The manager of the national railway infrastructure is dynamically expanding its supplier base using a modern procurement platform. The new procurement organization within the Company will streamline the process and bring measurable financial benefits.
PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe S.A. is one of the largest players in the public procurement market in the country. Every year, it announces nearly two thousand tenders for supplies, services, and investment tasks worth a total of 15-20 billion PLN.
Currently, the supplier base includes over 14,000 entities that have cooperated with PKP PLK S.A. in the last two years, as well as companies that have participated in procurement procedures and submitted valid offers, even if they were not the most advantageous ones. In recent weeks, since the production launch of the new Procurement Platform for suppliers, over 250 new entities that have not previously cooperated with PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe S.A. have registered in the Platform’s database. Each supplier in the created database can build their own profile and thus participate in procedures according to the scope of declared services or supplies. Potential contractors can register in the database via the website at www.plk-sa.pl/nowe-zakupy/ and, in case of any doubts, ask questions by directing them to the address nowe_zakupy@plk-sa.pl.
The implementation of the “New Purchases” project will allow for the modernization of the area of contracting supplies and services, which is one of the most important and largest scopes of the Company’s operations. The project is not just about implementing a Procurement Platform. It is primarily a transition from perceiving procurement as an operational organization of tenders to strategic procurement management.
The tasks currently being carried out by PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe S.A. in this regard aim to:
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create an organizational structure for the new procurement organization,
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establish a Central Procurement Office to oversee procurement processes throughout the Company,
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implement a Procurement Policy that defines the division of key competencies in procurement and sets strategic goals to be achieved,
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introduce new procurement regulations,
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implement new IT tools to support the procurement process.
Project work has been divided into two simultaneously implemented actions. The first focuses on developing and implementing organizational and process solutions. The second aims to build and launch a fully functional new procurement platform. It will replace the existing tender platform and consolidate all procurement procedures conducted in the Company, both in open and closed procedures, in one place. Furthermore, the functionalities of the new tool will allow for the organization and automation of procurement procedures. The Company will be equipped with a supplier selection module supporting procurement procedures from the procurement request stage to the selection of the most advantageous offer, as well as a module for generating and sending electronic requests for quotations. The tool will allow for the standardization and facilitation of information flow regarding the procurement area throughout the Company.
The solutions in the project were developed in cooperation with a specialized company that has been implementing projects to improve procurement processes in complex, distributed organizational structures in the largest companies in Poland for over ten years. Similar solutions have been implemented in companies such as: PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna S.A., KGHM Polska Miedź S.A., TAURON Polska Energia S.A., Energa Operator S.A., Polimex-Mostostal S.A., and Gaz System S.A.
The effects of the “New Purchases” project will translate directly into the external perception of PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe S.A. as an organization that carries out basic procurement processes transparently, economically, and effectively, and above all, in accordance with the Public Procurement Law.