Project procurement pointers: Making stakeholder engagement and communication more effective

High stakes government projects don’t come together overnight. It very often takes years of exhaustive planning and consultation before the procurement process commences and the sod is eventually turned.

Typically, there’ll be dozens, if not hundreds, of stakeholders involved, all of them wanting or needing to receive information about the procurement process and its progress, and to provide their input and feedback.

Developing a communication and stakeholder engagement strategy will enable your organization to define the project scope and requirements, identify key stakeholders and the points at which their involvement will be required, specify how information will be shared and feedback collected, engage with stakeholders in an orderly fashion and manage expectations by setting realistic timelines for the procurement process.

Building the relationships that underpin project success

Documenting all these things at the outset ensures all stakeholders have a similar understanding of the project’s goals, objectives and scope. It reduces uncertainty and minimizes misunderstandings and potential conflicts later in the procurement process.

Enabling stakeholders to provide input and feedback builds trust and rapport, fosters a positive, supportive environment for the procurement process and ensures decisions are made based on sound information and analysis.

Project teams that make stakeholder engagement and communication a genuine priority are better placed to identify project risks and challenges early on. Developing a robust procurement strategy and producing RFP/RFT documents that are aligned with project requirements becomes an easier proposition, as does identifying innovative solution and best practices.

But, for project teams that don’t take advantage of technology, keeping a long list of stakeholders in the loop throughout the lifecycle of a procurement process can be challenging.

Struggling to keep stakeholders in the loop

That’s because using legacy communication platforms and processes to engage with stakeholders is inefficient and insecure.

Sharing large volumes of documentation and keeping multiple parties informed about the progress of a procurement process – including the challenges it’s encountering and any changes that may need to be made to its scope or schedule – is a laborious process for project and procurement teams operating in manual mode.

It’s all too easy for stakeholders to drop off a distribution list, or for paper-based documents to be lost, stolen or delivered to the wrong party in error. Documents and responses that are exchanged via email can be accidentally or deliberately copied or forwarded to individuals for whom they’re not intended.

Failure to maintain connections with stakeholders or safeguard sensitive interactions with them can reflect badly on the project and procurement team responsible and erode trust in the process. Acknowledging and responding to questions and concerns from multiple parties can be time consuming, as can maintaining the clear audit trails stakeholders and taxpayers expect when significant sums of public money are being expended.

Tools to make the task easy

This is where technology has a transformational role to play. It adds efficiency and rigor to the stakeholder engagement process, by helping project and procurement teams communicate efficiently and securely with all the individuals, groups and organizations that have an interest in the project.

Deploying a single, secure online data repository that incorporates automated workflows makes it easy to share sensitive information and manage and track interactions.

Scheduling regular updates helps to keep everyone on the same page, while establishing secure feedback channels allows stakeholders to provide timely input on new developments.

Using an online data repository as a single source of truth – a secure hub where all documents and communications pertaining to the project are captured and stored – enables public sector entities to maintain the transparency and comprehensive audit trail needed to demonstrate the integrity of their planning and procurement activities.

Deploying a virtual data room to streamline stakeholder engagement 

Given the benefits they can deliver, it’s easy to see why public sector organizations are investing in virtual data rooms to help them manage stakeholder communications on high value infrastructure initiatives.

The term is used to refer to a secure online space where confidential documents can be stored and shared with authorized parties.

Virtual data rooms can help organizations optimize the stakeholder engagement process, by replacing outdated document management and communication processes and practices with secure digital alternatives.

Deploying one eliminates much of the risk, complexity and cost that’s historically been associated with keeping stakeholders in the loop during the procurement process It’s enabling technology that helps project teams manage expectations, resolve issues and achieve milestones on time and budget.

Keeping stakeholders in the loop at every stage of your procurement journey 

Progressing a major project is easier with the right tools. A virtual data room will help your team engage with stakeholders more efficiently and productively, throughout the procurement process. 

Select a solution that’s been developed by professionals with firsthand experience planning, procuring and overseeing major infrastructure initiatives and you’ll give your team the best chance of capitalizing on the benefits this transformative technology can deliver.

If you’d like to learn more about how virtual data rooms are helping government agencies transform their planning and procurement processes, Ansarada stands ready to assist. Connect with one of our customer success specialists to get started.