RFI / Vendor Due Diligence

Choosing the right providers (particularly when doing integration work) requires finding a match between client & vendor size as well as a good service fit.

• A big vendor may not adequately value a small client — they may present their best engineers during presales & then staff the project with junior personnel.
• The vendor’s orientation must be aligned with yours; software product development & delivery is not well served by a shop predominantly focused on IT support services or businesss process outsourcing.

We follow a rigorous selection process:

Requirements definition

The requirements are collected & organized by the Sourcing Governance Team.  Much of the required information is provided by the strategic assessment & the program charter.

Request For Information (RFI)

The RFI includes sections on the vendor's:

• Business profile & vision
• Development, quality & delivery processes
• Recruiting & training procedures
• Municipal & company infrastructure
• Data security & intellectual property protection procedures
• Customer references
• Your project requirements

Questions from the vendor are actively solicited as they can be very useful in enhancing the production process.

Request For Proposal (RFP)

Vendors shortlisted following the RFI are asked to respond to an RFP, which should provide the vendor with all of the guidelines and detail they require to prepare a bid. All requirements for the first project must be included. The provider is also asked to propose innovative solutions to the challenges of the project.

Vendor presentations

The shortlisted vendors are invited to give in-depth presentations on their companies & their capabilities. These meetings should follow well-defined agendas starting with a full introduction to your company & your objectives.

Vendor visit

The vendor visit enables you to:

• Verify many of the vendor's claims
• Meet & get to know a broad spectrum of their employees
• Judge the fit of their organizational & national cultures to yours
• Examine the infrastructure of the company & the community
• Better understand the vendor's processes

An important part of the vendor visit is meeting, interviewing, & confirming candidate team members, especially the team manager or lead. They will become your champions within the provider’s shop so it is vital to establish a strong relationship with them during the visit.