E-Procurement in Government of Haryana
An analysis of the successful implementation of e-procurement in the government of Haryana
by Dr. Devendra Singh*,
- Published in International Journal of Information Technology and Management, E-ISSN: 2249-4510
Volume 12, Issue No. 1, Feb 2017, Pages 34 - 42 (9)
Published by: Ignited Minds Journals
ABSTRACT
Procurement is generally regarded as a sensitive function in the public sec¬tor and is rarely transparent. It is for this reason that public procurement is one of the areas in governance that remains insulated against any process improvements. Governments the world-over are under constant pressure to meet the expectations of the citizens and to do more with the less resources that are available to them. There is a growing realization in governments that usage of information and communication technology (ICT) can remove the existing administrative barriers and make the government’s procurements more efficient, accessible and transparent, besides being cost-effective. E-procurement implementation is an attractive quick-win solution for gov¬ernments, since it results in cost cutting, introduces different sourcing prac¬tices, and delivers other quantifiable benefits. However, there is little history of extensive use of e-procurement in the public sector in India. The present case study highlights the successful implementation of a state-wide e-pro¬curement platform across several government departments, public sector units, urban local bodies in the state of Haryana and the quantifiable benefits it has delivered to the suppliers and the government directly, and to the society, indirectly. This path-breaking initiative has provided transpar¬ency, fairness and equal opportunity to private entrepreneurs who are now able to submit bids online on an anywhere and anytime basis for government contracts and sell products or expertise to government agencies through the e-procurement portal. Electronic procurement (e-procurement) has, in recent years, been used as a means to significantly reduce costs, as it enables volume purchases, allows wider choice of buyers and suppliers, brings about better quality, improves delivery, reduces paperwork, and lowers administrative costs Haryana has set up an E-Procurement Marketplace, linking government departments, agencies and local bodies with their vendors allow equal opportunity to all vendors; bring transparency and ultimately reduce corruption.
KEYWORD
E-Procurement, government of Haryana, transparency, cost cutting, efficiency, ICT, sourcing practices, quantifiable benefits, public sector, India
1. INTRODUCTION
Various departments of the Government its Boards, Corporations and Federations have been procuring goods and store items, works and services from time to time as an essential part their core function and development projects. However, it has been observed that while certain departments/state agencies have been undertaking their procurements using the information and communication technology yet the current procurement practices widely vary across different procuring departments/agencies. Some departments are still continuing with manual tendering system for their procurement. It has also been noted that most of the indenting/procuring departments have been publishing their DNITs in the print media, albeit shorter version thereof. Observing that the current practices offer a scope for substantial improvement in the procurement systems, it has been decided to process all purchases of goods of stores, works & services of the Government departments and its agencies using a single web portal with the objective of introducing uniformity in the procurement process and enhancing efficiency and transparency in procurement systems. The Directorate of Supplies and Disposable (DS & D) being the Nodal agency of the Government for procurement and disposal of stores, had been designated as the nodal department for implementation of a centralized e-Procurement /disposal system. Accordingly, the DS & D had floated a RFP for selection the service provider agency for development & management of a single e-Procurement Portal. Having completed the process of engagement of the agency following a competitive bid system, in which M/s Nextenders India had emerged as the successful bidder, the High Powered Purchase Committee (HPPC) approved the proposal in its meeting held on 20.11.2013. The DS & D has accordingly signed the agreement with the selected agency on 06.1.2014. The contract period of the said agency will be five years.
aggregation, reduced inventory cost, consistent procurement procedures across departments, re-duction in cost of procurement, fair and equal opportunities to all suppliers and efficient tendering processes.
