Public procurement
Process analysis and documentation for public procurement: a project specification built on real needs
We help public administration bodies and contracting authorities establish what a system must do before the tender: we analyse the process, define requirements and prepare the project specification for the tender documentation.
The quality of an IT procurement is decided before the call for tenders is published. If the project specification does not describe the real process and the real needs of its users, the contracting authority receives bids for a solution that does not fit its problem, and changes during delivery mean extra cost and delay.
That is why we start from the process rather than the product: we establish how the work is done today, where it stalls and what the law and internal rules require, and only then translate the requirements into a technical specification. The service is intended for public administration bodies, contracting authorities and other public buyers.
How we do it
Analysis of the current process
We describe the process as it is, together with the employees who run it every day: steps, responsibilities, documents, data and the systems in use. The result is a process description and diagram that the contracting authority confirms.
Defining needs and requirements
We separate needs into mandatory and desirable, tie them to the process and the regulations, and turn them into verifiable requirements: functional, security and integration with existing systems.
Project specification and technical specification
We write the project specification and the technical specification for the information system or service being procured, in plain language and in a form suitable for evaluating bids.
Support in preparing the tender documentation
We deliver the technical and process part of the documentation in a form the procurement office can include in the tender documentation.
What we deliver
Current-state description
Diagrams and a description of the process as it runs today, with a list of participants, documents and systems.
Needs and requirements list
Requirements marked mandatory or desirable, linked to the process and the regulations.
Target-state process
A description of the process the authority wants to reach, as a benchmark for assessing the solutions offered.
Project specification
A complete document with objectives, scope, requirements, expected results and acceptance criteria.
Technical specification
The specification of the information system or service, suitable for inclusion in the tender documentation.
Working material for the documentation
Technical and process sections the procurement office can take directly into the tender documentation.
Frequently asked questions
Who is this service for?
Public administration bodies, contracting authorities and other entities subject to public procurement rules that are preparing the procurement of an IT system or service but lack the capacity or experience for process analysis and writing a project specification. We look at the process from the perspective of the people who run it, not only from the technology side.
What do you need from us to start?
An introductory conversation about the procurement you are preparing and the process the system has to support is enough to start. For the analysis we need the employees who run the process every day, the documents and forms used in it, and a list of the systems the new system has to connect to.
How long do the process analysis and the project specification take?
It depends on the number of processes and organisational units covered by the procurement and on how available employees are for interviews and for confirming results. We estimate the timeline after an introductory conversation, once the scope is clear.
How is the analysis confirmed against the real process?
We draw up the description and diagram of the current process together with the employees who run it, and the contracting authority confirms them before we base any requirements on them. Each requirement is linked to the process step it comes from and marked mandatory or desirable.
What affects the price of the analysis and the project specification?
The main factors are the number of processes and organisational units, the complexity of the system being procured, the number of integrations with existing systems and the extent of support in preparing the documentation. That is why we do not publish a price in advance; we estimate it after an introductory conversation.
Related services
Process automation
Approvals, document processing and reports that run themselves.
Business application development
Software designed around your processes, rather than processes adapted to a third-party product.
Legacy modernisation
Taking over and gradually modernising systems that are risky or hard to change.
Sources and related pages
Ready for the next step in digitalising your business?
If you are looking for a partner able to see a project through to completion, we suggest an introductory meeting. The meeting is non-binding and serves to establish your requirements.