On March 16, Voices of the Governing Institute featured, The Right Way to Do eProcurement, an article written by NASPO Director of Strategic Programs Krista Ferrell that spotlights the success of Viriginia’s eProcurement System.  Please see below for an excerpt of the article.

The Right Way to Do E-Procurement

An integrated system like Virginia’s is a must for states that want to procure goods and services efficiently, and it’s good for suppliers as well.

Virginia officials knew that their traditional, decentralized procurement system wasn’t working — for either buyers or sellers. Suppliers were frustrated: companies had to first identify all of the purchasing offices to market their goods, then travel to in-person meetings to identify and track opportunities. State officials lamented a lack of transparency, consistency and availability for small and diverse businesses to participate.

Virginia’s solution was the development of an integrated, statewide electronic procurement system. Today in the commonwealth, e-procurement is recognized as having a solid return on investment, and it has increased the diversity of the state’s supplier base.

Many states are approaching e-procurement, but according to the National Association of State Procurement Officials’ most recent survey, only 32 have an active electronic system in place. And few of those systems approach the full functionality of Virginia’s.