One-off purchases
Where the contract is for a one-off purchase, the monitoring function may be limited to ensuring that the item(s), supplies or the service will be achieved by the appointed time. You will also need to take the actions required by your institution, in time to ensure that the supplies or services can be fulfilled by the supplier. For example, you will have heard stories about a supplier being put under pressure to deliver a new piece of equipment only to find that when it is about to arrive, the space isn’t ready. Not being ready to accept supplies and services can cost the institution money, especially if interim arrangements must be made to cope with the delay.
In the longer term, it can be useful to seek feedback on what was delivered once the end-users have had an opportunity to use the supplies or benefit from the services provided. For example, did the supplies or services meet the end users’ expectations and if not, why not? This feedback is very important and will help improve future specifications.
Period Contracts
Where a contract is for the provision of supplies or services over a period, it is important to monitor the supplier’s performance over that period. Monitoring will often take the form of regular meetings between the managing department (for example the Procurement Office), the supplier and either:
Representatives from the institution’s main user departments
Using feedback from end-users and bringing a summary report to the review meeting with the supplier, together with the tracking of Key Performance Indicators
Initially, as the new arrangement is introduced and the end-users and supplier(s) learn about each other, the level of monitoring may need to be higher. As the contract settles in, the frequency of performance review meetings may be reduced, however, they should not stop. In addition to this face-to-face type monitoring, it will also be important to ensure that the contract is being supported by the institution. This is possible by reviewing the uptake of the contract by end-users.
School / MAT members - the information on this page aligns with the following ISBL Professional Standards: 3.45, 3.46, 3.47, 3.48