Purchasing and Supply Management - Case Study Example

The procurement code according to the solicitation provided by the North American Industrial Classification system is 337211, which is limited to a small size standard business of 500 employees. It is critical to note that only qualified small businesses and only qualified offerors can place bids for this procurement. The solicitation pricing for the procurement is posted on started on the 31st of January 2018 and ends on the 9th of February, 2018 at 1500 Eastern Time. The FOB destination of the solicitation is directed to Fort Polk, LA71459.

The products being sourced in the tender include; an executive Desk, a credenza, Desk computer on the Left and desk computer on the right, Hutches, Pedestal desk, bookcase with doors, a 2 drawer lateral file, a 4 drawer lateral file, expression chairs, and a wardrobe with file, all with a Cherry finish. In addition to the sourced products are a 48’ square table with a standard height, cross back chairs that are black, and a fixed table which measures 48" by 24" by 29" and should be cherry in color.

The e-procurement website provides in detail the expectation of the end-user as well as the expectation of the supplier. Besides, the site offers the supplier, in this case, the small size standard business, real-time use. Additionally, the website provides external links that are helpful to solicitors in placing their bids. Finally, the website is easy to navigate as a result of search engines thus it is time-saving. The e-procurement website does not guarantee privacy to its users. The e-procurement has a friendly user interface.

There are FBO demonstration videos that are helpful in learning how to navigate within the website. There are three categories of users of the website namely the vendors, the buyers/Engineers, and the Agency or Local administrators. Each of the three categories is provided with videos on how to conduct their business on the website. Also, there are training videos, user guides, and answers to frequently asked questions. The search engine allows the user to narrow their search by providing specifications for the solicitations.

All the opportunities are well listed, and their details are presented to the user; thus it’s easy for the user to determine if they qualify to place their bids. General information is also provided on the website to ensure the user is adequately informed of the upcoming system release information. The site also contains the names of agencies, their location, and the number of notices to the user, thus ease the access of information. Unfortunately, the government may not provide the same level of detail using the manual process as there is a lot of information involved.

The information is more accessible to retrieve using the e-procurement website due to the availability of search engines. Besides, the manual system would require more time to process an order. The process is long as the manual purchasing has to go through the three steps of material requisition, request for quotation, and the purchase order.