3. APPLICATION CONTEXT
The Haryana procures goods, services, works and turnkey contracts worth 200 crores (approx.) every year. This procurement is done centrally through a single unit, as well through individual Government agencies who manage their own procurement needs. Many different mechanisms are used for procurement such as tenders (open, limited, single), rate contracts and catalogue purchases. Procurement processes are governed by the guidelines of the Directorate of Supplies & Disposals, Haryana sometimes of external agencies like the World Bank, which may be funding a project. Tenders are announced in newspapers through paid advertisements, and suppliers were expected to buy tender documents at the rate prescribed for tender document. Prior to the introduction of an e-Procurement platform, procurement in Government departments was carried out through a manual tendering process. This process involved obtaining internal approval of the project; publishing a Notice Inviting Tenders (NIT) in several media outlets, bid submissions (voluminous sheaths of paper) by suppliers, bid evaluations by buyers, and finally, the awarding of the procurement order and signing of agreements. The complete process required a long chain of internal authorizations and scrutiny (at times involving several departments), several visits by suppliers to departments, and the generation of reams of paper-based statements and evaluations. The manual tender system was suffering from the following deficiencies: i. Discrimination and delay in issue of tender schedules to suppliers: Govt departments control the issuance of tender documents to the bidders, after verifying their applications. There existed an element of subjectivity and discrimination in this process, in addition to delays in the preparation of tender schedules due to shortages of paper and related stationary items in the Government Departments. As a result, on occasion the tender documents were not issued to the bidders on the announced dates, putting some of the bidders in disadvantageous positions. ii. Cartel formation to suppress competition: Through dubious means, the participating bidders would gather the list of prospective bidders for a procurement request. They would use this information to lobby for formation of iii. Physical threats to bidders: In regions plagued by factions and/or Mafia groups, genuine bidders were physically threatened and prevented from submitting their bids. The bidder or his agent had to risk their physical safety to submit bids in the tender box placed in the office of the tender inviting authority. The media often reported such incidents, showing the Government in a bad light. iv. Tender Boxes at Multiple locations: To counter the menace of contractors‘ cartels and physical threats to bidders, some Government Departments started keeping the tender boxes at multiple locations. Instead of yielding the desired results, however, this practice was putting departmental officials who had to collect the tender boxes after closure of tender submission time at risk. Physical transportation of tender boxes from multiple locations to a central point also proved to be a risky proposition in such an environment. v. Tampering of tender files: For the purposes of evaluation, the bid documents are transported across the administrative hierarchy, which introduces the risk of tampering or loss along the way. The transportation of bid documents, manually and through surface mail, is also a time consuming activity. vi. Delays in finalization of tenders: Red tape, lack of transparency, and manual movement of files across the administrative hierarchy was resulting in inordinate delays in the finalization of tenders. Typically, tenders for major projects would take 90 days to 150 days to process. These delays were contributing to cost and time overruns for the projects. vii. Human interface at every stage: The manual system exposed the departmental personnel to the bidders at every stage of the process viz., sale of tender schedules, issue clarifications, bid submission, bid evaluation. Such repeated contact between bidders and departmental staff could lead to subjectivity, favoritism and other undesirable practices. viii. Lack of Transparency: Procurement is considered a sensitive function, with all related information tightly controlled and closely guarded by government departments, resulting in a severe lack of transparency in the entire process. This lack of transparency leads to misinformation and a lack of trust in
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citizens.
4. A NEW APPROACH
The severe shortcomings in the manual tender system had an adverse effect on the reputation of Government departments. Delays in the finalisation of suppliers for materials and services for government projects had crippling impacts on the completion of projects and delivery of services to the citizens. The State Government vide their G.O no. 5/1/2014 4lB-ll dated 11.02.2014 had asked all the Departments/ Board Corporations to switch over to the Single e-Procurement Portal. This would facilitate online tendering based on Internet technology to provide ‗any where any time‘ access to the bidders for participating in tendering. This would also eliminate the non value adding activities like manual sale of tender documents, manual opening and reading of bids, preparation of comparative statements (as they are automatically available), audit/cross check of comparative statements, time spent in movement of files from one person to another, manual creation of purchase order and delivery schedule etc. Automation of the procurement transactions reduces human error, enhances the integrity of the data, brings in transparency to the Government procurements and facilitates standardisation of processes.
