Do you need to make a technology purchase before year-end? Or perhaps you just need to move quickly because the business is demanding it? You are not alone. Many IT and procurement leaders face the same challenge every Q4 when a critical system needs replacing, the business wants progress before budgets reset, and the selection process still takes months. The good news is that it does not have to. At Viewpoint Analysis, we have helped many organisations compress 90-day+ vendo

An RFI (or request for information) is usually the first step in the procurement process. It is a tried and trusted way to research the potential options available in the market and then narrow those options down to a shortlist. But, how do you run the best RFI process? An RFI that will engage the market and deliver the outcomes that you need? In this article, we look at what an RFI is and what you need to do (and not do) to really get the most out of the process. Viewpoint A

So what are Software Evaluation Criteria? You've probably heard it described as "evaluating vendors," but that's not quite right. Vendors, after all, are the people and organizations who sell you goods and services—they're not the product itself. So what is it exactly? Well, there are actually two main parts to this process. The first step is assessing your needs and goals so that you can best determine which products will meet them—and which won't. This can be called conduct

Selecting a vendor is a critical step in the procurement process. It can be one of the most time-consuming parts of the process, so it's important to do it right. A vendor selection process requires careful planning and execution if you want to avoid wasting time and money on bad vendors - but it's also critical to get the job done quickly. In this guide, we'll walk through how to run an effective vendor selection process for your business goals. We'll cover everything from u

An RFI (or request for information) is usually the first step in the procurement process. It is a tried and trusted way to research the potential options available in the market and then narrow those options down to a shortlist. But, how do you run the best RFI process? An RFI that will engage the market and deliver the outcomes that you need? In this article, we look at what an RFI is and what you need to do (and not do) to really get the most out of the process. Viewpoint A

Hiring a full-time procurement team or managing IT purchases internally can be time-consuming and expensive for many businesses. The new world of fractional roles has evolved over the years. What started as appropriate for only the most senior tiers within a business (e.g. fractional IT or marketing directors) has moved down the organization chart. Fractional IT procurement is now a solution that allows companies to get expert procurement services on-demand, without the ove

Enterprise technology encompasses many tools, software, and systems that businesses utilize to streamline and enhance their operations. While companies often deploy numerous technologies, the average employee typically has limited experience in selecting new systems. The most important people in any technology selection decision are the users of the new systems. These people tend to be experts in their domain but are rightly focused on their specific jobs and unlikely to have

RFP scoring can be a minefield - but it doesn't have to be. At Viewpoint Analysis, our approach is to keep it simple. We are looking to find the best partner to work with our clients - and therefore we really do not need to complicate what can already be a complicated process. So, how do we score an RFP? RFP Scoring Keep it simple The most important approach is to keep it simple. We use a really easy approach - just three scores so that the scoring team has to make a decisive