Undertaking a supplier selection is a significant exercise for any organisation. The amount of time required from both business and the IT function is high. This is necessary for you to ensure that the correct solution is put in place as a result of the selection exercise.

Defining the requirements for the supplier is critical to the success of your selection exercise. It is difficult to select well if the selection criteria is not defined. This needs to cover many different aspects of the business and not just the business functions that will be supported.

 

You need to address:

  • The impact on IT
  • The strategic fit
  • The integration of the solution with the rest of the organisation
  • The cost of the solution
  • The culture of the supplier
  • The service level agreements that need to be put in place
  • The measures of these service levels
  • The ability of both parties to implement the solution