Sustainability Considerations for Procurement Tools and Capabilities: Summary of a Workshop by Dominic A. Brose

Author:Dominic A. Brose
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: ebook
Publisher: The National Academies Press
Published: 2012-11-17T00:00:00+00:00

Integration and interoperability are also important, and shared semantics and application programming interfaces need to be developed where appropriate. Interoperability between tools is about translation between tools, said Anastasia O’Rourke of Big Room; it is fundamentally about how what one person says is translated for another person to understand. The potential benefit of making this work is increased data flow and accessibility of information. Another benefit would be increased accountability, because effective interoperability could allow information to be tracked across different systems. It could also allow for an increase in the scale and scope of accessible information and allow for better comparisons, helping purchasers gain more clarity. To move this forward, she stated, purchasers need to identify necessary tools and types of format; develop common glossaries and classification systems or methods for translating between systems; collaborate to map and compare systems; develop data frameworks and reporting templates; develop the ability to export data as appropriate to other systems; and participate in various multi-stakeholder forums. With so many stakeholders interested in sustainability issues, she added, purchasers need to be part of those conversations.

Procurement tools will increasingly incorporate more data into their functions, Ms. O’Rourke said. If, for instance, a tool displays a green button to indicate a good product, the data that helps determine whether that green button should be displayed may be only available elsewhere, or the metric indicated by the button may depend on near-real-time information. Such situations may require access to other systems and real-time connectivity.

Dr. Graf also commented on cloud computing and mobility. More and more, he noted, companies want to leverage cloud-based tools and systems in part because they can usually be deployed more quickly. Also, individuals want information to be accessible wherever they happen to be, not only through their desktop computers but from mobile devices. A procurement manager who needs to approve a specific purchase, for example, could see from glancing at his or her mobile device that a requisition is urgent. Figure 4-3 summarizes what many participants described as the technical requirements for sustainable procurement, including data management.

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