The entire e-Procurement process was designed to avoid human interface i.e., supplier and buyer interaction during pre bidding and post bidding stages. The application ensures total anonymity of the participating suppliers, even to the buyers, until the bids are opened on the platform. The e-Procurement application provides automatic bid evaluation based on the evaluation parameters given to the system. These improved processes have eliminated subjectivity in receipt and evaluation of bids and has reduced corruption to a significant extent. To bring in transparency in e-Procurement, tender documents containing all details are hosted on the web site. The documents can be downloaded by the interested suppliers free of cost, from the day of publication of a tender. Suppliers are no more dependent on the officials for various details. At any time in the procurement cycle, any person associated with the transaction can check and know the status of the transaction. This saves time and effort involved in finding out the status of a purchase order, besides enabling better planning of inventory. At the outset, an effort was made to standardize the procurement processes and forms followed by various departments especially for public works tenders. Today, all the departments follow common tendering process and forms for works tenders. These processes have been re-engineered to further improve the on the part of the department users. A similar exercise is underway for products as well.
Applicability of the Project
The e-Procurement system is envisaged to cover procurement and disposal of good & store, contracting of works and engagement of services and disposal and auctions of the entire State. The e-Procurement system shall cover following transactions:- i) For purchase /procurement of Goods, Plants Equipments, Machinery, Medicines, Medical and Surgical supplies, Construction material, Printing and stationery items, all type of Vehicles, Furniture and Fixture, All type of store items etc. ii) All type of civil construction works (including roads, bridges and buildings) all types of irrigation and water supply related works, electrification /electrical works, and all types of turnkey projects etc. iii) All type of service contract, transportation contracts, engagement of Consultants, Hiring/Outsourcing of required services etc. iv) Disposal /Auction of old plants, equipments, Machinery, Building, Vehicles, Furniture and Fixture etc. v) Auction of lands/commercial plots of the Government and various development agencies.
Financial Terms & Conditions
i) The service provider agency will be paid an amount of Rs.295.50 per bid. The amount will not be payable by the indenting department/organization. ii) The amount payable for life-cycle management of the procurement (i.e.) from the stage of floatation of bids to the stage of execution of the order/refund of the security would be Rs. 112.36 per order/rate contract. again, this amount will not be payable by the indenting department. iii) The agency will be responsible for initial training of the Department‘s staff and its hand holding for a period up to three months within the above determined rates; iv) It is expected that the regular staff of the department is able to operate the system on
handholding period beyond a period of three months, it will be liable to pay an amount of Rs. 15000/- per man month for the support staff from out of their own budget. This amount shall be liable to be increased @10% every year. v) It has been decided to implement and sustain the project of budget through levy and recovery of e-processing charges. Each bid will entertain a payment of an amount of Rs. 1000/- as the eservice charges by the bidder which will get credited to the amount of the society for IT initiative.
Process:
Detailed guidelines on the processes to be followed by the user departments/organizations would be issued separately in due course.
Deliverables under the e-Procurement project:
i) Enabling of hosted solution for e-Procurement of any goods, works and services for all the Government departments and the state PSUs of Government of Haryana (GOH). This shall include provisioning of IT infrastructure including computers network and storage; software infrastructure including operating system, required system software, database and e-Procurement application. In other words, the Service provider shall be deploying the complete hardware and software stack to provide e-Procurement service. ii) The e-Procurement portal is envisaged to be a single point access to information on procurements made across various departments, boards, and corporations. Each department shall have secure separate work area to perform back office functions/activities related with e-Procurement. All the Departments Boards and Corporations shall upload all tender enquires, their corrigendum and award details as per the schedule given in para 7 below. iii) Provide the e-Procurement services for a period of five years to be counted from the date of go-live for pilot departments. Supplies and disposals, PWD(B &R) Public Health Engineering, Transport and Power Utilities will be part of Pilot implementation. iv) If required, the service provider may also provide services of Data Centre (DC) and Disaster Recovery Centre(DRC) for hosing the e-Procurement solution; vi) All Procurement related data shall be encrypted and stored in a secured format; vii) The service provider shall provide Training to administrator and use of the application as well as to the prospective vendors during each event; viii) Provide helpdesk support to the vendors and department users through a toll free number; ix) Incrementally create and build up a register database of all vendors/contractors to whom every tender enquiry will flow electronically. x) Complete transition of all assets to the department or designated agency after end of the operation and maintenance phase. This includes all hardware system software, e-Procurement /application, any other software corresponding/license or source code and all e-Procurement data as may be applicable.
