Request for Proposal
A request for proposal (RFP) can be defined as a formal document sent to potential surveyors by the company inviting them to present a proposal describing their software package and its capacity to meet the needs of the company. It is a methodology for selecting a supplier by defining the company’s requirements, so that suppliers can present their offers (Brown et al, 2012). To develop a RFP, the project team can use the criteria for selection. RFP is quite efficient since they provide the seller with a range of information concerning the required system. The document contains information about the requirements and objectives of the system, and the conditions under which the package will be working (Barnwal et al, 2009).
RFP also provides vendors with the criteria to be used in evaluating the proposals and conditions for the proposal submission. It offers the project team with an opportunity to evaluate the presented systems for capabilities in meeting the company’s needs as specified in the requirement list (Brown et al, 2012). The scores are then calculated; strengths and weaknesses discussed so as to determine the most appropriate system for the company. Subsequent processes include a demonstration made for the leading packages which can be done at the organization’s premises, vendor’s location or in another company where the program has been installed (Saito et al, 2012). It is necessary that the project team acquires references from other companies that use the software package. Vendors should provide lists of companies, on the basis of size, geographical proximity, and experience that apply the package. With that, the project team should then assess the discrepancy between the capabilities of the top packages with company’s needs. The team then comes up with the best ways to address these discrepancies. Package selection should also consider organizational changes. The decision to buy a package by all means must be acceptable by the management and IT department to ensure their dedication in implementing it (Brown et al, 2012). Response for proposal offers the company an opportunity to acquire the best suited system in regard to the company’s needs, in terms of workability, flexibility, and reliability.
References
Barnwal, V., Sagar, M., & Sharma, S. (2009). Response to Request for Proposals in IT Industry: Critical Success Factors. IIMB Management Review (Indian Institute of Management Bangalore), 21(4), 313-322. Retrieved from http://www.iimb.ernet.in/publications/review/december2009/critical-success-factors.
Brown, C. V., Dehayes, D. W., Hoffer, J. A., Martin, E. W., & Perkins,
W. C. (2012). Managing information technology (7th ed.). Upper Saddle
River, N.J: Prentice Hall.
Saito, Y., Monden, A., & Matsumoto, K. (2012). Evaluation of Non-Functional Requirements in a Request for Proposal (RFP). 2012 Joint Conference Of The 22Nd International Workshop On Software Measurement & The 2012 Seventh International Conference On Software Process & Product Measurement, 106. Retrieved from http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/articleDetails.jsp?reload=true&arnumber=6472573
