The Welsh Government Digital and ICT Procurement team recently implemented the DocuSign digital signature functionality into its sourcing and tendering portal, eTenderWales, delivered by the service provider, JAGGAER.
The implementation of digital signatures for Digital and ICT contracts came before the COVID-19 outbreak, which has proven to be hugely beneficial to business continuity during periods of lockdown.
Following the need to work remotely since mid-March 2020, several hundred Welsh Government contract documents have been signed digitally and securely using DocuSign.
Customer benefits
- Sending and signing documents digitally is faster and more cost-efficient
- DocuSign digital signature functionality built into the eTenderWales workflow
- Safe and convenient usage during COVID-19 lockdowns
- An audit trail is used to ensure confidentiality of all transactions
- Remote use of digital technologies has resulted in greater inclusiveness, collaboration and organisational agility
- Demonstrates practical advantages to the broader public sector procurement community
- Advances the Welsh Government’s eProcurement digital action plan
Customer view
A Welsh Government Digital and ICT Procurement representative said:
“Without DocuSign, I don’t know how we could have coped through the pandemic. Before we had digital signatures, every contract had to be signed off by a person with the authority to do so, who had to be physically present. They then had to be scanned and uploaded to the document management system.
With lockdowns and office closures, there was a health risk and potentially significant delays. It might take a few weeks for a physical contract to be signed off, but with DocuSign, it takes just minutes and the contract is filed in the document management system automatically.
As a procurement community, we need to be thinking digitally and if there is anything positive coming out of the pandemic, it is the broader acceptance of digital technologies and acceptance of the need for digital transformation. If this is extended across every procurement team in the Welsh public sector, the productivity benefit will be enormous.”
Further information
The Welsh Government is focusing on the digital transformation of procurement as part of its eProcurement digital action plan. Three new chief digital officers are being appointed across the Welsh public sector and will be setting out their digital strategies. They will be responsible for health, local government and the Welsh Government’s arm’s-length bodies. Organisations will also need to be aware of legislative considerations such as the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, which sets out new duties for public bodies, and, looking forward, several manifesto commitments that link to the digital action plan.
DocuSign is fully integrated with eTenderWales, which is an easy to use software available to all Welsh public sector organisations. The service provider, JAGGAER, has extensive experience in the public sector and eTenderWales offers a full sourcing and tendering solution in both the English and Welsh language.
Contact: ICTProcurement@gov.wales