Implementing EDRMS in public procurement: a retrofit approach

In public procurement, a multitude of data is used, produced, and exchanged in various ways and formats. Laws and regulations often require that the exchange of information takes place through signed and recorded documents, following specific authorization processes. On the other hand, many modern Project Management techniques rely on accurate knowledge of project data, which requires information flow to occur in a structured and digital manner. The concept of an Electronic Document and Records Management System was created for this purpose, to combine document flow and structured information flow. However, in practice, it is difficult to find ready-to-use commercial solutions, and many administrations choose to use traditional document management systems. This work aims to investigate the two requirements independently and then jointly, proposing a clean and simple approach to align them. The chosen approach envisions a two-tier system with defined functional specifications, where the first tier coincides with an existing document management system. The outcome demonstrates how to implement an Electronic Document and Records Management System by retrofitting a traditional document engine. The described approach will be tested through a case study related to a large public construction contract.