Drive agency CX/EX with modern procurement processes

When it comes to government procurement, everyone involved benefits from streamlined workflows. Procurement teams gain more time to do high-value work, agency colleagues can acquire the resources they need and focus on executing their projects, and vendors are able to navigate proposal and contract processes more easily.

However, getting there isn’t always easy. Modernization has come at an uneven pace, with some agencies still relying on time-consuming paper-based and manual processes, or hybrid processes which may make it easier to access forms online but still require printing, signing, and delivering a physical document to a specified location, then scanning and filing the completed documents physically as well as digitally.

Steps like these make it difficult to deliver a best-in-class customer experience (CX) to internal and external stakeholders and impact the employee experience (EX) as well. It’s not because agencies aren’t trying. On the back end, legacy and homegrown technology systems can be difficult to update and adapt to changing needs, staffing shortages persist, and budget priorities shift, making it a challenge to implement change.

Keep it simple

One thing we see again and again with public sector organizations is that simplifying, digitizing, and automating incrementally can produce not just efficiency gains, but experience gains. For example, the IRS automated the ability to create reports on contractor compliance, saving officers the time previously spent plugging DUNS numbers into multiple databases. Automation also enabled the IRS to update contract language in three days, versus a year if done manually. Errors were reduced, and the agency anticipated an increase in employee engagement.

Similarly, our customers who have implemented Adobe Document Cloud or Adobe Acrobat Sign solutions have been able to leverage integrations with popular productivity software and contract lifecycle management software to reduce lead times while simplifying the work required from requestors, signers, and administrators, all while working within familiar tools and systems.

Leverage the wisdom of the team

Improving government workflows requires working from the outside-in, to understand the customer experience. By seeking input from a variety of stakeholders including internal agency customers and vendors, procurement teams can uncover gaps in proposal and contracting workflows. It also requires working from the inside-out, by reaping the benefits of employee knowledge to identify areas of frustration or activities which are labor-intensive yet add relatively little value.

Going back to the IRS example, the agency’s technology division relied on procurement teams to identify which processes to automate. The agency also developed partnerships and shared knowledge with other public sector organizations looking to improve their own processes, multiplying the impact of their efforts.

Maintain momentum with incremental improvement

Moving document workflows from paper to digital is an obvious target for procurement modernization efforts. But once a solution like Document Cloud is in place, it can be augmented further by IT or non-technical developers, leveraging APIs and low-code/no-code automations. This further empowers procurement teams to identify and address bottlenecks, again improving experiences for both agency customers and employees.

For example, the integration between Adobe Acrobat Sign Workflow Automate and Microsoft Power Automate enables agencies to instantly archive documents once they are signed, automating an important but time-consuming compliance step. With powerful cloud-based APIs and over 75 ready-to-use workflow templates, functions like document creation and data extraction can be streamlined to give employees time back for more strategic work.

Manage expectations

Great CX and EX requires setting and managing expectations for all stakeholders involved. The transparency created when agencies measure and report on KPIs such as Procurement Administrative Lead Time (PALT) increases trust with customers and vendors, while helping internal teams identify areas for further improvement. Ultimately, however, metrics are only useful if they aid in achieving the agency’s overall mission. When considering what data to track and act upon, consider the potential impact on not only hard numbers such as process times and dollars spent, but also the human experience. For example, can RFPs be simplified to encourage a wider, more diverse pool of vendors to apply? Can automating mundane tasks increase the proportion of time procurement staff members spend on high-value, fulfilling work? Can a cultural shift be created that encourages internal agency customers to come to procurement teams early on when project planning, as strategic partners?

Build buy-in from the start

It takes time to map out existing processes, seek out customer and employee feedback, and use it to identify the areas most ripe for change. However, the upfront effort lays the groundwork for collaboration and buy-in. When the City of Seattle partnered with Adobe to implement an extensive modernization effort, success was largely aided by the culture of learning and engagement fostered by the digital workplace team.

Creating procurement processes which improve agency CX and EX starts and ends with the procurement team — their know-how, their ideas, their drive. But that doesn’t mean agencies can’t get a little help. With solutions tailored specifically for the needs of the public sector, such as FedRAMP Moderate Authorized Adobe Acrobat Sign for Government, Adobe is working hand-in-hand with our government customers to help agencies meet their missions.

Learn more here.