Streamlining procurement with robotic process automation

In recent years, Specialized Contract Section in Dubai Municipality have faced increasing demands for quality, auditing, procedures, and compliance, driven by a growing focus on transparency, social responsibility, and stricter legal frameworks. This has led to higher work volumes, particularly over the last Five years ( 2020 - 331 project ), (2021- 472 project), (2022 - 525 project ) (2023 - 617 project) (2024 705 project ) placing pressure on same number of resources.
The main challenges encountered in procurement processes was the complexity of the procedures. As per internal studies the overall operations required 58,538 steps with a total time consumed of 610,785 minutes that costed 3,925,106 dirhams which required 11,224 Approvals.
Additionally, the diversification of services and requests has complicated operations, and the significant pressure of routine tasks demands better internal organization. The scarcity of specialized talent further exacerbates these challenges, emphasizing the need for continuous training, technological tools like automation, and strategic supplier relationships to streamline processes and maintain efficiency.
The motivations behind these efforts include the desire to accelerate contract management processes and reduce manual tasks, as well as implementing measures to lower operational costs, increase efficiency, ensure data accuracy, and maintain compliance with legal standards. Additionally, there is a need to address delays in contract procedures and improve the experience for employees and organizational units by minimizing routine work. These goals are further supported by strategic transformations at both the municipal and government levels, alongside the existence of clear plans and a roadmap for adopting modern technologies.
RPA bot was developed by specialized digital transformation teams using detailed process documentation. Performance is continuously monitored, and bots are adjusted as necessary.
It involves a virtual employee powered by RPA technology which has full access and functional capabilities, including system definitions, employee ID, and executive authority to manage tasks and operations within the Specialized Contracts. This application is the first of its kind to define RPA technology as an employee, exhibiting human-like traits in performing the assigned tasks.