Responsibilities of the Service Provider Agency:
i) Nominate a senior person as a Project Manager, who will serve as the single points of contact and shall attend all meetings related to the project. ii) Plan and execute the project through a suitable/qualified technical team. As part of this requirement, submit a project plan and keep it updated at all times. iii) Finalize the detailed requirement solution is consistent with applicable guidelines of Government of India viz. Guidelines for compliance to quality requirement of e-Procurement system etc. iv) Ensure that the e-Procurement solution is consistent with applicable guidelines of Government of India viz. Guidelines for compliance to quality requirement of e-Procurement systems etc. v) Develop text plan covering test cases and expected results, papers test data carry out necessary acceptance tests including security certification as may be applicable and report the test result including satisfactory conformance to requirements. All tests should be correlated to the functional requirement. vi) Provide appropriate hardware and software stack for the deployment of the proposal
Dr. Devendra Singh* 3
HSDC the DC arranged by the EXIT department, the same shall be done in conformity with the policies and the guidelines of HSDC. vii) Provide comprehension user manuals both for departmental user and vendors. viii) Develop data migration approach and plan and migrate data. ix) Impart training the end and users including workshops for the vendors and also develop training material inclusive of a computer based training kit. Training to departmental users is to be provided at the concerned user department headquarters. Training material required for training is to be provided by the Services provider (to be provided centrally in the Nodal Department. x) Operate a centralized help desk with phone and email facility for vendors as well as internal users during the period of operations. xi) Develop administration manual along with backup and restoration procedures. xii) The service provider shall provide necessary modifications to the solution in conformity with the state‘s procurement and IT policies, fix software details enhance the software as per agreed plan and provide such other technical support and hand holding necessary for the smooth functioning of the overall solution covered under the scope of the project in conformity with the agreed performance criteria during the operations and maintenance period. xiii) To upgrade the applications aligned with the industry trends. Appropriate technology upgrade is expected to be performed during years 3 or 4. xiv) The service provider shall place an agreed minimum number of qualified staff at the nodal department; headquarter besides extending back office technical support from their own centers during the project duration to meet their obligations under this engagement. xv) The service provider shall make good any defects and shortcomings in the software that is part of the agreed requirements. xvi) In the event of a major scope charge involving significant time and effort over and above routine operations and maintenance, the of impact to technical matter and timelines. Further, the service provider shall implement these changes after obtaining approval from the competent authority. xvii) Conduct third party audit and assessments, as and when required. xviii) Submit periodic reports and support review as may be necessary and agreed. xix) At the end of operations and Support period, assist is smooth transition of the assets i.e. hardware stock, software stock, data and operations to the department or a designated agency. The activities shall be planned to such a way that there is no break disruption in service delivery. The department shall intimate of commencement of the activities well before the end of the operations and support period. xx) As per of the Exit Management at time of handing over of the application to the department, the service provider shall ensure that no component i.e. software and hardware is technologically obsolete or has reached end of support period.
Responsibilities of the Nodal Department (DS& D)
i. Nomination of nodal officer for this project. ii) Carry out project tasks which fall under the department responsibility, within reasonable time limits, particularly in matters related to reviews approvals/acceptance etc. iii) Make timely payments to the service provider.
