A recent blog post covered some ways to get ahead of the curve during the procurement process.  Another way to make the procurement process go more smoothly is to demonstrate the project’s value in ways that are clear to procurement staff.

As an expert in your functional area, you have a much better understanding than anyone in the procurement department of how a project will help your team. Taking the time to thoroughly spell out the benefits is often the difference between quick approval and constant revisions.  The more clearly you can explain how the software or service will help your team get better results, the most likely it is that you’ll secure approval and funding.  That is especially true if you can tie it to one of your agency’s big goals or initiatives.  Here are a couple of tips to do just that.

Explain bottom-line benefits.
When explaining the value of a product, make sure to translate that value to a major initiative, such as increased number of cases closed or better document security. For example, case management software brings all of your data together in a single, searchable, secure location. Compared to an agency using spreadsheets or older, unresponsive and crash-prone products, a best-practice solution can save hundreds or thousands of hours of investigator time spent locating, aggregating, and reporting on data.

Use external justification when possible.
Discussions with peer agencies may reveal that your agency has fallen behind the curve in technology. Explanations on the need to catch up, coupled with the benefits these agencies have seen in implementing new technology, can provide real examples of the benefits you are likely to gain by pursuing the project. You may also be subject to a state or federal statute that requires a technology update, such as one that mandates higher security or more reliable document storage.

If you’d like tips on how to navigate the procurement process, please give us a call at 919-600-5102 or email us.