Cost Coordination Challenge

Background

Indian Head is a town in Charles County, Maryland, United States. The population was 3,844 at the 2010 U.S. Census. It has been the site of a naval base specializing in gun and rocket propellants since 1890. The Town of Indian Head is responsible for procuring a myriad of services and products to facilitate the Town’s various operations.

 

The Cost Coordination Challenge

Indian Head staff must research, procure, coordinate, and leverage services in a fragmented market environment. City staff run into issues with finding the best choice vendor or paying too much money for a given service. There are opportunities to streamline and improve the different stages of the procurement life cycle, such as:

●   improving the vendor research capabilities,

●   pooling resources with other buyers to achieve volume sales discounts,

●   tracking the performance of services and products over time.   

 

Guiding Question

How might we improve the research, purchase, and analysis capabilities of the Town of Indian Head as staff buy and use different products and services?

 

 

Submission Format:

Hackathon submissions will be:

 

  ● Technical Concept, Workflow, or Model:

       ○ Ex: visual sketches or mockup prototypes

  ● Pitch Presentation

       ○ 10 slide max PowerPoint

 

Evaluation Criteria

  Evaluation Criteria:

  Criteria Question

Min Score

Max Score

  Ease of Adoption:

  Can the solution be adopted and implemented in a streamlined manner?

1

25

  Cost Minimization Potential

  Can the solution viably reduce city costs?

1

25

  User Experience:

  Can the solution enhance the user’s experience of researching, procuring, and leveraging city services?

1

25

  Feasibility:

  Can the solution be implemented feasibility given the Town of Indian Head’s budget and technical limitations?

1

25