SAVI N G COSTS A N D TR E E S
WINNER
Using desktop IT for green procurement
Author: Steven Samlalsingh, Contracts Coordinator
‘ Using standard desktop software, the initiative reduced paper
Organization: Petrotrin (State-owned oil company) Theme: Using ICT to improve procurement systems Country: Trinidad and Tobago
use by 75 percent and the Petrotrin introduced its procurement
procurement cycle by 30 percent ’
SU MMARY
initiatives at a large symposium,
When Petrotrin’s Contracts Office adopted Go Green! as its 2010-12 theme, the team leader
giving all its contractors the chance to feed into Go Green!
challenged the staff to embrace the initiative using a readily available existing resource: the Microsoft Office suite of software on their desktop computers. Staff were challenged to come up with innovative ideas to increase efficiency and reduce the environmental impact of the procurement process. Standard desktop software is vastly under-utilized in terms of functional capacity, with most users worldwide embracing just a few of its applications. This challenge resulted in its being used for the development of an electronic meetings system, a paperless document tracking system and the electronic issuance of tenders. These in-house applications enhance the accuracy, cost effectiveness and timeliness of the office’s contracts-related processes – while cutting its carbon footprint.
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