25-50%
cost and time savings
bids&tenders efficiencies improve patient care
Backstory
Joseph Brant Hospital (JBH) in Burlington, Ontario offers services to a large geographic catchment in the Halton and Hamilton-Wentworth Regions. About a quarter million people reside in the area which includes Burlington and Waterdown as well as parts of Flamborough Township, the City of Hamilton, and Stoney Creek. The hospital has approximately 259 inpatient beds, 150 physicians, 1,500 full and part-time professional health care staff, and more than 600 active volunteers. Patient care includes medical services, surgical services, maternal and child care services, emergency and ambulatory services, rehabilitation and geriatric services, mental health services and more.
JBH is currently building the largest redevelopment project that Burlington has ever seen. The construction of a new, seven story patient tower and extensive renovation to existing spaces will ensure JBH continues to provide exceptional patient care today and for generations to come.
Hospitals conjure up mental images of hospital beds, nurses, doctors and medical services. But behind every hospital room door, operating room and closet are hundreds of supplies, complex medical equipment, and accessories which are used to provide quality patient care.
The challenges
Procurement for hospitals can be a complex, time-consuming process. The RFP process for complicated initiatives can take months or even a year depending on the requirements. The evaluation process is often rigorous, involving multiple individuals from a cross-section of teams. Some purchases cost millions of dollars and are an investment for several years, so vendor proposals are thoroughly and diligently evaluated to determine the equipment or service that is the best overall fit for the needs of the hospital. This often includes site visits to other hospitals, clinical trials and vendor presentations or demonstrations.
We wanted a solution that would be equally advantageous for JBH and our vendors. Copious amounts of paper that end up being shredded is a colossal waste. It becomes obvious pretty quickly that there has to be a better way of doing things.
JBH desired a web-based technology solution that would simplify the procurement process. They also needed a tool that could be customized to their unique needs. Procurement staff was very aware of the time, effort and cost to vendors responding to their RFPs. They knew that vendors would welcome an easier solution.
With the traditional paper process, one RFP often results in boxes of paper copies and binders, where evaluators scrutinize and carefully cross-compare long lists of technical features and components, functionalities, costs and more. JBH welcomed a tool that would make the process as streamlined and effective as possible.
The results
Improved patient care
bids&tenders has resulted in over 25% savings in time throughout the process and is projected to increase to potentially 50%. Joseph Brant’s medical professionals can spend more time on patient care and less time on administrative tasks associated with the hospital’s procurement initiatives.
It feels great knowing that your team is back in their respective departments servicing patients – doing what they’re here to do rather than caught up in procurement-related paperwork.
Strong vendor relations
bids&tenders treated Joseph Brant’s vendors as a priority, creating an online process that saves hundreds of hours and hundreds of dollars. Bid opportunities are accessible 24/7 on the hospital website. Vendors find the interface easy-to-use and appreciate real-time communications for bid postings and closings, addenda, and award/rejection letters. Vendors maintain their own profiles and are notified when WSIB and insurance documents are nearing expiry. They do not have to visit the hospital to drop off proposals or courier documents saving costs. Vendors pay a low annual rate to submit bids electronically, and once registered, they have access to all organizations on bids&tenders. There are no hidden costs or surprises, aligning with the hospital’s goal of simplicity, fairness and transparency.
bids&tenders is already in wide use by the municipal vendor community. We’ve been able to leverage all the work and progress that has gone into the system and apply it to healthcare which is a huge advantage for JBH.
Reduced carbon footprint
bids&tenders has replaced stacks and stacks of paper with a paperless process, reducing courier and paper related costs.
Compliant bids
With bids&tenders, there are no rejected proposals as the system guarantees that all submissions are compliant. Prices are calculated automatically eliminating manual errors. Consistent templates create a smooth, organized process. Vendors understand more clearly what Joseph Brant is looking for in the RFP, and Joseph Brant receives the information that they need to reach decisions more quickly.
Efficient proposal evaluations
Since procurement staff creates specific bid templates for each opportunity, vendors complete the required information in a consistent manner making scoring and cross-comparisons more efficient. With the click of a button, details can be exported to Excel for data analysis and further side-by-side comparisons. Future enhancements are underway to further simplify the hospital’s complex evaluation process.
With paper proposal processes, vendors may not have clear guidance and could misinterpret requirements. This makes it more difficult for evaluation teams to review and to make ‘apples-to-apples’ comparisons. With a large evaluation team all trying to do this independently, the time invested is huge. bids&tenders makes these comparisons readily available and convenient.
Evaluate each bid up to
60 minutes faster
Progressive thought leadership
JBH participates in a bids&tenders user group that meets throughout the year to discuss procurement challenges and identify solutions – all with the goal of making things easier and creating efficiencies across public sector procurement. Procurement professionals share best practices, learn from experts in other industries, and build relationships. Phil Bortolussi has found these discussions to be incredibly valuable. Members from the municipal and educational sectors learn how the solution can be further customized for healthcare, and Phil learns from the expertise of members who have made bids&tenders what it is today.
eSolutionsGroup is a dynamic firm that understands the value of bringing experts in the field together to build great products. They’re always looking for ways to do things better. I think this allows them to create versatile products that bring incredible value to public sector clients. It’s also rewarding for clients, like JBH, to bring more value to the product.