IT Outsourcing Roadmap Index

One of the important document used in the IT outsourcing vendor selection process is the RFI document.

Steps in developing the RFI;

Define internally the profile of a successful service vendor

Prepare a list of key issues candidates should elaborate on. Prioritize and weight these issues.

Establish the RFI evaluation criteria. Make sure you use numerical methods along written evaluation for easier comparison.

The RFI document and the key questions you ask in the RFI form the basis of the Vendor Evaluation Sheet.

List of key issues to be included in the RFI document;

The company

Basic information about the company and business model (company name, year of establishment, mission, vision, business modell, organisation structure)

Subsidiaries and foreign representation

Legal form

Shareholder structure and joint ventures

Company size (annual turnover, number of employees, geographic coverage)

Availability of a business plan

Overall reputation and market position of the company  Networking and alliances

Networking and alliances

Management

Focus, motivation, ambition and commitment

Corporate governance

Background, experience, skills and education

Leadership and team process

Awareness of industry trends

Cultural fit, corporate culture

Experience and capabilities

Services and products offered

Research and development

Breadth and depth of domain knowledge

Client base and partners (local, locally active internationals, global)

Customer and partner satisfaction

Account and risk management

Capacity

Disaster recovery planning

Data privacy, security and confidentiality

Project and program management skills (geography, project size, project type) and methods. Performance and quality measurement, project tracking.

Transition and change management

Experience with various pricing models and service level agreements

Flexibility

Value proposition

Pricing, costs, terms and conditions, effort estimating methods

Intellectual property protection

Willingness to take and share risks

Human resources

Number of personnel and capacity

Key staff members

Experience levels, education background and certifications

Cultural fit

Attrition rates

Initiatives for improving staff retention

Training opportunities offered by the company (in-house and external)

Employment benefit package (salaries, bonuses, secondary benefits)

Staff selection and evaluation process

Language skills

Work conditions and common facilities

Infrastructure and technologies

Communication and IT infrastructure, redundancies

Technology portfolio and compatibility

Key processes, process discipline and quality certification

Security: physical, hardware, software, data, access, infrastructure, intellectual property, etc.

Based on the key elements of the RFI and the vendor evaluation criteria set the Vendor Evaluation Sheet can be designed.