Imagine a world where every procurement process is smooth, clear and devoid of any last-minute surprises. No, you don't need to write to Santa to wish for this not so distant utopia; it's achievable by understanding and mastering the craft of developing a Statement of Requirements (SoR). The SoR is an essential artifact in the procurement process. It is the fundamental centrepiece to contract formation and plays a pivotal role in achieving successful business outcomes.
Laying the Foundation
The formation of the SoR should be developed at the initial procurement stage. This stage is akin to laying the foundation for a skyscraper - it requires precision, understanding and foresight. Surprisingly, the art of drafting a robust SoR is often a path less travelled, shrouded in misconceptions and underappreciation. The reality? A hastily or poorly constructed SoR is like navigating through fog- it leads to unmet industry needs, creating a domino effect of increased business risks, stretched timelines, and inflated costs. In the world of procurement, where every detail counts, overlooking the importance of a well-crafted SoR is not just a missed step - it's a leap into uncertainty.
Tackling the Incumbent Supplier Challenge
The formation of the SoR is a collaborative exercise requiring input from multiple stakeholders across the business. It requires a symphony of collaboration, bringing together diverse voices and perspectives from across business areas. Early and proactive planning of the SoR enables the business to thoroughly consider and assess what the business and procurement objectives are. Using this cross-collaboration and proactive planning approach is the key success to developing a vigorous SoR that reflects a comprehensive understanding of the requirements of procurement.
the Goal: A Robust SoR
The objective of developing a vigorous SoR is to inform the market what the department requires, thus allowing them to determine if they can deliver the services and to bid accordingly. A well drafted SoR ensures you are procuring what is required, eliminating the risk of acquiring additional goods or services that are not of significance or value to the overall business objective. It reduces the administrative burden of addendums and classifications questions and minimises the risk of scope creep and overall contract management and procurement costs. A robust SoR can also be used to assist in developing and defining the procurement evaluation criteria, thus ensuring like for like evaluation is conducted to determine the best value for money outcome.
Developing a vigorous SoR in the first instance, will ensure that an effective and efficient procurement process is conducted. It will provide assurance and confidence to your delegates that the procurement is defensible and that it will achieve the intended outcomes and objectives, reducing business costs, risks and overall procurement failure.
Conclusion
The art of crafting an SoR is more than just a procedural necessity; it's a strategic endeavour that sets up sustainable success for any procurement process. At Synergy Law, powered by Synergy Group Australia, we understand that a well-conceived SoR is the blueprint for clarity, efficiency and effectiveness in procurement.
Our procurement practitioners pride themselves on facilitating pragmatic, fit for purpose and audit ready procurements, allowing agencies to engage with industry in an open and transparent manner to achieve best practice outomes. Want to know more? Reach out to our team at synergy.law@synergygroup.net.au
