https://www.americancityandcounty.com/wp-content/themes/acc_child/assets/images/logo/footer-logo.png
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcast
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Events
    • How to Contribute
    • Municipal Cost Index – Archive
    • Equipment Watch Page
    • American City & County Awards
  • Magazine
    • Back
    • Digital Editions
    • Reprints & Reuse
    • Advertise
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Privacy Statement
    • Terms of Service
American City and County
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcasts
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Events
    • How to Contribute
    • American City & County Awards
    • Municipal Cost Index
    • Equipment Watch Page
  • Magazine
    • Back
    • Digital Editions
    • Reprints & Reuse
    • Subscribe to GovPro
    • Manage GovPro Subscription
    • Advertise
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Stament
    • Terms of Service
  • newsletter
  • Administration
  • Economy & Finance
  • Procurement
  • Public Safety
  • Public Works & Utilities
  • Smart Cities & Technology
acc.com

News


Procurement survey: Public purchasers still rely on paper rather than automation or software

Procurement survey: Public purchasers still rely on paper rather than automation or software

A poll of almost 500 procurement professionals shows many public organizations still rely on paper and homegrown solutions when it comes to purchasing operations. Under-automation is still prevalent, with 22 percent of purchasers surveyed saying their departments do not use procurement software of any kind.
  • Written by Michael Keating
  • 7th October 2011

A poll of almost 500 procurement professionals shows many public organizations still rely on paper and homegrown solutions when it comes to purchasing operations. Under-automation is still prevalent, with 22 percent of purchasers surveyed saying their departments do not use procurement software of any kind.

Those are a couple of findings from the “2011 Survey on the Use of Procurement Software in the Public Sector.” The Herndon, Va.-based NIGP: The Institute for Public Procurement conducted the research. The goal of the survey is to understand the use of procurement software throughout public agencies. Its research partners on the project were Cary, N.C.-based SciQuest, Inc. and Herndon, Va.-based Deltek.

The survey, which was conducted online and through email, targeted the heads of procurement at all levels of government throughout the United States and Canada. Survey participants work in city, county and state governments, as well as public universities and K-12 district schools. A total of 2,269 received the questionnaire with 499 responding.

A few highlights from the research:

· Investments have not been made recently (among respondents, only 12 percent of their procurement systems are less than three years old), but many entities are planning to invest: about one-third of the entities are looking to invest in technology today;

· Only a small percentage of the installed base is using newer software as a service (SaaS) or cloud-based technology, with eSourcing and marketplace technologies leading the way; and

· Even larger government entities may not be using procurement software.

“There is a big difference in how small agencies use software and how large agencies use software. However, they all need to follow the same processes and tend to look at technology as an opportunity,” said Eric Zoetmulder, market director, public sector, SciQuest, Inc. “Our hope is that the results of the survey will serve as a guide for organizations looking to improve their technology solutions and a wake-up call for our political leaders to realize that investments in procurement are needed and will pay off with significant savings.”

According to Cliff McCue, one of the researchers on the project, “As part of the survey, the research team is proposing the ‘Procurement Software Adoption Framework.’ This framework is designed to measure how ‘automated’ the organization is today and to support public agencies in determining the next step in their investments to improve their technology infrastructure.”

McCue, who is an associate professor of Public Procurement Research at Boca Raton, Fla.-based Florida Atlantic University, added, “It is very difficult to make investments in this economy, but I see a shift in the importance of procurement as a solution for budget challenges in general. It is clear that more public entities are looking to realize the benefits of procurement software.”

Plans call for conducting the survey again in the future, so that it provides a benchmark for measuring changes and growth in the adoption of procurement software.

Click here to download a PDF of a report on the survey.

The survey results will be discussed in a webinar on Oct. 25, 2011, from 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. ET. Webinar information is available through NIGP.

Tags: News Smart Cities & Technology

Related


  • Senate American Rescue Plan includes more than $60 million in direct aid for counties
    The U.S. Senate’s version of the 2021 American Rescue Plan maintains the $350 billion in state and local aid that was in the House bill, including $60.1 billion in direct aid to counties. The U.S. Senate begin debating its version March 4. The House of Representatives passed its version of the $1.9 trillion bill Feb. […]
  • ASCE releases 2021 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure
    The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) today released its 2021 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure, looking at the state of the country’s infrastructure across 17 categories. The Report Card is compiled every four years by America’s civil engineers to provide a comprehensive assessment of the nation’s major infrastructure categories, using a simple A to […]
  • Updating the assessor report: A new approach
    Ramsey County, Minn.'s new guiding practice is that any dataset available on its open data portal must include a data story
  • 2020 Crown Communities winner: Phases 2 and 3 of Minot, N.D.'s Mouse River Enhanced Flood Protection Plan
    Phases 2 and 3 of Minot, N.D.’s Mouse River Enhanced Flood Protection Plan involved numerous federal, state and local entities, several setbacks, years to complete and $40 million. But the result was a multi-faceted flooding defense that Minot was able to make its own. Historic flooding of the Mouse River in June 2011 created the […]

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your American City and County account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • 2020 Crown Communities winner: Rock Hill, S.C.'s My Ride
  • Three communities hosting Augmented Reality Developer Challenge competitions
  • Using data to improve emergency response resources
  • How small cities are tackling lead service line replacement

White papers


Discover How Public Sector Officials are Monitoring and Managing Overtime in This New White Paper

22nd February 2021

How to Assemble a Successful Government Grant Proposal

5th February 2021

The Rise of Procurement’s Next Normal

5th February 2021
view all

Events


PODCAST


Young Leaders Episode 4 – Cyril Jefferson – City Councilman, High Point, North Carolina

13th October 2020

Young Leaders Episode 3 – Shannon Hardin – City Council President, Columbus, Ohio

27th July 2020

Young Leaders Episode 2 – Christian Williams – Development Services Planner, Goodyear, Ariz.

1st July 2020
view all

Twitter


AmerCityCounty

Key Steps Governments Can Take to Guard Against Malware Attack dlvr.it/RvCr2x

8th March 2021
AmerCityCounty

2020 Crown Communities winner: El Paso County, Texas’ pretrial justice modernization dlvr.it/Rv4GKL

6th March 2021
AmerCityCounty

A city’s innovative downtown master plan sees future in local, inclusive placemaking dlvr.it/Rv3SfM

5th March 2021
AmerCityCounty

2020 Crown Communities winner: Gainesville, Fla. closes Dignity Village and houses its homeless population dlvr.it/Rv1GS2

5th March 2021
AmerCityCounty

2020 Crown Communities Winner: South Bay Cities Council of Governments’ South Bay Fiber Network dlvr.it/Rv10b7

5th March 2021
AmerCityCounty

Senate American Rescue Plan includes more than $60 million in direct aid for counties dlvr.it/RtzvBK

4th March 2021
AmerCityCounty

ASCE releases 2021 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure dlvr.it/Rtvck5

3rd March 2021
AmerCityCounty

Updating the assessor report: A new approach dlvr.it/RttvDv

3rd March 2021

Newsletters

Sign up for American City & County’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about local governments.

Resale Insights Dashboard

The Resale Insights Dashboard provides model-level data for the entire used equipment market to help you save time and money.

Municipal Cost Index

Updated monthly since 1978, our exclusive Municipal Cost Index shows the effects of inflation on the cost of providing municipal services

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital audience? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • IWCE’s Urgent Communications
  • IWCE Expo

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us

FOLLOW American City and County ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookies Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2021 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X