Procurement Tips

At INTP, we focus on the end result of the procurement, which is the operation provided by the contracted service provider for the period of the contract and beyond.

INTP consultants believe the better outcome relates to the clarity of the contract, the services and the service providers understanding when they are bidding.  A clear and complete Request For Proposals (RFP) is vital in soliciting this understanding through the proposals.  Selection should concentrate on the most appropriate proposal by evaluating that understanding and related, relevant approach to achieve the end results.

The RFP must seek the information from the proponents that the organization wants to evaluate on.  Therefore the procurement and RFP development should commence with the identification of evaluation criteria.

During the procurement process, we lead the organization into asking the question “what will make the best service provider perform the services that meet the organization’s requirements for the next ‘n’ years (at least the length of the contract)”.  Based on the answer to this question the evaluation criteria can be determined.  The question can be asked at a number of different levels as the evaluation criteria are further detailed.  Through this breakdown, the characteristics of the preferred vendor can be outlined and documented for the rating phase of the evaluation.

Procurement is a vital step in any initiative and/or operation.  It is not something that can be done “off the side of someone’s desk” very well.  It takes some focus and adequate time.  After all, some of the contracts are in place for years, or at least some of the implemented business components from contracts will operate for years.  Shouldn’t it be given its due diligence?  Use someone with experience and knowledge of legal impacts and risks and someone who can facilitate a fair, equitable and consistent procurement process.