Post on 17-Jan-2017
transcript
6 Tips to get what you really want out of your transportation RFP
A Vendor’s Responsibility To You
• Provide a good product, at a fair price
• Don’t exaggerate capabilities
• Be realistic• Provide good service
after the bid award
Your Responsibility To Vendors?• A fair bid process• Reasonable
expectations• Willingness to
learn• Fair and balanced
research
DECIDE WHAT YOU REALLY WANT
Tip # 1
Where Do you Start• Do an internal audit of your
needs• What do you need to make
everyone’s life easier, more efficient, provide better service for your customers?
• What is your accountability?• What is the budget?
Make sure you have…
• Clear goals & objectives
• A simple, concise description of what you want or the problem you wish to solve
DO YOUR RESEARCHTip # 2
How Do I Know What I Need?• Research, Research,
Research– Features– Actual needs vs Nice to have– What is your pain point
Where to research• Google it!• Talk to vendors• Ask your peers• Industry Publications• Industry Events/Tradeshows
IDENTIFY & INCLUDE AS MANY STAKEHOLDERS AS POSSIBLE
Tip # 3
Who Are The Stakeholders?
• Transportation• IT Department• School Admin
Team• The Parents
WEIGH THE PROS & CONS OF USING A TEMPLATE
Tip # 4
Should you use someone else’s bid template?
• Do you have bid writing expertise in your district?
• Is the bid language and description generic enough to allow for creative responses?
Weigh the pros and cons
• What do I gain by using someone else’s template?
• What might I lose?• Is the template too specific
to a particular vendor or solution? Is this ok?
• Will it get me what I want?
BE AS SPECIFIC AS POSSIBLE BUT KEEP YOUR OPTIONS OPEN
Tip # 5
Simple vs. Detailed RFP
• Simple sometimes means many responses and almost anything goes.
• Detailed may mean few responses but may eliminate a lot of extra work
AVOID THE LOW BID TRAPTip # 6
Low Bid And Is It The Right Thing?
• I am on a budget, I need the low bid• My district says I have to take the low bid• Does the low bid mean I don’t get what I
need?
• What is the alternative?– Lease options– Software that you can add on to– Pay over time– Software-as-a Service (SaaS)(monthly service)
Ways to avoid low bid trap • Use bid evaluation
criteria that discards submissions that don’t meet minimum specifications
• Consider total cost of ownership– A low up-front price
doesn’t mean lowest cost over time
Summary: The Keys to a Successful RFP
Summary: The Do’s And Don'ts Of Writing An RFP
• Do your research• Know what you want• Be specific enough to get what you
want, but general enough to invite creative solutions
• Avoid the low bid trap
Questions?• Feel free to contact us:
– 1-877-630-7366– www.seon.com