OAS acquisition starts with a defined need.

That need can be captured by a simple Purchase Requisition, or in larger organizations, through input from the Budget or Program Office.

While even simple acquisitions can require some form of Acquisition Planning, it is the project requirements of larger organizations that generally require a full range of planning tools. OAS is designed to match planning tools to the requirements.

Acquisition Planning

Basically, Acquisition Planning can be summarized as all activities required to define, and then either locate or generate a contract that is ideal for the requirement.

OAS embeds Acquisition Plan creation within OAS Projects functionality. The entire project team can collaborate in parallel on all the elements of one or more Acquisition Plans. Using a multi-tiered hierarchical projects structure, OAS enables teams from across the globe to work simultaneously on multiple projects.

With Acquisition Planning, teams can start plan requirements well in advance of required contract completion. Last minute year-end rushes, and associated risks are minimized, while completing work on time and on budget becomes the new standard.

Cost Management

Cost Management begins within the Acquisition Planning phase. The OAS planning process insures the right item is purchased, from a reliable supplier, so that many of the extreme and costly procurement fiascos you read about in the press are avoided. Acquisition Planning collaboration tools insure the requirement is well defined, agreed to by all stakeholders, and is consistent throughout the procurement process. The item described in the original Statement of Need is the exact item that is procured.

Once the best contract is found or created, orders can be placed. At this point, OAS Order Processing and Reporting provide the cost savings that can enable OAS to pay for itself, and more. The following are some of the areas of savings addressed by OAS:

• Process efficiencies
• Price savings
• Reduced fraud, waste, and abuse

The more OAS features that are used the greater the savings.

Transparency and Accountability

Transparency is the ability to clearly and readily see who, what, why, and how spending takes place. With OAS you can:

• Search data to find a document, with all supporting information, including who approved a transaction, when, and their documented reason
• Use analytical tools to support acquisition planning and find trends in data
• Export data to public sites which enables interested parties in viewing and understanding important data in real time
• Create reports that enable customers to understand activities on a macro level, but also drill down to complete details behind the numbers

Accountability focuses on how much is spent, where it is spent, and if it is within authorized levels of spending. With OAS you can:

• Track spending from the highest level of any organization down to individual line items
• Provide a view of all spending against any project with full order details
• Make spending analysis available in real time
• Build in spending limits via budgets and user permissions