In public agencies, effective supply chain management can be a time-intensive process with strict regulations and long lead times. It can be especially challenging as we head into 2023 due to reduced fleet availability and manufacturer supply chain issues. The lead time can be longer, so the more efficiently you can handle the procurement process, the faster you can get your vehicles.
Four tips for faster vehicle supply chain procurement
Vehicle procurement is challenging even when things run smoothly. In today’s environment, it can be downright frustrating. When the procurement process stretches over months (or longer), it can be difficult to operate efficiently.
Here are four strategies that organizations can employ to shorten the purchase cycle and lower costs.
1. Take a holistic approach and eliminate siloed decision-making
It’s not always easy to negotiate the departmental boundaries in public agencies, but that’s the first step in speeding up the vehicle supply chain procurement process. Organizations and agencies should embrace a holistic approach to procurement, working together across departments or divisions while still meeting guidelines and any compliance regulations. Centralized purchasing can standardize processes and purchases.
2. Streamline internal processes
It’s vital to bring together all the teams working on procurement. For example, it’s not unusual to have one team that creates the statement of work, another team that defines the specifications, and a third team that manages the contracting or buying. This can lead to vendors supplying multiple rounds of bids.
Streamlining internal processes can significantly accelerate the vehicle supply chain procurement process. Also, by leveraging cross-functional teams and changing from sequential bids to the parallel processing of bids, organizations can often make a dramatic difference in delivery timelines.
3. Automate and digitize
Most organizations are dealing with decades-old processes and legacy technology. Automating and digitizing as much of the process as possible with modern technology can speed up procurement. This also adds greater transparency and makes internal handoffs easier and faster.
4. Use cooperative contracts
A cooperative contract is one of the easiest ways to reduce the time that it takes to acquire vehicle fleets. It facilitates the buying process rather than requiring individual negotiations. It also establishes the terms that meet compliance regulations and secures affordable rates.
The benefits of cooperative contracts include:
- Satisfying state and local bidding requirements
- Meeting competitive solicitation standards
- Eliminating pre-bid research for new competitive bids
- Saving time by piggybacking on existing contracts
Cooperative contracts can produce greater buying power by consolidating thousands of public agencies, so you can save significant money.
Accelerate your purchasing process with cooperative contracts
Sourcewell can help with cooperative contracts. By combining the buying power of more than 50,000 government, education, and nonprofit agencies, it gets optimal rates, better terms, and faster procurement. It can also maximize potential savings and meet accelerated supply chain procurement deadlines.
Sourcewell handles the entire contractual process from start to finish, including:
- RFPs
- Public notices
- RFP openings
- RFP evaluation
- Contract awards
By registering, you can gain access to hundreds of existing contracts to quickly find and finalize quotes. There are no fees to use Sourcewell’s contracts and no obligation. With hundreds of already awarded supplier contracts, you can find what you need and quickly obtain a quote. Since the contract has already been vetted and negotiated, you can finalize deals immediately.
In today’s challenging supply chain procurement environment, you can break free from the traffic jam and accelerate your purchasing process with cooperative contracts. Register with Sourcewell today, and search the ready-to-use, competitively solicited contracts.
Here at Sourcewell, we help public agency buyers procure fleet vehicles faster by fulfilling the time-consuming bid process for them. Through cooperative contracts, we expedite the fleet vehicle procurement process so you can better serve your teams.
Want a faster procurement process? Contact one of our specialists today to buy the fleet solutions you need!