5. CORE FUNCTIONALITIES OF E- PROCUREMENT MARKETPLACE
Extensive studies were conducted to document the procurement practices across several government departments, public sector units and it was decided that the proposed E-procurement Marketplace would include the following core functionalities to cater to the requirements of user departments. • Electronic tendering • Publication of notice inviting tenders (NIT)/Invitation for bids (IFB)
• Submission of tenders • Receipt of tenders • Opening of technical bids • Evaluation of tenderer compliance to the qualification criteria • Opening of price bids of qualified tenderer • Approval of tender • Issue of purchase order • Contract management
6. TECHNOLOGY
I. System Prerequisites:
Software
1. Operating System should be: i. Windows 7 Ultimate, Windows 7 Professional ii. Windows 7 Enterprises, Windows XP (Service pack 3 and above) iii. Window 8 (except single language Pack, home basics and home premium) iv. Windows 2010 (Professional, ultimate , Enterprise) 2. Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome (below 45.0 versions) 3. Java 8 Update up to 77 (Updated 32 bit Java version) 4. Installation of Digital Certificate setup (NxtCryptoSetup.msi), available under Download‖ tab link at https://haryanaeprocurement.gov.in using Administrator user access.
II. Digital Certificate
Office Timings Of Help-desk support for Single eProcurement Portal of Government of Haryana
Technical Support Assistance will be available over telephone
Monday to Friday (09:00 am. to 5:30 pm) & Training workshop will be conducted on every 1st, 2nd Friday (from 3:30 pm upto 6:00 pm) and 4th Saturday (from 11:30 am upto 3:00 pm) of each month
All queries would require to be registered at our official email- chandigarh@nextenders.com for on-time support (Only those queries which are sent through email along with appropriate screenshots or error description will be considered as registered with the Help-desk)
Important Note:-
Contact our helpdesk on or before prior to 4 hours of the scheduled closing date & time of respective e-Auction/ Tender event. For queries pertaining to ePayment of EMD, please contact the helpdesk at least 2 business days prior to the closing date & time of e-Auction/Tender event. Help-desk support will remain closed during lunch break i.e. from 1:30 PM upto 2:15 PM on each working days.
Office Address for Training workshop 1st, 2nd Friday (from 3:30 pm upto 6:00 pm) and 4th Saturday (from 11: 30 am upto 3:00 pm) of each month Nextenders India Pvt.Ltd Municipal Corporation Near B.K.Chowk, Opp. B.K. Hospital NIT, Faridabad Contact No: 8743042801/931 Nextenders (India) Pvt. Ltd. Public Health Division No 2 Hisar Model Town Opp. N.D Gupta Hospital Hisar Contact Nextenders India Pvt.Ltd Nirman Sadan (PWD B&R) Plot No.- 01, Basement, Dakshin Marg Sec- 33 A, Chandigarh -160020
Dr. Devendra Singh* 4
2097, 0172-2582008-2009
For Support – 1800-180-2097 Office will remain closed on Saturday (except 4th Saturday), Sunday and National Holidays
7. ACTIVITY LEVEL ON THE E- PROCUREMENT PLATFORM
The no of department active on eProcurement portal are as follows:
Department Name e-Portal PWDBNR https://pwdbnr.haryanaeprocurement.gov.in DSND https://dsnd.haryanaeprocurement.gov.in HARYANA TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT
https://hartrans.haryanaeprocurement.gov.in
ROADWAYS ENGINEERING CORPORATION
https://hrec.haryanaeprocurement.gov.in
POWER GENERATION CORPORATION LIMITED
https://hpgcl.haryanaeprocurement.gov.in
UTTAR HARYANA BIJLI VITRAN NIGAM LIMITED
https://uhbvnl.haryanaeprocurement.gov.in
DAKSHIN HARYANA BIJLI VITRAN NIGAM LIMITED
https://dhbvnl.haryanaeprocurement.gov.in
HSRDC https://hsrdc.haryanaeprocurement.gov.in HVPNL https://hvpnl.haryanaeprocurement.gov.in HSIIDC https://hsiidc.haryanaeprocurement.gov.in Haryana Public Health Engineering Department
https://phed.haryanaeprocurement.gov.in
Haryana Urban Development Authority
https://huda.haryanaeprocurement.gov.in
Haryana State Agriculture Marketing Board
https://hsamb.haryanaeprocurement.gov.in
