Ontario Ministry of Transportation
The Opportunity
Modernizing Contract Management for Provincial Highways
The Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO) faced significant challenges in managing post-award contract information for construction, maintenance, and engineering service providers. Their legacy system covered only about 50% of their business processes, leaving multiple groups and departments functioning outside the system. This fragmentation led to inconsistent procedures, communication challenges, and operational inefficiencies.
MTO's challenges included siloed project management, lack of standardized procedures, and inefficient communication through emails. Manual reporting was prone to errors, and the ministry struggled with accessing real-time data. The fragmented data storage and risk of non-compliance with accessibility guidelines further complicated their operations. The ministry needed a comprehensive solution to integrate all aspects of their contract management, improve efficiency, and ensure compliance with organizational, policy, and legislative requirements.
The transition from a legacy solution to a modern platform presented an opportunity to streamline processes, enhance user experience, and transform project management and contract oversight across the organization.
The Solution
Implementing a Next-Generation Contract Management System
Over the course of 12 months, we worked alongside MTO project team to design and launch MTO Contract Management System (CMS), solution powered by the Kahua platform. This included solution architecture, business process refinement and integration, building of the solution using the hybrid agile methodology, and data migration from legacy systems. Scope of the transformation included implementation of 150+ business processes support of MTO’s 8 contract types.
The Impact
Transforming Project Management and Contract Oversight
The successful implementation of Kahua for MTO resulted in significant improvements across the organization. Processes were streamlined and standardized across all departments, enhancing user experience through improved functionality and leading practices. A new Change Management process, based on KPMG's accelerator, provided accurate project and contract reporting.
The Claims Group's operations were completely transformed, allowing for collaborative claim resolution between MTO and their vendors. The implementation of Indigenous Participation vendor reporting and Vendor Performance Appraisal processes enhanced MTO's ability to manage and evaluate vendor relationships.
Key progress reporting processes and material inspection functionalities were implemented, allowing MTO to manage quantities of installed material and labor in the field through mobile applications. The project was delivered on time and on budget, providing MTO with a scalable and future-proof solution that allows for additional cost processes without rework of existing functions.
High levels of adoption and sustainment of the new technology and processes were achieved through successful delivery of training. This transformation has positioned MTO to better manage its provincial highway contracts, improve decision-making through real-time data access, and ensure compliance with various regulatory requirements.
The success of this project demonstrates the potential for similar transformations in other organizations dealing with complex project and contract management challenges. By leveraging modern technology and implementing best practices, MTO has set a new standard for efficient and effective contract management in the public sector.