An E-Procurement System (EPS) developed by Aquilent provides the Department of Labor with a single information source for its $1.8 billion in annual procurement activity.

• the objective_

• To implement an integrated, agency-wide E-Procurement System (EPS) to replace disparate agency systems within the Department of Labor (DOL).

• the solution_

• DOL initiated a department-wide program to streamline, standardize, and automate its procurement processes. The various agencies and offices of DOL historically used many disparate and decentralized systems, numerous manual processes, and multiple levels of control to conduct procurements. Also, no central repository existed for information about department-wide procurement activities.

  Aquilent’s solution focused on the goal of improving business processes for planning, managing, and reporting on the Department’s annual procurements, specifically through the following:

  • Eliminating agency-specific workflows.
  • Integrating procurement with other business processes and systems.
  • Ensuring reliable and accurate financial information.
  • Leveraging GSA and agency-specific contracts.
  • Enhancing vendor partnerships.
  • Leveraging use of purchase card payments.
  • Improving customer service.

  Through a performance-based contract, Aquilent replaced the multiple existing procurement systems with one that integrates information across programs from a single point of entry. Our solution, known as DOL EPS, also simplifies business and financial management by providing a set of standard procurement processes. The DOL EPS provides the department with a single information source for its procurement activity, along with custom reports that provide DOL management with the information they need to monitor active procurements, such as small business utilization and acquisition cycle efficiency.

  Aquilent developed and implemented DOL EPS by integrating Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) E-Procurement and contracts management applications, customizing them for DOL’s needs, and integrating with DOL financial systems for commitment/obligation reporting. DOL EPS provides standardization and access to information across different business processes, sites, and programs, all from a single point of entry. Our comprehensive solution includes:

  • Business process analysis workshops to gather requirements and define standardized processes.
  • Training and change management strategy to ensure end-user acceptance, including the establishment of a Functional Leadership Committee to provide a steering committee for enhancements to the system.
  • Pilot implementation and rapid release cycles to facilitate the transition process and to advertise the benefits of the new system. Aquilent’s expert E-Procurement team deployed a complete end-to-end procurement system satisfying more than 200 requirements in a little over five months.
  • Integration of COTS for contracts and requisitioning, which, out of the box, provided 92% compliance with requirements.
  • Alignment with the government-wide Integrated Acquisition Environment, including integration with FPDS-NG for procurement reporting and integration with Central Contractor Repository/Business Partner Network (CCR/BPN) for accessing supplier information.
  • Integration with GSA Advantage using Open Catalog Interface (OCI) to allow users to browse GSA catalogs directly and pull items into their shopping carts. DOL EPS also parses monthly batched Citibank statements to allow users to perform P-card invoice reconciliation.
  • Web services interface to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics’ Checkbook system to provide real-time funds checking to EPS.
  • An interface with DOL’s E-Grants system, allowing grant requests to be input as requisitions and routed via secure web services.

• the payoff_

• DOL EPS supports nearly 5,000 geographically dispersed users. Approximately half are located in Washington, DC, with the remainder spread across the DOL regional offices.

  DOL EPS aligns strategically with the Integrated Acquisition Environment Presidential Priority Initiative. In addition, DOL realizes the following benefits:

  • The first agency to receive PMA “green” scorecards on all five initiatives.
  • Dramatically exceeded the E-Government transaction expansion goal.
  • Cost reductions from streamlining, standardizing, and automating procurement and workflow processes:
  • Processed 22,762 transactions through EPS in FY08, an average of 1,896 actions per month.
  • Eliminated 80% of manual interventions.
  • Cut PO issuance time by 66%.
  • Reduced complex approval process times from an average of 30 days to fewer than eight days.
  • Integrated P-Card transactions for savings of $700K/year.

  Read more about Aquilent’s Acquisition and Finance Solution.

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