BusinessForward

By Erin Kearney, Solutions Analyst, BusinessForward

In the middle of putting out fires and trying to make time for strategic planning, you’re tasked with finding a new IT vendor. But when so many solutions look the same, how do you avoid walking around in a scene from “Where’s Waldo?”

Instead of straining your eyes to find the right one, write an exceptionally articulate RFP and you’ll know the vendor when you see them.

There are a lot of IT solutions out there.  A well-conceived RFP will act as a compass to ensure the search goes in the right direction. You don’t have time to get lost.

While there are definite basics to creating an RFP, a lot of time defining “must-haves” goes into a good one. Invest up front, and like flowers are to bees, your RFP will attract the top vendor with best solution for your business.

Having been involved in some sizeable IT vendor selection projects, I’ve learned that there are no shortcuts in this process. Actually, it’s one of the things in business life that really pays off for the time invested. There are three must-haves when creating your RFP:

• Understand the problem and express it explicitly.
• Describe clearly, the evaluation criteria
• Relay a clearly defined selection process.

1. Understanding the Problem

Being able to understand and articulate issues the company needs to solve is the most important must-have of an RFP.  Your IT challenge is really the why for every section, question, and requirement.  Once the potential vendors understand the overall challenge, they will be more inclined to answer all sections of the RFP. It’s astounding how many responses are incomplete because people didn’t comprehend what you were asking.

Knowing the goals of your internal organization and what they are looking for goes without saying. So, it’s incumbent upon you to enable a potential vendor to appreciate why this initiative is important, to in turn, allow them to create an effective response.

2. Describing the Evaluation Criteria

The evaluation criteria is the weighting of each section.  This is key when organizations put together IT vendor RFPs. When scoring responses later, you’ll be glad you gave this portion a lot of thought.

I have seen that when you understand the goals of the company (beyond the internal team,) challenges faced by colleagues and the business overall, in addition to the requirements that they need from the solution, weighting of sections is very logical.  Even so, it can be tough for stakeholders to agree upon. As a consultant, I provide perspective by gathering feedback about the level of import each aspect of the RFP will relay and ensure the criteria is agreed upon by all parties.

Clearly relaying the evaluation criteria is critical for the upcoming selection process because it will be carried through every aspect of scoring.  It gives the vendor a view into what the company considers the most important information in the RFP.

3. Relaying a Defined Selection Process: The ABCs

A thorough and defined selection process along with a detailed timeline helps to set expectations with potential vendors.  Remember the ABCs:

A. Reviewing the RFP Responses

The process to review and score the RFPs should be well defined before the first RFP response is received.  It’s smart to have a breakdown structure in place.  Include a number of people in the organization with expertise in specific areas of the RFP.  Every section has at least two individuals that read and score the section.  And always assign a number of people who review and score the RFP from beginning to end.

B. Deep Dive Demonstrations

The deep dive demonstrations are the second tier of the selection process.  After scoring the RFP, a subset of the responding vendors will be selected for deep dive demonstrations.  These are a chance for potential vendors to show their solution end to end and how their solution will work with a series of use cases.  Based on the depth of the demonstrations, the timeframe can vary.

C. Proof of Concept (POC)

Once the demonstrations are complete, one or possibly two of the potential vendors will conduct a Proof of Concept (POC.) The timeframe for a POC can vary from one day to two months or longer. This is when you can see your data in the solution and run multiple scenarios to ensure that the vendor is choosing the best environmental fit and the best solution to solve the challenge.

Ultimately, when writing an RFP you want the vendors to be as articulate as possible. Incorporating the three must haves will ensure they truly understand the business needs. It takes time, sure, but it beats searching through the teeming crowd.

Erin Kearney is a solutions analyst with BusinessForward. She has a strong background in retail.