The project issues
The Council had undertaken a tender process to procure a CMS for its intranet that could be fully integrated with its website. Suppliers were invited to bid but the response was not adequate to ensure that all alternatives to the Council’s preferred option would be robustly explored. We were asked to evaluate the Council’s tender process and assist in the selection of suppliers best able to deliver appropriate solutions. 

The Socitm Consulting solution
We began with a revision of the tender documentation to ensure the specifications fully reflected the Council’s requirements.

We then supported the Council through a new tendering process in which a wider range of suppliers were invited to bid, and undertook an extensive evaluation exercise with Council staff to ensure all bids were exhaustively explored against the specifications.

Once a supplier had been selected and the system implemented, we were involved in testing the new system to ensure the specifications had been delivered.

The benefits to the client
With our understanding of web and intranet technologies and our knowledge of systems procurement and evaluation, we were able to assist the Council in opening up the tendering process to a wider and more appropriate set of suppliers who were able to respond more fully to the required specifications. By supporting the Council through a robust evaluation of bids, we ensured the Council had selected a supplier best able to deliver a cost effective, integrated intranet solution.

The client commented: “We achieved this in a very short timescale. The entire process, between procurement, selection and implementation, took about four months. It’s been a big success and a credit to your consultant.”

Project identification
Client organisation: London Borough of Camden
Client contact: John Jackson, Assistant Director (Corporate ICT), 020 7975 1529, john.jackson@camden.gov.uk 
Lead consultant: andy.grant@socitm.gov.uk
Project no: 5680