A proposal is a clear and understandable well documented presentation on how to approach a problem. In the case of IRFC as they look into vendors for the different functions including a new system for billing goods. In order to find the best the company has issued a technical approach as to ways in which they can find the best vendor for the services by outsourcing. In outsourcing of a vendor the company will require to provide different requirements in approach to the needs or requirements of the proposals.
Understanding of the customer needs- in order to qualify the proposal has it be well identified with the organization and provide a well researched framework. In this case the evaluation process will deny all the proposals in which the organization experience is below five years.
Value proposition- as indicated the budget for this transition is $ 100,000 in this case there will be a denial of proposals that are over the budget. Those with $125,000 will be looked upon in the next steps. In this stage the experience and ability to carry out the technical and management aspects.
Recommendations or referrals from other companies – an organization that has been referred by the by a different organization who have installed the same system will be highly ranked in the vendor list. It is also adamant that there is understanding of the technology and knowledge of the customers business.
The decision of the denying and accepting of the vendor proposal will include employees from the IT department and the customer service department. This is mainly because both departments will be in charge of the system workings. It will be crucial for them to understand the impacts of the billing system in accordance to company profile.
The vendor proposal after going through the different steps and selecting the decision making committee it is important to evaluate the different vendors. The team will need to list and identify the needs which are independent of the whole process. The list will help them to develop criteria to evaluate the vendors in regards to technical and project management of the application. The vendor selection team will evaluate the proposals with issues ranging from cost, risks associated, performance evaluation and the overall of the three.
The team will review and assess the proposals putting in place the evaluation criteria in the first part. In this case the team will go through the different proposals and will identify the strengths and weaknesses. In the case the team will need to consider what the vendor brings to the company making it worth it. Technology experts in the field will find it important for IRFC to know what weaknesses associated with the technology.
The team of IT experts within the decision process will ensure the process undergoes a scrutiny that will enable them understand the functioning of the system. It will be important for those involved in the decision making to provide incentive on the new system. As the above case it will require for the customer care representatives to be trained on how the billing system work. The vendor proposal which they will require a training schedule for the customer service department. There are several important factors that the decision making team require to make sure they select the best vendor.
Quality – in the selection criteria the team will look into the proposals and try and expand the expectation of the process by evaluating the quality of their materials. In this case it will be required that the vendors system will be well proofed to provide the quality service been rendered. As indicated in the case the billing application will require integration software and it is good to understand how the company can provide this as well according to the specifications.
Price/ cost – it is imperative in any project not to go over budget with the proposed application and thus this will be an important criterion in the selection process. This may require for some internal programmers to be included in the testing and installing. The budget should be adhered to and to find one who can provide all this in one package will help in procuring the process.
Financial health – it is important to look into the financial health of the vendor company. This will be an important factor to put in consideration as the financial stability will help them to execute a well researched plan on their behalf.
Past performance records- any company providing a service is required to have a past performance record. In this case it is the decision making team’s to find out and examine their past performances. This is to ensure that they provide quality work according to their vendor proposal.
Vendor’s profile- this profile will provide information that is relevant to the process from their reputation in the field to the financial health and credibility.
Mode of payments – it is important to take this into consideration as it may heavily affect the cash flow of the company especially as this is a new product.
In this case the resources, budget and schedule of the billing application are crucial to the vendor selection process. The project contains different aspects from the testers, programmers and the training of the personnel. In delivering the selected vendor it is important for the team to consider whether they require more than one supplier. This will help a great deal in ensuring all parts of the project are well looked into.
The system upgrade will ensure easy access for customer and staff by ensuring that their records are well documented. At the end of the project there will be significant changes to the existing business process, changing to existing jobs as well as new positions. The customers will then be able to view and pay their bills on line this will greatly reduce the operating costs. This will enhance customer service department by ensuring that customer service agents are available. The selection team will choose the vendor for the program and ensure that they are able to provide all the requirements. As project manager outsourcing is the way to go by hiring people who are experienced in this more upgraded system.
There will be the purchase of training materials which will focus on training the rest of the customer care department to be able to help the customers in a better way. As for the integration system the time it will take to be programmed into the system thus hindering the timing of the billing application. The vendor selection provides better options in regards to the quality of service for the company.
The vendor will be required to follow the timeline in order to be able to provide the services and upgrade the system with ease. In improving the company will be able to cut costs and provide better ways to examine the application upgrade making sure the system is well experienced even by the employees. The billing application in this case will ensure that ILRC to provide accounts that are well examined application to ensure quality delivery of services. This project will ensure that the vendor selected can well provide the service as the process is still undergoing. By choosing a quality vendor will ensure quality service for the billing application.
References
Joel D. Wisner, K.-C. T. (2008). Principles of Supply Chain Management: A Balanced Approach. Cengage Learning.
Kasilingam, R. G. (1998). Logistics and Transportation: Design and Planning. Springer.
Khosrowpour, M. (1999). Managing Information Technology Resources in Organizations in the Next Millennium: 1999 Information Resources Management Association International Conference, Hershey, Pa, Usa, May 16-19, 1999. Idea Group Inc.
