---
title: "Role of EEF and OPA"
subject: "ICT Project Management"
chapter: 13
key: "semester_7/ict_project_management:eef-opa-procurement"
source: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_7/ict_project_management/eef-opa-procurement
site: BCT Engineering
---

# Role of EEF and OPA

ICT Project Management · Chapter 13: Project Procurement Management

- Asked in: year not given
- Video: [PMBOK - EEFs and OPAs | Enterprise Environmental Factors and Organisational Process Assets | PMP](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDyKb2pDUgI) — David McLachlan
- Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort) on 2026-10-14
- Page: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_7/ict_project_management/eef-opa-procurement
- Whole chapter: https://www.bctengineer.com/md/semester_7/ict_project_management/chapter-13

## Question

Explain the role of enterprise environmental factors and organizational process assets.

## Short answer

Enterprise environmental factors (market conditions, laws) constrain procurement decisions and shape make-or-buy choices. Organizational process assets (templates, vendor lists, policies) provide ready, consistent internal procedures that speed up planning and reduce errors.

## Answer

Enterprise environmental factors (EEFs) and organisational process assets (OPAs) are inputs to the procurement planning process (and many others). They constrain and support how procurement is done.

#### Enterprise environmental factors (EEF)
Conditions, not under the team's control, that influence the project.
- Marketplace conditions: what products and services are available, from whom and on what terms.
- Laws and regulations: in Nepal, the Public Procurement Act 2063 and Public Procurement Rules 2064 for public entities.
- Organisational structure and culture, risk attitudes.
- Existing contracts and vendor relationships.
- Government/industry standards and codes.
- Local conditions, currency, political climate.
- Supplier performance records.

**Role**: shape make-or-buy decisions, contract types, bidding method and the choice of sellers, and set legal limits.

#### Organisational process assets (OPA)
Internal policies, processes, procedures and knowledge bases.
- Formal procurement policies, procedures, guidelines.
- Standard templates: contract forms, RFP/RFQ, SOW templates.
- Approved/preferred seller lists.
- Evaluation criteria and weighting methods.
- Historical information and lessons learned from earlier procurements.
- Contract management systems and processes.
- Financial control policies (payment authority).

**Role**: provide a ready, consistent process, speed up preparation, reduce errors and legal risk, and support better vendor selection.

| Aspect | EEF | OPA |
|---|---|---|
| Source | Mostly external/organisational environment | Internal to the organisation |
| Control | Outside the project's control | Can be updated by the project |
| Examples | Market conditions, laws | Templates, vendor lists |

```text
EEF + OPA -> Plan Procurement -> Procurement plan,
             SOW, criteria
```

**Example:** A government college buying lab computers follows the Public Procurement Act (EEF) and uses the college's standard bid document and list of registered suppliers (OPA).

## Check yourself

The answer's key points as multiple-choice questions, with the correct option and why.

1. Which describes enterprise environmental factors?
   A. Templates and vendor lists owned by the organisation
   B. Conditions not under the team's control that influence the project
   C. Lessons learned from past projects
   D. Internal policies the project can update
   Answer: B. EEFs are conditions outside the team's control, such as market conditions and laws. (Key point: EEF definition)

2. Which is an organisational process asset?
   A. Public Procurement Act
   B. Marketplace conditions
   C. Approved seller list and standard contract templates
   D. Political climate
   Answer: C. OPAs are internal policies, templates, seller lists and historical information. (Key point: OPA example)

3. What is the role of EEFs in procurement planning?
   A. Provide ready templates
   B. Shape make-or-buy, contract type, bidding method and set legal limits
   C. Replace the SOW
   D. Speed up payments
   Answer: B. EEFs such as market and laws shape decisions and set legal limits. (Key point: Role of EEF)

4. How do EEF and OPA differ in control?
   A. Both can be freely changed by the project
   B. EEF is outside the project's control; OPA can be updated by the project
   C. OPA is outside the project's control; EEF can be updated
   D. Neither is used in planning
   Answer: B. EEFs lie outside project control, while OPAs are internal and can be updated. (Key point: Control difference)

## Related in ICT Project Management

- [Organizational process assets](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_7%2Fict_project_management%3Aorganizational-process-assets) — ICT Project Management, chapter 7

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