Vendor Procurement for Upgrade to Email System
American Intercontinental University
May 4, 2014

Group Members:

Lavina Barry
Terrence Hamil
Michael Jozwiak
Olabode Samuel

ODHS Vendor Evaluation Vendor selection can be tricky in business, and selection of best candidate vendor must be made through educated decisions and proper research into the vendors. Procurement is defined as the process by which a company purchases goods or services from another company, (Cambridge, 2014). This is a very vague definition that can mean a wide range of things. In this case it is the purchase of the new upgraded version of the email software used by this company. This is important to understand as we cannot produce the product ourselves and we must purchase from an outside vendor. Without proper research into vendors this can increase cost and ultimately cause the project to fail or not meet its required deadlines. Because of this fact we must find the best methods to select a vendor and in doing so must create a listing of necessary products and services. By comparing and contrasting the vendors and awarding it to the best possible candidate we will be using the value approach. This approach, when used correctly and not influenced by outside parties is not only fair, but is also effective in selection of the best possible vendor for the job. Now that a method has been selected we must create a list of criteria that each vendor must demonstrate in order to be in consideration for the project. I propose that we base our final selection off of the following criteria. Financial solidarity of the company is important and should be a major factor in our selection process. We cannot afford to risk giving this project to a vendor who is in financial trouble. The second criteria that should play a role in selection is past history of project deliverables to determine if the vendor has a history of being late on designated timelines of delivery dates, thereby eliminating them from the selection. Cost is perhaps the most obvious of the criteria, and one that most companies fixate on. We must ensure that our cost is low enough that we do not lose money on the project. This does not mean that the lowest cost vendor is necessarily the best candidate, as there are other factors involved in the decision process. These three factors, amongst a few others not listed are going to be key in ODHS’s selection of the vendor for the new upgraded email system. The vendor s selected will be able to meet our key software requirements and outlined tasks within the allocated timelines and budget, as stated in our projects tasks and timelines that had been approved by both the project manager and sponsor May 4, 2014. We have created a selection methodology that eliminates decisions based on vendor or product bias and focuses on product performance and our key software requirements. Our system requirements, project tasks and value of each identified criterion are clearly outlined to ensure that the project committee’s focus during vendor presentations is on system compatibility rather than on additional or optional product features. The project overview is stated in a well precise terms to avoid potential misunderstandings or misinterpretations and we have identified our expected deliverables cleanly and clearly. The projects statement of work (SOW) defines our project goals and objectives to ensure a clear understanding of work agreement, vendor expectations and project requirements. To facilitate selecting a vendor, a select team will be formed to prepare vendor research to define the product, determine materials, business requirements and the services needed from vendors. The results will be published in the form of a Request for Information (RFI) and select a criterion that meets the needs of the organization. The process traditionally used by ODHS for evaluating criterion to select vendors is Best Value. Best value