eProcurement Services Across the Welsh Public Sector

The way goods and services are procured is key to this.  For the last five years, the Welsh Government’s Value Wales xchangewales programme has been delivering services to help the Welsh public sector transition from paper to electronic procurement.  In doing so, engaged organisations have realised significant process efficiencies, cash savings and sustainability benefits.   Suppliers to the public sector have also benefited, with increased access to opportunities, reduced payment times and administrative savings.

The use of electronic services such as Sell2Wales, the Welsh Purchasing Card, eTenderWales and eTrading are now commonplace across the Welsh Government and the Welsh public sector. 

Building the future of eProcurement

The xchangewales programme comes to an end in March 2013.   A new programme – Value Wales’ eProcurement Service (ePS) – will ensure the support of existing services and build the long term infrastructure for eProcurement services in Wales.  

The ePS vision

Our vision for ePS is that:

‘All Welsh public sector contracting Authorities are using collaborative procurement technologies in order to:

• deliver maximum value for the Welsh pound
• support the economic development of Wales and its environment
• support public sector transformation and the delivery of services to its citizens.’

Importantly, the programme will ensure that the Welsh public sector stays ahead of 2014 EU legislation which will make ‘eProcurement…the standard method of procurement.’  

Commitment to eProcurement across the Welsh public sector and within Welsh Government was recently underscored in the ‘Wales Procurement Policy Statement’ (see related link) delivered by the Minister for Finance and Leader of the House in December 2012.

Increased eProcurement capabilities

ePS will seek to deliver a similar suite of eProcurement tools as xchangewales but with enhanced capabilities.  These will include: 

1. Improved management information and spend analytics
2. Professional tools to help public sector organisations assess their current level of procurement maturity, identify areas of improvement and drive activities for change
3. A secure web portal so that public sector organisations and their suppliers can access eProcurement services through one single access point.