Vendor Selection

A Product Lifecycle Management or Enterprise Content Management project usually requires that a Commercial-Off-The-Shelf ("COTS") software product be purchased from a vendor. This activity is the "Vendor Selection" phase.

The Internet is a tremendous resource for developing an initial list of potential suppliers. There are also plenty of opportunities to become better informed by attending PLM or ECM seminars, webinars, conferences and trade shows.

By participating in some or all of these activities, vendors will follow-up and try to build a relationship with your organization. The project team should establish some baseline standards to qualify a vendor early-on in this process. A consultant can assist with this type of criteria if it's not readily available from your purchasing department.

In order to communicate your needs to qualified vendors, you should issue a Request For Information ("RFI") document derived from the Requirements Analysis. Depending on the size of the opportunity, vendors will respond with some or all of the following:

• Telephone calls,
• eMail,
• Documents,
• Webinars,
• On-site presentations,
• Head office and
• Installed site visits.

The project team should be prepared to take note of the critical features and functions that are presented during their interaction with each vendor. A consultant can provide a great benefit to a project team by leading a consistent information gathering and evaluation process.