1. Will Krause Dir, Technology Services Houghton College Will.krause@houghton.edu The RFP Process Getting what you want!

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

3. Will Krause Dir, Technology Services Houghton College Will.krause@houghton.edu The surest way to miss a target is to not aim at it Identify Expected Outcomes

4. Will Krause Dir, Technology Services Houghton College Will.krause@houghton.edu 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

5. Will Krause Dir, Technology Services Houghton College Will.krause@houghton.edu 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

6. Will Krause Dir, Technology Services Houghton College Will.krause@houghton.edu Selecting Vendors Lots of vendors = lots of options Lots of vendors = lots of responses to read

7. Will Krause Dir, Technology Services Houghton College Will.krause@houghton.edu 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

8. Will Krause Dir, Technology Services Houghton College Will.krause@houghton.edu The RFP Document Make it clear and concise

9. Will Krause Dir, Technology Services Houghton College Will.krause@houghton.edu 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

10. Will Krause Dir, Technology Services Houghton College Will.krause@houghton.edu 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

11. Will Krause Dir, Technology Services Houghton College Will.krause@houghton.edu Handling Vendor Questions The serious respondents will have lots of questions

12. Will Krause Dir, Technology Services Houghton College Will.krause@houghton.edu 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

13. Will Krause Dir, Technology Services Houghton College Will.krause@houghton.edu If you go it alone, you’ll never get it right! Evaluating the responses

14. Will Krause Dir, Technology Services Houghton College Will.krause@houghton.edu 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

15. Will Krause Dir, Technology Services Houghton College Will.krause@houghton.edu Selection and Negotiations The finalist is not the winner until negotiations are complete

16. Will Krause Dir, Technology Services Houghton College Will.krause@houghton.edu 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

17. Will Krause Dir, Technology Services Houghton College Will.krause@houghton.edu Communicating Final Decision The way you handle this could affect future business

18. Will Krause Dir, Technology Services Houghton College Will.krause@houghton.edu 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

19. Will Krause Dir, Technology Services Houghton College Will.krause@houghton.edu Things to remember Take your time and get it right

20. Will Krause Dir, Technology Services Houghton College Will.krause@houghton.edu 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

21. Will Krause Dir, Technology Services Houghton College Will.krause@houghton.edu