Turbocharge your vendor software selection decision and ROI.

What's really behind a prospective vendor's door?

Optimize Your Vendor Software Decision

Two Approaches for Selecting Vendor Software

RFPs historically were used to gather information from a vendor. Decades ago, the Internet didn't exist, and vendors closely guarded their customer lists. RFPs were the primary option for gathering vendor information to make an informed decision.

The Internet and AI provide extensive information on vendor marketplaces and products. The decision-maker's dilemma has shifted from no information source, except the vendor, to information overload and clutter.

Use one of two vendor evaluation and selection approaches.

Enhanced RFP

An enhanced traditional approach that values a stage-gated process leveraging procurement organizations as intermediaries with vendors. Early diligence is centered on software requirements. Evaluation stages progress linearly until a final vendor recommendation.

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Just in Time Decision Evaluation (JITDE™)

A partnering approach that leverages ongoing capability team research and networking activities is heavy on interactive dialogue and is lighter on paper and intermediaries to accelerate and optimize your vendor decision.

The JITDE™ approach, aka Brief-based approach, emphasizes early in-depth needs, vendor and peer organization diligence, and a strong focus on vital versus many trivial needs. 

The comprehensive diligence results in two or three of the most viable vendor candidates receiving an RFP or Brief (a trimmed version of an RFP.)

An accelerated evaluation and selection process leveraging an intensive 3-day, onsite vendor summit results in a final vendor recommendation.

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Compare and Contrast Software Evaluation Approaches

Enhanced RFP Modern JITDE™
Critical deliverables include RFP, Demos, Site Visits, Score Sheets, and Recommendation Business Outcomes, Vital Needs, Partner Experience Checklist, Recommendation, and Contract
Many vendors Up to three vendors
Share equally with all vendors throughout the RFP response to maintain a level playing field Share equally at the beginning and allow vendors to differentiate themselves
Linear process to completion Nonlinear: Concurrent and interactive process
Eight-month+ plus duration, including contract negotiation Three-month duration
Paper-based process Interactive dialogue, experience-based
Emphasis on scoring Emphasis on partner dialogue experience and scoring
Sales-focused Business outcome-focused
Software-oriented Capability-oriented
Many trivial needs Vital few and differentiating needs
Rigid change culture Flexible and adaptive culture
Inside-out thinking Outside-in; Inside-out thinking
Procurement-driven Business-driven
Enables obfuscation Enables clarity
Back-end loaded dialogue Front-end loaded dialogue