THE next few months herald an exciting time for FPAL. Members have been advised through other communication channels that the FPAL system, which has provided the backbone of oil & gas supplier selection, is set for an upgrading process, including a new look and feel.
To flag the forthcoming changes, the custard yellow look of the current website will be updated with a fresh, bright colour scheme.
However, there is more to the FPAL evolution than creating a new user interface. With a phased release of system improvements planned for 2008, members will see the database evolve to become more user-friendly and bring navigation in line with general website design.
Members should encounter no problems adapting to the new system as a seamless transition is planned in introducing the first phase of improvements.
The first phased release mainly covers improvements to the existing functionality, specifically the new interface and the introduction of the new Advanced Registration questionnaire.
For suppliers, FPAL recommends taking a look at their records and ensuring that all the information is accurate and up to date. For those who have a Capability Profile, following the first phased improvements, information stored will be translated towards the new online Advanced Registration questionnaire.
This new questionnaire will provide a host of opportunities and savings for suppliers, the main benefit being that it will be completed online and will be adapted to provide a more user-friendly approach.
For example, once the transition has been made to online submission, many previous narrative questions will be replaced with multiple-choice questions, thus saving time and effort while completing. In addition, the new system will have the capacity to host supporting documentation and is designed to result in a supplier’s full submission to the Advanced Registration questionnaire being available to the purchasing community.
This should, in theory, eliminate the request for further information during the tender process and provides a fantastic contribution towards eliminating duplication in the industry.
FPAL purchasing and supplying members are prepared to support this evolution, with clear benefits to all parties visible. Further phased releases will introduce new supporting functionality that will add new value-adding components to the system.
For further information on the FPAL evolution, visit www.fpal.com