Civil Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Reading Figure 7.1 from left to right, the lower section shows the
eSourcing interactions between the buyer and suppliers. The process
begins with the publication of the opportunity, to which suppliers are
invited to provide an expression of interest (EOI). From EOI the process
moves on to supplier qualifi cation by way of the Pre-Qualifi cation Ques-
tionnaire (PQQ). The PQQ is designed to establish potential suppliers'
capabilities, their fi nancial strength and their internal policies relating
to subjects such as health and safety, employment and the environment.
If acceptable to the client, potential suppliers are then invited to submit
a tender for the specifi c opportunity on offer for detailed evaluation.
During evaluation, the system may be used to clarify any outstanding
issues before fi nalising scores and making a recommendation to award
the contract.
The eSourcing tool holds all the commercially sensitive information
relating to each supplier's response to each procurement opportunity.
This means that the system must have suffi cient security accreditation
to be acceptable to all the parties involved. Access to the eSourcing
system is password-controlled on both the client's and the suppliers'
sides. To enter the portal, suppliers are directed to a publicly accessible
page on the internet. The screen shown in Figure 7.2 is an example of
a 'shop window' of an eSourcing system that is provided by the Royal
Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).
Only those on the client's and suppliers' sides can therefore see the
procurement events, including the PQQs and ITTs, to which they have
been given access. The eSourcing tool also needs to be accredited, so
that the contractual obligations that are being entered into through the
system are legally binding and conform to all applicable legislation and
regulatory frameworks.
It is therefore of paramount importance that the security of the system
not only gives suppliers confi dence that the commercially sensitive
information they load onto the system is safe from their competitors,
but also that the client cannot view their offer until the appropriate
time, as designated by the timetable for procurement. For both the
client and responding supplier it is vital that, once the tender is
opened, only the client can view all the suppliers' offers, and that
suppliers cannot subsequently amend their offers or submissions. This
functionality ensures the probity of the process and delivers the audit-
ability needed to run a fair competition, which all parties have a right
to expect of a robustly run and properly administered procurement
process.
