chamberlin, Senior Consultant
In this age of automation and
the “paperless world,” the average office still processes thousands of pages
each month that require interaction with multiple business processes and
systems, coordinating invoices from all across the country. If this
time-consuming scenario sounds unfortunately familiar, an Enterprise Content
Management (ECM) solution may be an ideal tool to streamline the inefficiency of
the paper invoice world. In the procurement space, ECM is becoming more and more
integrated into various systems and processes, such as Accounts Payable, where
automation of manual procedures and data entry processes produces significant
business gains. This article discusses the real potential behind ECM
technologies within the procurement organization.
Full Text
Creating
a Best-in-Class Procurement Organizational Structure
By Jan Hamik,
Executive Consultant
This
paper highlights best-in-class state procurement organizations and focuses on changes they made to their operating structures to enhance their efficiency, capture broader savings, and improve procurement effectiveness. It outlines organizational issues for other states to consider as they assess their own operating structures. It is hoped that this paper, in conjunction with CGI’s paper, “Procurement Efficiency in Government: Policy, Process and Technological Transformation,” provides a roadmap for states striving to continually improve their procurement operations.
Full Text
Project
Showcase: California Strategic Sourcing Initiative (CSSI)
By Jan Hamik,
Executive Consultant
As a business manager for the
State of California, the Department of General Services (DGS) has more than
4,000 employees and a budget in excess of half a billion dollars. The DGS
provides a variety of services to state agencies and serves the public by
following its mission to “deliver innovative solutions and services with
efficiency, economy and integrity to help our customers succeed.” The
California Strategic Sourcing Initiative (CSSI) is an example of the type of
innovative solutions being implemented by DGS to better serve the taxpayers of
California.
Full Text
Applying Strategic Sourcing to Medicaid
By Barnali Dasverma, Senior Consultant
As
health care costs skyrocket state governments must look to less
traditional solutions, including applying strategic sourcing methods
and best practices, to address the problem. This approach has conventionally been applied to the purchasing of goods such as office supplies and PC hardware. However, CGI has found that strategic sourcing can deliver stronger contracts and cost savings for a wide range of Medicaid services-- including enrollment broker services,
pharmacy benefits management, rate setting services, and managed care plans. Several applications of strategic sourcing methods are outlined in this article.
Full Text
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CGI's
Spend Management News |
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CGI upgrades PRISM®
Audit Software
CGI released version 5.0 of
PRISM® Audit software, a spend management analysis solution enabling
corporations and governments to view expense patterns organization-wide and
identify potential cost savings. As a key element of CGI’s flagship Procurement
Management System, PRISM Audit 5.0 was built using scalable technology and
Web-based architecture. The new version introduces several new features,
including: Searchable Reports, Faster Processing Time, and Advanced
Categorization Taxonomy Support.
Full Press Release |
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About CGI's Spend Management Solutions
With
over 30 years experience providing procurement solutions and services to private
and public sector clients, CGI is a well-established player in the spend
management arena. CGI’s service and technology offerings span the procurement
lifecycle, with particular expertise in spend analysis, strategic sourcing,
transformational and process consulting, and e-procurement technology selection,
design, implementation and hosting.
CGI takes a holistic approach to diagnose and address their clients’
business challenges, with a focus on planning, implementation, performance
management, innovation and change management. Their approach is to ensure that
every activity is planned, every plan is executed, every activity is measured
and monitored, and that intelligence is fed back into the planning process to
drive continuous improvement.
CGI's spend management professionals are ready to serve as a consulting
resource, solution provider, and strategic managed services partner to assist
clients in the development, analysis, implementation and management of the
procurement solution that best fits their needs.
For more information, visit us at:
www.cgi.com/spendmanagement
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About CGI
At CGI, we're in the business of satisfying clients. For more than 30 years, we've operated upon the principles of sharing in our clients' challenges and delivering quality services to address them. A leading IT and business process services provider, CGI has approximately 25,500 professionals operating in 100+ offices worldwide, giving us close proximity to our clients.
Through these offices, CGI offers local partnerships and a balanced blend of global delivery options including onshore, nearshore, and offshore expertise – to provide clients with the combination of value and expertise they require. CGI defines success by
exceeding expectations and helping clients achieve results. |
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