Procurement Module

FreeBalance Performance Procurement provides adaptable workflow to conform to government budget and procurement cycle. Simple to use task oriented user interfaces deliver comprehensive end-to-end front and back office purchasing, proposal management, procurement and goods and services receipt capabilities. Seamless integration with budgets, appropriations and commitments ensure expenditures and planned expenditures meet budget regulations.

FreeBalance Performance Procurement leverages the configurable workflow, business rule processing, document assembly and open integration features of the FreeBalance Accountability Platform. This advances procurement performance management with superior accountability, true transparency, improved efficiency and increased business accessibility.

Figure - Procurement Process Flow

Purchase Requisition: Procurement Process generally starts with a Purchase Requisition that is approved. Budget, allocation and cash controls are in place prior to any purchase.

Document Preparation: Includes creation of Procurement Process and Procurement Document, where business rules are set as: public/restricted process, type of procurement document (Request for Proposal, National Tender, International Tender, etc.), purchasing vehicle to be used, etc. 

Sourcing: Functionality available to search for Vendors that meet the required criteria specified in the Procurement Document and identifies Eligible Vendors.

Document Publication: Functionality to send notifications between civil servants, vendors and other stakeholders involved in Procurement Processes (at any stage of the Procurement Process).

Different document formats or templates can be set in the system for notification purposes. As an example: soliciting format, response, announces, cancel, Letter to successful tenders, Letter to unsuccessful tenders, etc.

Vendor Communications: Communication between vendors and civil servants involved in a Procurement Process is essential for a successful bidding. 
FreeBalance Performance Procurement encourages such communication through: Questions and Answers and Bid Change Management.

Entering Proposals: Functionality to register Procurement Document Responses received from Vendors.

Bid Evaluation: FreeBalance Performance Procurement supports Bid Evaluation Methods accepted by international organizations such as Quality-Cost Based Selection (QCBS), Quality Based Selection (QBS), Consultants Qualifications Selection (CQS), Least-Cost Selection (LCS), Fixed Budget Selection (FBS).
 
FreeBalance also allows creating new Bid Evaluation Methods as required in order to reflect the government’s policies.

Configurable Bid Evaluation Stages are: Preliminary, Technical and Financial.
 

Bid Award: After Bid Evaluation results approval and if the procurement document do not require Dispute Management & Intend to Award stage, meaning no claims were submitted or all claims were resolved as rejections, or Intend to Award Period was not required, the system will automatically award the Procurement Document to the intended winner or winners based on Bid Evaluation results. Where, such winner or winners are suggested by the system in an Original Ranked Vendors and the corresponding procurement authority will have to confirm or modify (if applicable), thus finalizing the Final Ranked Vendors with its respective justification and attachment of the analysis performed.

Once the list of Final Ranked Vendors are approved, a notification should be sent to all bidders and a Procurement Purchase Order(s) will be issued based on the vendor’s awarded information (in Bid Evaluation stage).
 

Dispute Management: Any vendor (registered or not in the system) may submit a claim at any stage of a Procurement Document, however usually claims will be submitted during the ‘Dispute Management & Intend to Award’ stage.

Purchase Order:  The system automatically creates a Procurement Purchase Order(s) with information from previous stages, and after its approval a Temp saved Purchase Order is created in FreeBalance Purchasing, based on Vendor’s Awarded Information (see Bid Evaluation, Dispute Management stages).