PMO Suppliers and Services

Relationship With Suppliers

Many projects rely on vendors for materials, expertise, and outsourced services. Not all PMOs work with vendors. Those that do can increase the likelihood of project success and reduce project costs in several ways:

• Define standards for vendors, vendor contracts, and the tender process
• Provide services that support the tender process
• Provide contract management services
• Be available to provide conflict resolution support if difficulties arise between the project manager and a vendor
• Ensure that, during project close, all deliverables are satisfactory, all requirements are met, all payments are made, and contracts are properly closed
  

If the organization has an existing office that provides contract management or legal services, the PMO should coordinate its services with that office to avoid duplication of effort.

MPOM also looks at the wide variety of services a PMO can offer.

PMO Services

PMOs provide 26 services to projects, project managers, and the organization. These 26 services fall into the following four types of service groups:

General Services: All PMOs provide these general services..

Supportive Services: Supportive Services are provided by PMOs that are tasked with improving project management, but not given direct supervisory control of projects.

Controlling Services: A PMO offers controlling services to assess the condition of project management throughout the organization, and also to review or audit specific projects. Controlling services allow the PMO to make recommendations on how to improve project performance.

Directive Services: Directive services are used when project managers reporting primarily to the PMO, run projects directly. Directive services are used in two different ways. In some organizations, the PMO runs all projects directly. In others, the PMO takes on a limited number of projects based on specific criteria.

General services are performed by every PMO. They improve communications, increase the chances of project success, and reduce costs.

• Supportive services help project managers and project teams apply standards and best practices to their projects. Often, general and supportive services are the first services offered by a new PMO.
• Controlling services are assessments, reviews, and audits that determine how effectively the organization and specific projects are running. This information is used for planning new services and planning corrective actions.
• Directive services are the services offered by a PMO when it takes direct control of projects. Some PMOs do this routinely, others do it only under special circumstances.

The services a particular PMO offers are defined in the Project Charter