Statewide Procurement Process Evaluation

Ikaso was engaged to conduct a study of a State’s procurement processes as part of a legislative initiative aimed at evaluating their Central Procurement Office’s (CPO) operations. The objective was to identify opportunities to strengthen internal procurement policies and processes. Ikaso was selected to support this initiative via a competitive process based on our subject matter expertise and proven success leading similar initiatives across the country.

The Challenge

Engaging a broad range of individuals involved with procurement (including CPO leadership and staff, agency staff, State legislators, and external parties) to understand their perspectives and priorities, which would inform a unified, evidence-based, and actionable set of recommendations.

The Outcome

To deliver a thorough and actionable report to our client, Ikaso embarked on a data gathering effort built upon written material research and interviews with a range of individuals. In our written material research, Ikaso reviewed the State’s existing policies and processes and compared these against their counterparts in peer states. In our interviews with participants in the process, Ikaso sought perspective on how our client’s policies and processes affected work on the ground, as well as insight into potential recommendations for our report.

Once our research was completed, Ikaso began drafting a final report. This report laid out our findings and our evaluation of our client’s approach to procurement, and provided thirty-four actionable recommendations backed by our research, interviews, and analysis.

Values-Centered Approach

Ikaso greatly values collaboration, curiosity, excellence, and integrity. We started the project by establishing an agreed-upon, client-specific framework that crystalized the State’s goals for effective public procurement. This was the lens through which all existing practices were reviewed, and the foundation for our recommendations. Throughout this effort, Ikaso worked closely with individuals from across the scope of State procurement, and built trust to allow for honest and productive conversations that would help guide our evaluation. We conducted in-depth research that not only assisted our review but also opened us to new sources of information.

Highlighted Results

Ikaso’s final report played a key role in informing the State’s procurement reform efforts. Building on the input we gathered and the recommendations we developed, the legislature advanced a bill aligned with our findings. With broad support, thirty-three of our thirty-four recommendations were ultimately adopted as part of the State’s procurement modernization initiative.