Selecting the right vendor

We start by taking the requirements gathered during the initial phase of your ICT project and translating them into clear, actionable documents that vendors can respond to. ​
 

• Request for Information (RFI): Used to gather insights from vendors about their capabilities, solutions and experience with the problems you are trying to solve and how to approach them.
   

• Request for Tender (RFT): A formal invitation for vendors to submit competitive bids based on your requirements.
   

• Request for Proposal (RFP): A detailed document outlining your project needs, inviting vendors to propose solutions, pricing, and implementation plans. ​

These documents are tailored to your business goals, ensuring vendors understand your priorities and can provide solutions that align with your non-negotiables. ​

Once the documents are finalised, Pro Partner helps you manage the market engagement process, ensuring everything runs smoothly and efficiently.
 

• Distributing RFI, RFT, and RFP documents: We either share the documents with a curated list of vendors who meet your initial criteria (closed) or go out to market (open)

• Facilitating vendor Q&A: We act as the point of contact for vendor inquiries, ensuring all questions are answered promptly and consistently.

• Tracking responses: We monitor submissions to ensure vendors meet deadlines and provide complete responses.

This process ensures that you receive high-quality proposals from vendors who are capable of delivering the solution your business needs. ​

Once a preferred vendor is selected, Pro Partner assists with contract negotiations to ensure the terms align with your business goals and protect your interests.

 

• Defining Deliverables: We ensure the contract clearly outlines the vendor’s responsibilities, timelines, and expected outcomes. ​

• Addressing Risks: We help you identify and mitigate risks related to licensing, data ownership, and ongoing support. ​

• Ensuring Transparency: We ensure pricing, maintenance costs, and future scalability are clearly defined in the agreement. ​

This step ensures you enter into a partnership with confidence, knowing the vendor is committed to delivering on their promises. ​

Our team works closely with you to ensure your RFI, RFT, and RFP documents are comprehensive, clear, and aligned with your project objectives.

Each document includes:
 

• Project overview: A summary of your business goals and the purpose of the ICT project.

• Scope of work: Detailed descriptions of the functionalities, features, and outcomes you expect.

• Evaluation criteria: Clear guidelines on how vendor responses will be assessed, ensuring transparency and fairness. ​

• Technical requirements: Specific details about system integrations, scalability, security, and performance.

• Budget and timeline (optional): Information about your financial constraints and project deadlines. ​Sometimes it's best to hold these back to get the real story from vendors!

• Vendor expectations: Requirements for vendor experience, support, and ongoing maintenance. ​
   

By structuring these documents effectively, we ensure vendors can provide detailed, relevant responses that allow you to make informed decisions. ​

​Pro Partner supports you in evaluating vendor responses using proven frameworks and methodologies.

 

• Multi-criteria analysis (MCA): We help you assess vendor proposals based on key factors such as cost, functionality, scalability, and alignment with your non-negotiables.

• Weighted scoring: We assign scores to each proposal based on your evaluation criteria, ensuring an objective comparison of vendors. ​

• Vendor presentations​: Challenging vendors to bring their proposal to life in front of your technical team and executives can help weed out poor performers and increase your understanding of the solution.

Our favourite method for evaluating vendor responses is a two step, two envelope process that separates technical and financial information, prioritising each component independently for the best outcome.

This structured approach ensures you select the vendor who offers the best value, alignment, and long-term potential for your ICT project. ​