Request for Proposal (RFP)

Procurement Experts Weigh in on Alternatives to RFPs

Posted: 02/03/2022 - 09:00
Author: Erika Novak
The standardized RFP process takes months to complete.

In enterprise software and services, procurement’s use of a Request for Proposal (RFP) is meant to compare competitive product offerings against a set of requirements. The intent was to create an environment where vendors could respond with functionality, price, implementation details and unique offerings. Unfortunately, the RFP process has largely failed for several reasons. Today, the focus is on innovation and speed to market, which can rarely be achieved in a standardized RFP process that can take months to complete.

Don’t Outsource Your Processes, Outsource Your Results

Posted: 01/04/2022 - 00:00
Author: Thom Mead
Achieve the ultimate win-win scenario with your suppliers, drive out cost and increase value.

Having sold more than $980 million in outsourcing deals in my career and having played a key role in structuring more than $22 billion in outsourcing deals across every industry and virtually every process, it seems the more things change, the more they remain the same. 

I won’t add to the dizzying array of endless terms Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) companies develop to differentiate their offerings, but in this article I’d like to discuss some of the commonalities across all of them.

Suppliers are Primary Stakeholders Too

Posted: 11/23/2021 - 09:00
Author: Paul Vincent
Suppliers are Primary Stakeholders Too

The SOW services procurement value equation is straightforward: clear need + sufficient budget + right service provider + right price + excellent delivery = best outcome

If you look more closely at that equation you will realize the best outcome can only be achieved if the individual elements are in balance with each other. Consider the following: 

Leveraging Behavioral Data in Negotiations

Posted: 03/30/2020 - 22:35
Author: Christian Ries
Behavioral Data in Negotiations

Knowing the behavioral history of a supplier prior to negotiations is essential to understand the reasons why a supplier is likely to offer optimal prices and service level agreements (SLA).

In the past, siloed and in-person negotiations often revealed insights about supplier behavior, but these insights were usually ignored because there was no empirical way for a sourcing professional to capture, share, and leverage this behavioral data cross-functionally.

Information Technology Procurement as a Service – Added Value to Internal Procurement Teams

Posted: 12/20/2019 - 04:30
Author: Rob Johnson
The Procurement as a Service (PaaS) model, which utilizes outsourced human talent, technology, and industry-specific knowledge to enhance or –  in some cases for SMB companies –  replace the buying process for companies is expected to grow from $5.4 billion in 2019 to $7.8 billion by 2024, according to new market research by MarketsandMarkets™.

What IT Procurement Professionals Must Know about Data Center Hardware Maintenance RFPs

Posted: 07/16/2019 - 03:59
Author: Mark Havens
“We all want this to be a success,” is a pretty common sentiment at the outset of a major RFP. When considering hardware for data center maintenance services, in many cases, the outcome can mean significant cost containment for the IT group and accolades all around for a job very well done. And let’s face it, it is not only a fiduciary duty to avoid over-paying a vendor (even the original equipment manufacturer) it can be flat-out galling to think that your company has been over-paying for YEARS. So, damn straight, you want this to be a success!

Why wait to start your tech implementation?

Posted: 12/27/2018 - 03:37
Author: Benjamin Duffy
Though slight variations are inevitable, most procurement organizations follow a familiar process for selecting and implementing their tools. Generally, it looks something like this.  
 
  • They decide they need a new procurement solution.
  • They conduct research and begin to engage with appealing providers.
  • They create and distribute an RFP.
  • They score the RFP responses to narrow things down.  

The Essential RFx Bidding Methods

Posted: 12/26/2018 - 01:20
Author: Kate Vitasek
Most companies use well-known and standard competitive bidding methods to pick suppliers. The most common is the Request for Proposal (RFP). However, in many cases, a conventional RFP falls short of finding the right supplier. Why? Conventional RFPs don’t always ask the right sourcing questions and as a result generate wrong (or less than ideal) answers from suppliers.   
 

How to Keep Bad Weather from Killing Your Logistics

Posted: 12/11/2018 - 04:15
Author: Brian Seipel
Supply lines never look as vulnerable as they do when inclement weather strikes. At best, trucks face major delays as accidents and poor conditions make roads treacherous and, at worst, they suffer accidents of their own. Routinely, air carriers remain grounded while affected areas hunker down and airports close. Don’t think you’re safe even if you fall outside a storm’s high-impact area.

Re-engineering a Corporate Real Estate Service Organization: Strategic Sourcing

Posted: 10/06/2018 - 00:38
Author: Ingrid M. Fenn
In Part I: Operational Review, the team identified what needed to be done and determined the optimal delivery model. In Part II: Strategic Sourcing, we will examine the strategic sourcing process, including: 
 
  1. Supplier Pre-Qualification
  2. Bid Strategy
  3. Request for Proposal/Solution/Partner Development

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