Champion Council – Central Highlands Regional Council

By Kathryn Dalley, Senior Account Manager – Procurement Technology

We are excited to kick off this edition of our newsletter with a new series “Champion Councils” by shining a spotlight on one of Local Buy’s Procurement Technology and Data Analytics Program (formerly known as Nex Gen) councils.

Martin Dunn - Manager Strategic Contracts and Procurement, Central Highlands Regional Council (CHRC) shares with us his Council’s implementation journey and how Local Buy’s Procurement Technology and Data Analytics Program has revolutionised Councils’ approach to purchasing and supplier management.

We take great pride in showcasing the journey of CHRC who are true trailblazers leveraging our Local Buy technology to its fullest potential. We have witnessed their commitment to implementing the technology across their procurement operations. CHRC have embraced the Program’s features and functionality to drive transformation change within their organisation.

One of the primary drivers behind CHRC decision to implement and adopt the solution was the strategic collaboration between Local Buy and our service delivery partners.

“This partnership ensured that the system was not only feature-rich, but also designed to cater specifically to the needs of local government organisations”.  Other drivers to adopt included the compliance aspect and the seamless functionality of the solution, coupled with the transparency it offered in the procurement process,” Martin said.

“Scalability and product innovation were other important factors that influenced Council's decision to adopt the solution.  In addition, Council identified that the solution offered ‘future-ready’ technology, that will grow with Council’s evolving requirements, making it a sustainable and forward-looking investment.”

“It has given us more visibility to what we’re procuring, how we’re procuring, our compliance and our percentage of local spend, all of which is critical”.

Implementation

The implementation plan created for CHRC was detailed and well-staged according to Alisa Priddle, Coordinator Procurement, and the communication “professional, prompt, and concise”, all-in-all ensuring a positive implementation experience.  Martin adds that his team of three were grateful for the unwavering support during the implementation stages.

Alisa's initial concerns about maintaining business-as-usual activities amidst potential implementation disruptions proved unfounded.

“My concerns quickly dissipated when I reviewed the detailed implementation plan, the level of technical, the professional support offered and how the project was implemented with military precision. The transition from our old system to Local Buy’s procurement technology and analytics Program was seamless”, Martin said.

Council’s Procurement Hub

With a whopping 137 staff accessing their Hub, CHRC ranks as the top champion council!

As part of the technology platform, the Procurement Hub is designed to be Council’s complete procurement portal. Martin said the Hub is an important tool for the procurement team.

“All of our procurement documentation and communication comes from the Hub. It’s very powerful in that it’s a one-stop-shop for everything procurement. It has also facilitated time efficiencies for the Procurement Team”, Martin said.

Concerns about Hub compatibility with Council’s Electronic Content Management system (ECM) were quashed and with the support of the team, no problem raised went unresolved.

Go-to-market technology

The Request for Quote and Tender functionality is powered by VendorPanel technology. The go-to-market wizard module is innovative and easy to use, and Martin states that it has become a game-changer for their procurement processes.

“The future scalability of the system will further strengthen its adoption within councils and gain supplier buy-in, as managing multiple systems for quoting or tendering becomes a thing of the past”, Martin said.

The VendorPanel process from a supplier perspective was largely positive according to feedback received, both in terms of registration and the responsiveness of VendorPanel’s Australian-based online web chat support team. Feedback received by a 72-year-old supplier praised the user-friendliness of the system and ease of registration.

While the VendorPanel KPI for web chat responsiveness is 90 seconds, Martin’s experience with the online chat is usually between 30 to 40 seconds!

Data analytics dashboards

Council has embraced the data analytics dashboards provided under the Program. Martin states that the dashboards provide deep insight into various procurement activities across Council.

Teams have embraced the reporting functionality within the data analytics dashboards. Being able to import spreadsheets and graphs in a few clicks and present this data to management is powerful states Martin. From a data visual perspective, “with such detailed data available”, Dunn reports that Council has been able to make positive changes and improvements in Council’s journey toward more strategic procurement.

Knowledge Hub Module

“It’s the single source of truth, it’s a one stop shop and saves time in responding to multiple questions on where to locate procurement information”, Martin said.

CHRC have embraced their Knowledge Hub like no other, and its very dedicated procurement team have built a robust and expansive repository of procurement-related documentation, forms, guides, policies and training resources. Procurement Officer - Amy Ferriera's remarkable dedication and effort in populating CHRC’s Knowledge Hub has been exceptional and positions their Hub as a pioneering frontrunner among other Queensland Councils.

System-supported compliance

“Policies inbuilt into the system gives buyers assurances around compliance and doing the right thing in the process”, Martin said.

Compliance is supported with various built-in policies and features that ensure adherence to rules, regulations and Council guidelines and policies. The go-to-market tool is designed to guide users through a structured and compliant procurement process.

Martin highlights the importance of embedding Council’s Procurement Policy in their procurement processes. The customisable Policy Guide (located in the Hub) is overlayed with Council’s Procurement Policy and is a useful tool in informing purchasing staff and ensuring compliance, through the tool’s guided buying wizard. Local Buy supports you in establishing this guide.

Contracts Monitor Module

CHRC has also embraced the Contracts Monitor module (included as part of Local Buy’s Program). The activation of Contracts Monitor on Council’s Hub explains Martin, was a “no-brainer” due to its ease and intuitiveness.

Local Buy’s Procurement Technology and Data Analytics Program has been instrumental in demystifying procurement, according to Martin, allowing Council teams to make informed decisions that reduce risk, improve value for money, and foster strong strategic relationships with our suppliers, and it has empowered teams with data-driven analytics and facilitated continuous improvements in procurement processes.

Martin believes that the strong support received from Local Buy, the collaborative approach with all stakeholders, and the meticulous implementation planning, ensured that business-as-usual operations were not disrupted during the transition.

“It’s about having a cohort of people who can see the benefits of positive change and working with Local Buy who I consider are highly professional and want us to succeed in our implementation of the solution”, Martin said.

It gives us here at Local Buy, great pleasure to recognise Central Highlands Regional Council, a champion organisation that has embraced the innovation and efficiency of our sector-wide solution, with unmatched enthusiasm.

Regional Facts