“Hospices Civils de Lyon” have partnered with SynerDeal to achieve a completely dematerialised call for tenders for the first time.

An operation demonstrating the recognised benefits of dematerialisation and the way to improvement.

Following a call for tenders for hospital waste bags, the Hospices Civils de Lyon have just opened, for the first time, bids submitted electronically.  From a methodology point of view, this operation has been a success, since 80% of the tenders were submitted electronically even though the tenderers had the option of using the traditional double envelope (paper) method.

This “first”, for a French hospital, falls within an experimental dematerialisation plan launched over a year ago by the Economic Affairs Department of the Hospices Civils de Lyon.  Following a consultation, SynerDeal was retained to assist during this experiment, on account of its technological skills and its expertise in managing the specifics of public purchasing.  This experiment was to be a vital learning curve.

First observation: dematerialisation effectively facilitates access to public contracts.  It is often the case that tenderers view twice as many tender packages when they are published online, resulting in more offers being submitted.  In this instance, no less than 36 tender packages were downloaded and only 2 were requested in paper format.  Five tenderers then responded to the call for tenders – 4 electronically and 1 who did not respond to the previous request.

Second observation: the use of certificates with electronic signatures requires one-off training.  The provisions of the Public Contracts Code require a signature; this is still a recent and sophisticated area of technology in which tenderers need support, and where their systems and connections need to be tested.  It is a standard learning phase and the initial effort, essential at the outset, is an one-off investment.

Dematerialisation of public tender procedures is often perceived as a simplification of administrative systems.  In fact, it also offers a number of advantages for the tenderers: having prepared an offer on their computer, they have no need to print the dossier to sign and post it: all they have to do is connect to a secure site and submit their bid - as easy as sending an e‑mail.

Currently tenderers are not obliged by law to dematerialise: public purchasers must therefore be able to manage both electronic and paper tenders.  The advantage offered by electronic tenders is naturally the avoidance of double input of information, however, the potential existence of the “paper” tender detracts from the benefits of dematerialisation for the public purchaser.

Even though the Law states that public establishments and authorities must be able to receive dematerialised tenders before 1^st January 2005, it does not prohibit the submission of conventional offers.  The call for tenders issued by the Hospices Civils de Lyon shows that public purchasers are ready to take that step.  It is the generalisation of dematerialisation that will enable all sectors of the economy to benefit from the enhanced productivity that it represents.

About the Hospices Civils de Lyon

With 20 000 people and a budget of over 1 billion euros in 2001, the H.C.L. constitute a major focus of skills including all clinical specialities, enabling them to meet present and future health requirements.  Eighteen hospitals offer solutions to suit all patients, with multi‑disciplinary and specialist establishments, and geriatric care centres.  Flexible approaches to hospitalisation and treatment are continually being developed to increase patient satisfaction.

The Economic Affairs Department of the H.C.L. aims to offer the various structures of the institution all the goods, products and services necessary for their activities and requirements, excluding those in the pharmaceutical domain.  Continued improvements to the quality of these services and a drive to optimise costs are the primary objectives of the Hospices Civils de Lyon.