Full Contract Scan (FCS) AI Tool for the Medical Category

The BUYSMARTER FCS AI Tool for the Medical Category enables the 26 agencies within the Department to operate as a cohesive acquisition structure by leveraging the full suite of HHS’ contracting data to assist in analyzing spend data and identifying opportunities that support enterprise acquisitions.

Figure 1: HHS Prior to the FCS AI Tool and Future Outcomes

A diagram with a “Before” box on the left showing four quadrants. The first quadrant has nine people representing CDC, the second quadrant has nine people icons representing NIH and IHS, the third quadrant has nine people icons representing HRSA, FDA, and SAMHSA, and the fourth quadrant has nine people icons representing CMS, ACF, and AHRQ. Below is a bulleted list: Disparate HHS procurement teams are stove piped; lack of coordination in negotiating and contract writing; and need to understand common procurement activities and priorities to avoid/reduce costs, increase efficiency, and generate smarter contracts. A right arrow points to an icon of a brain with nodes with BUYSMARTER Full Contract (FCS) A.I. Tool underneath. A right arrow points to an “After” box with 39 people icons representing all of HHS. Below is a bulleted list: Group Purchasing Function: HHS procurement teams function as cohesive unit; Able to negotiate collectively and write contracts imbued with agency-level and HHS-wide goals; and Understanding of shared priorities leads to cost savings, efficiency, and smarter contracts.

The FCS AI Tool uses AI and NLP to “read” contracts and provide an analysis based on pricing, specifications, terms and conditions, and other variables. The BUYSMARTER  PMO worked closely with the Category Collaboratives and other stakeholders to build the FCS AI Tool during human-centered design sessions to make it intuitive and easy to use.

Figure 2: FCS AI Tool Design Concept

A diagram of a three circle flowchart titled, “Designed to be simple and user friendly based on tools familiar to everyone. The first circle is titled, simple process flow with the Intuit Turbotax logo. The second circle is titled user-friendly search with the Google logo. The third circle is titled familiar output method with the Microsoft Excel icon.

Based on the analyses of the output generated by the FCS AI Tool, the Category Collaborative can make a recommendation to the ESC on how to maximize value across HHS — whether it is negotiate a new contract or direct OPDIVs and STAFFDIVs to use an existing contract vehicle. BUYSMARTER plans to expand the scope of the FCS AI Tool to include additional categories, such as professional services.

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