HSWC https://hswc.haryanaeprocurement.gov.in HAFED https://hafed.haryanaeprocurement.gov.in SSA https://ssa.haryanaeprocurement.gov.in Panchayatiraj https://panchayatiraj.haryanaeprocurement.gov.in Technical Education Haryana https://techedu.haryanaeprocurement.gov.in Haryana Renewable Energy Department Agency
https://hareda.haryanaeprocurement.gov.in
Hartron https://hartron.haryanaeprocurement.gov.in Mdurohtak https://mdurohtak.haryanaeprocure ov.in ULB https://ulb.haryanaeprocurement.gov.in MINNING https://minning.haryanaeprocurement.gov.in GJUHISAR https://gjuhisar.haryanaeprocurement.gov.in SUGARFED https://sugarfed.haryanaeprocurement.gov.in WCD https://wcd.haryanaeprocurement.gov.in HOMEGUARDS https://homeguards.haryanaeprocurement.gov.in HIPA,Gurgaon https://hippa.haryanaeprocurement.gov.in Lala Lajpat Rai University of Veterinary & Animal Sciences Hisar
https://luvas.haryanaeprocurement.gov.in Haryana Livestock Development Board https://hldb.haryanaeprocurement.gov.in Fisheries https://fisheries.haryanaeprocurement.gov.in HSDC https://hsdc.haryanaeprocurement.gov.in HORT https://hort.haryanaeprocurement.gov.in SEC https://sec.haryanaeprocurement.gov.in CEO https://ceo.haryanaeprocurement.gov.in ITI https://iti.haryanaeprocurement.gov.in PANDS https://pands.haryanaeprocurement.gov.in HSSCA https://hssca.haryanaeprocurement.gov.in bpsmvkhanpukalan https://bpsmvkhanpukalan.haryanaeprocurement.gov.in HBH https://hbh.haryanaeprocurement.gov.in igumeerpur https://igumeerpur.haryanaeprocurement.gov.in HERC https://herc.haryanaeprocurement.gov.in waqfboard https://waqfboard.haryanaeprocurement.gov.in HAIC https://haic.haryanaeprocurement.gov.in AGRI https://agri.haryanaeprocurement.gov.in foodandsupplies https://foodandsupplies.haryanaeprocurement.gov.in labourfed https://labourfed.haryanaeprocurement.gov.in crsujind https://crsujind.haryanaeprocurement.gov.in KUK https://kuk.haryanaeprocurement.gov.in CONFED https://confed.haryanaeprocurement.gov.in CDLU https://cdlu.haryanaeprocurement.gov.in HGSA https://hgsa.haryanaeprocurement.gov.in DST https://dst.haryanaeprocurement.gov.in shkmmc https://shkmmc.haryanaeprocurement.gov.in dhsfbd https://dhsfbd.haryanaeprocurement.gov.in
t.gov.in mcfbd https://mcfbd.haryanaeprocurement.gov.in HLRDC https://hlrdc.haryanaeprocurement.gov.in
8. BENEFITS AND COST SAVING:
The initiative has transformed the procurement process in government departments. The automated processes and work flows have improved internal efficiency within the departments; shortened tender cycle times, eliminated subjectivity in the evaluation of tenders with system based auto bid evaluations, and have reduced corruption. o Reduction in tender cycle time: In the pre e-Procurement era, the departments used to take 90-135 days for finalization of high value tenders. The tender cycle time has gradually come down to an average of 42 days over a period of one year and further reduced to 35 days at the end of the second year. These software features have made the procurement processes transparent. There is greater accountability since the electronic records/ documents can be retrieved at any given time and all the activities of a system user are logged in the system. o Reduction in opportunities for corrupt practices: the e-Procurement system allows a supplier to view the DNIT, download bid documents and Bill of quantities, free of cost on ‗any where‘ and ‗any time‘ basis from the Internet. This has empowered the supplier as he is no more dependent on the government workers for issue of RFPs, clarifications on the bids, bid submission, information on tender evaluation status, etc. The entire e-Procurement process has been designed to eliminate the human interface i.e., supplier and department interaction during pre bid and post bid processes has been minimized. o Cost Savings: One way to estimate cost savings is to compare the percentage discount of Tendered Contract Value over the Estimated Contract value for service contracts awarded before and after the implementation of the e-Procurement system. The monthly tenders uploaded on the website approx. 1500-1600. The revenue generation for Govt. is 55 crore on an average.
