Internet and purchasing efficiencies for the voluntary sector

Howard Lake | 8 November 2000 | News

A seminar yesterday by NCVO and BuyingTeam.com covered some of the issues affecting the non-profit sector in terms of Web-based purchasing. With an introduction by Brian Rigby, Chief Executive of the Office of Government Commerce, the seminar featured a case study by Jacqui Williamson, Business Services Manager at Imperial Cancer Research Fund.

A seminar yesterday by NCVO and BuyingTeam.com covered some of the issues affecting the non-profit sector in terms of Web-based purchasing. With an introduction by Brian Rigby, Chief Executive of the Office of Government Commerce, the seminar featured a case study by Jacqui Williamson, Business Services Manager at Imperial Cancer Research Fund.

ICRF’s project went live on 6th November so it was of course too early to assess, but they were confident that it would lead to savings of £30,000 a year on staff alone. Also the new system promised same-day ordering, whereas currently the time from originator through authorisation to receipt of order by supplier is three days. ICRF hoped the system would help them take 60,000 “pieces of paper per annum out of the equation.”

The speakers and delegates agreed that e-procurement is definitely “on its way” and that the opportunities are significant. However, there was a concensus that many of the problems involved were related to people and cultural issues, not just IT.

About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale. He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.