Tendering, Occidental Communications

Tendering

While only one of many means of acquiring systems and services, there is much to be said for the process of tendering. To begin with, the preparation of a request for tender requires the buying organisation to determine what their requirements are, the process of which should reduce the likelihood of an organisation acquiring something it really doesn't need. The second main benefit is that by documenting and articulating these requirements in a specification contained within a request for tender (RFT) document, the buying organisation is clearly stating the required capabilities of what is sought. And third, the tender process forces vendors to submit responses which address the organisation's documented requirements instead of skirting around them with well-rehearsed presentations.

The key here is articulation. An RFT document that is full of noble platitudes ("the system must be future-proof", "the service must deliver value for money", etc.) will lead to responses loaded with hype and waffle but short on comparable specifics. It is thus essential that the RFT be written in a manner which requires respondents to clearly stipulate that the system they are bidding is compliant, partially compliant or not compliant with each specific stated capability. The better written the RFT, the more likely the system or service that is eventually deployed will deliver what is claimed.

The principal has extensive experience writing requests for tender and evaluating responses submitted by vendors in response to them for the following systems and services:

l Telephone systems;
l IVRs, in some cases with a fully specified application;
l IVR systems with a fully specified application using speech recognition;
l CTI software, in some cases with a fully specified application;
l Predictive dialling systems;
l Audio call recording systems;
l E-mail management software;
l Collaborative browsing software;
l Workforce management software;
l CRM software;
l Telephone information and management software;
l Voice mail systems;
l Managed telephone services;
l Managed telephony carriage;
l Identity management software.

Guidelines for Writing an RFT
A list of attributes of a well-written RFT

The principal of Occidental Communications has developed a well-refined request for tender (RFT) template which has been used in consulting engagements for units of the NSW State Government, Victorian State Government, Commonwealth Government and numerous private enterprise clients. The keyword here is template - this template has been designed to be able to be easily adapted to the requirements of each of those clients of Occidental Communications who have required this service.

Articles and Papers on Tendering

Once Upon a Time … IT Director November, 2005

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