Will Krause Dir, Technology Services Houghton College The RFP Process Getting what you want!

Will Krause Dir, Technology Services Houghton College Contents Identify Expected Outcomes Selecting Vendors Creating the RFP Document Evaluating the Responses Selection and Negotiations Communicating the Decision

Will Krause Dir, Technology Services Houghton College The surest way to miss a target is to not aim at it Identify Expected Outcomes

Will Krause Dir, Technology Services Houghton College What do you want from the vendors? Best technical solution Best price / financing Long term relationship Best warranty / support Training Customized solution Most user friendly Product/Manufacturer reputation Freebees Identify Expected Outcomes

Will Krause Dir, Technology Services Houghton College Prioritize your requirements and give weights to them 1. Best price / financing = 5 2. Best technical solution = 4 3. Long term relationship = 4 4. Best warranty / support = 3 5. Training = 2 6. Product/Manufac. Reputation = 2 7. Most user friendly = 1 8. Freebees = 1 9. Customized solution = 0 Identify Expected Outcomes

Will Krause Dir, Technology Services Houghton College Selecting Vendors Lots of vendors = lots of options Lots of vendors = lots of responses to read

Will Krause Dir, Technology Services Houghton College Focus in on the vendors you really want to do business with Some products must be purchased through resellers – send RFPs to both Don’t focus only on ‘Industry leaders’ Do treat all vendors the same until the process is complete Selecting Vendors

Will Krause Dir, Technology Services Houghton College The RFP Document Make it clear and concise

Will Krause Dir, Technology Services Houghton College The RFP Document Introduction Explain why you’re doing it Background Introduce your school to them Proposal Guidelines What’s your goal What are the rules (due date, how to ask questions, what to include with it) Where & how to send response

Will Krause Dir, Technology Services Houghton College Evaluation Criteria Tell them what you’re looking for (be specific). You will find out who wants to work with you and who simply wants to sell you a product Proposal Format Tell them what form you want it in. Be specific and be complete. Responses will be much easier to evaluate if they’re all in the same format Project Schedule Show them a high level schedule of the entire project (not just the RFP phase) so they can get the big picture The RFP Document

Will Krause Dir, Technology Services Houghton College Handling Vendor Questions The serious respondents will have lots of questions

Will Krause Dir, Technology Services Houghton College Have an open question and answer meeting at least several weeks before the responses are due Set-up a list serve and let them sign-up Publish all questions asked via the list Resist the temptation of answering questions over the phone – everyone needs to hear the questions and answers Don’t play favorites! Handling Vendor Questions

Will Krause Dir, Technology Services Houghton College If you go it alone, you’ll never get it right! Evaluating the responses

Will Krause Dir, Technology Services Houghton College Select a small committee to help you Faculty Staff Administration Technical people Create an evaluation matrix based on your criteria Your criteria weighting may change based on what you read in the responses Don’t try to ‘force’ a winner Narrow down to top 3 and select 1 finalist Get buy-in from everyone on the committee This will help immensely during implementation Evaluating the responses

Will Krause Dir, Technology Services Houghton College Selection and Negotiations The finalist is not the winner until negotiations are complete

Will Krause Dir, Technology Services Houghton College Build negotiation time into the schedule Once selection is made, conclude final negotiations as rapidly as possible Don’t accept anything less than what was offered in the proposal Make it clear that this process is just the beginning of a lasting partnership Selection and Negotiations

Will Krause Dir, Technology Services Houghton College Communicating Final Decision The way you handle this could affect future business

Will Krause Dir, Technology Services Houghton College Call everyone who sent a response Tell them who the winner is and why it’s not them Be prepared to give specifics but make it clear that the process is completed Remember - they probably put a lot of time and resource into preparing their response. The feedback you give them takes only a little effort on your part but provides valuable information for them. Communicating Final Decision

Will Krause Dir, Technology Services Houghton College Things to remember Take your time and get it right

Will Krause Dir, Technology Services Houghton College Things to remember You are asking vendors to invest time and effort – give something in return You are in charge, not the sales reps (or your board of trustees) If your boss has a favorite, tell him (or her) that there are no guarantees Keep everyone on a level playing field This is only the first step in a lasting partnership, integrity is crucial If done right, you will eliminate many future project speed-bumps

Will Krause Dir, Technology Services Houghton College