Authors (including presenting author) :
TONG WC, CHENG YF, CHU LF, CHAN HT, LEE WY
Affiliation :
Procurement & Materials Management Department, Kowloon East Cluster
Introduction :
During COVID-19 epidemic especially the 5th Wave which occurred in May 2022, the smart workflow of KECPMM contributed significantly in streamlining the procurement process for the drastically increased number of quotations, and urgent requests via Direct Purchase Authority by electronic means even under “Work From Home” arrangement regardless of time and location. The new smart workflow includes:
1. Electronic quotation approval system by “HA Sign” developed by HOIT
2. Electronic documentation (E-filing) system; and
3. Electronic form of Annual Declaration of Conflict of Interest
Objectives :
(1) To improve efficiency in reviewing and approving paper documents
(2) To reduce paper consumption and storage space
(3) To create a central archive of completed tender and quotation for easy retrieval and searching of information
Methodology :
1. KEC P&MM applied HA Sign for quotation up to $1,500,000. Approval can be completed anytime and anywhere.
2. Electronic documentation system (E-filing) system allows paper documents to be digitalized. Scanned copies were stored into designated archiving system.
3. Electronic form for Annual Declaration of Conflict of Interest allows on-line completion of the form.
Result & Outcome :
Results:
1. The use of electronic signature system has greatly shortened the time required for seeking quotation approval:
No. of completed quotation approval: 11,226 cases (1Jan2022 to 31Dec2022)
Average process time before (by hardcopy): 3-7 days
Average process time after (using “HA Sign”): 1.9 days
“HA Sign” system allows on-line approval which could be done anytime and anywhere. Besides, hardcopy-handling of confidential quotation document is replaced by instant on-line submission. This benefits the department in terms of workflow efficiency, risk management, paper consumption and workload.
2. With E-filing system, storage space used for document filing could be further reduced.
3. Nearly 2500 e-forms for Annual Declaration of Conflict of Interest were received. Users could login, fill in the e-form and submit within a few minutes. The storage space and workload of collecting, filing and analyzing the received forms can be reduced significantly.
Conclusion:
During COVID-19 epidemic, the smart workflow contributed significantly in streamlining the process for seeking comments, approval and declaration for the drastically increased number of quotations, and urgent requests by electronic means even under “Work-From-Home” arrangement regardless of time and location. Besides, storage space could be reduced significantly by above-mentioned systems.