ITI Gurgaon was established in 1959 with an objective of imparting skills in various vocational trades to meet the skilled manpower requirement of industry. Institute Managing Committee (IMC) is constituted in 2006 for Improvement in the field of vocational training to equip the youth with skills, education & discipline for suitable industrial employment as well as self-employment. ITI is housed in 17.5 acres of land in center location of Gurgaon. Institute has all infrastructure facilities needed for overall development of skilled manpower, like Workshops, theory rooms, library, Playground, Audio Visual Aids, and Hi-Tech Computer labs for awareness about computer to trainees of all trades. There are 25 different trades of Engineering & Non-Engineering field, of one or two year‘s duration, with 865 intakes per year. The courses are affiliated to National Council for Vocational Training (NCVT), through the Directorate General of Employment and Training (DGET), Government of India in the Ministry of labour, New Delhi. Some of the trades and units in this I.T.I are also run under approval of State Council for Vocational Training (SCVT). The main issues and challenges faced during uploading and preparing the tender are as under: 1. The officers/official has no knowledge about preparing the e-tender document. 2. The Educating users including bidders and making them comfortable with the system was also a big challenge especially when the level of the computer literacy was not adequate and also the digital signature technology (embedded in the application) was evolving. 3. The extensive onsite as well as offsite training were required for official/Officers who are involved in purchasing the equipment and involved in preparing the tender document. 4. The problem faced regarding the helpdesk number most of the time the helpdesk numbers are busty.
10. LESSONS LEARNT AND TAKE AWAY
1. Simple Registration Form for bidders and minimal pre-registration requirement with no portal registration fees has made it a great success among bidders. It has helped the bidders to break the initial barrier and has
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initial stages. Once registered, these bidders start accruing enormous benefits as stated earlier. 2. The support of the top management from the day one has been one of the critical success factors in implementation of the project. 3. Complete handholding, including comprehensive and continuous training for all the stake holders. 4. A dedicated helpdesk was setup to receive telephonic as well as Email queries of the users and their prompt disposal was ensured. An effort was made to resolve queries within 24 hours leaving exceptional cases where some changes are necessitated in the system.
11. CONCLUSION:
The studies indicate that benefits are the drivers for Government sectors and public sector units in India to implement e-procurement solution. Implementation of e-procurement solution has increased transparency in the system, allowing for better monitoring and control over the procurement function in general, which was a weak link in the conventional system. The citizen is also satisfied that the tender process is done fairly and efficiently, and that the taxes they pay, are being spent wisely. The e-procurement software is continuously upgraded to suit the changes in government and legal requirements. Besides, even the technology architecture is updated regularly so that the platform is not subjected to obsolescence at any point of time.
12. REFERENCE
E-Procurement in Indian Railways by Sanjay Agarwal & V. K. Shrivastava E-Procurement Initiative in Indian Industry: A Case Study Manas Kumar Sanyal, Anindya Guha. Implementation of e-procurement in the Government of Andhra Pradesh: A Case Study K Bikshapathi Project Manager, e-Procurement and P. Raghuveer IFS Addl. Secretary (e-gov) Information Technology & Communications Department Government of Andhra Pradesh, Hyderabad
Corresponding Author Dr. Devendra Singh*
E-Mail – devendahipa@gmail.com