Procurement Planning

In this assignment I will be writing a formal report that will explain a typical procurement process, I will outline a variety of methods of supplier reimbursement and contract relationships; I will also outline the pros and cons of each contract type. As well as this, I will explain a typical supplier selection process through the use of Carters 10 C’s and a typical selection process model.

| (TCO C) Compare and contrast a firm fixed-price contract with a cost-plus contract. When would each be appropriate for

– Cost-plus fixed fee (CPFF): that contract provides a payment of approved costs plus a fixed fee. (Types of Government Contracts, 2012).

A basic definition for the procurement is “the way the building is realised” and “involves assembling and organising the skills and services of a team of construction professionals”. (the Construction Round Table, 1995). More precisely, the construction industry describes procurement as “a system that establishes the roles and relationships which make up a project organisation”; hence the overall organisation and communication structure for the management, administration and control of a project is established by the procurement system. (D.C.H Coles, 2010)

4. Name two types of negotiated contracts and describe the method of payment and incentive concept.

Manage the procurement process from start to finish, including the development of Requests for Information (RFI), Invitation for Bids (IFB) and Requests for Proposals (RFP) while strictly adhering to procurement policies, statutes and disclosures; evaluate proposals, prepare award recommendations, negotiate and execute Contract. Facilitate the integration of new or revised programs/contracts; prepare an impact analysis resulting from changes.

The firm-fixed price contract provides for a price that is not subject to any adjustment on the basis of the contractor’s cost experience in performing the contract. This contract places maximum risk and full responsibility for all costs and resulting profit or loss. This requires less administrative burdens upon the contracting parties. The firm-fixed price is suitable for supplies and services.

It is quite challenging to discuss about procurement management without stating the importance of its strategies. There are four main basic procurement strategies that serve different functions within a procurement management. To begin with, a “Partnership” strategy focuses mainly on constructing mutual commitment in long term relationship with suppliers. While a “Secure Supply” strategy aims to secure short and long term supply while reducing risk from suppliers. In addition, a “Category Management and E-Procurement solutions” serves as a tool to reduce logistic complexity, improve operational efficiency, and attempts to reduce the number of suppliers. Lastly, a “Competive Bidding” strategy emphasizes on obtaining the “Best Deal” for short term transactions with suppliers.(van weele) Each of these four strategies involves a unique purchasing methodology, which implies that the complexity is embedded in an individual strategic implication. Therefore, it requires different tools to accomplish the specific strategical characteristics. A business entity may need to support and execute procurement decisions with other strategic apparatus with analytical methods, including market analysis, uncertainty analysis, price forecasting, supplier relationship and along with others.(Harvard)

Procurement intends to explore supply market opportunities and to implement resourcing strategies that deliver the best possible supply outcome to the organization, its stakeholders and clients (Kidd, 2005). Therefore, construction procurement exists to purchase a construction project as requirement of firms or organizational entities to achieve its goals. However, the choice to use external resources is the part of firms’ decision-making

Procurement management is the processes to purchase or acquire the products, services or results needed from outside the project team to perform the work. Project Procurement Management involves not just purchasing products, services or results, but also ensuring that those that are purchased are right for the project, meets standards and is based on project requirements. This life cycle includes tracking from order through deployment and completing with invoice reconciliation.

Contractor is required to provide upfront for all risks and costs for performing to contract defined requirements; Contractor is responsible for cost and schedule overruns

There are several types of contract method and these methods generally fall under three categories: Fix price (FP) or lump sum (LS), guaranteed maximum price (GMP) and reimbursable contracts. These methods can be applied to any contracting for construction management.

As a Project manager it is critical to be on the forefront of technological changes and opportunities that will improve project procurements. The opportunity to reduce cost and improve the speed and accuracy of procurement can be found in Electronic Procurements (E-Procurement). The chance to reduce cost is very tempting; however, the risk associated with the opportunity must be considered as well. Project managers have an opportunity to conduct a procurement analysis, which takes a closer look at the advantages and challenges of this new method. “What we now call E-Business arose through the proliferation of the internet as a platform for inter-organizational systems (IOS) in the late 1990s and has had a particularly significant impact

For a long time, procurement has been looked at as negotiating to get better prices. Many organizations still view procurement as a way to influence spending to get discounts and lower costs from their suppliers. However, sustainability and the supply chain risks that companies face today call for procurement to be different now. Organizations can see real savings by looking at total cost of ownership, which can include a lot of the end-to-end supply chain costs. Disruptions are unavoidable and every decision involved in the procurement process has a risk factor to it. In order for procurement to influence and affect a company it must present a business case that it is a value added function. An organization can add value long term with its ability of purchasing within procurement.

In this type of contract involving the contractor and the federal government, the contractor agrees to supply goods and services under the contract at a predetermined price. The price is fixed and it's not subject to any future price adjustments or alterations. It is upon the contractor