Selecting Membership and Fundraising Systems The traditional approach to this type of work is to spend many hours and days preparing a very detailed Invitation To Tender (ITT) that is then sent to an extensive range of potential vendors for their response. With modern software packages this approach is very wasteful of time for both the package user and vendor and in an increasing number of instances software vendors are declining to quote against very long and detailed ITTs. In addition to being a lengthy process there is the very real danger that in specifying the ITT in such detail the user organisation will “build in” existing business processes that will: Not marry with the vendors’ packages and thus unnecessarily eliminate them from the selection process, irrespective of their real overall merits. Restrict the user organisation’s view of the processes. It is quite likely that vendors have identified better, more efficient, business processes and there is the possibility that the user organisation will try to computerise their existing processes and not take advantage of new technologies that could revolutionise their business. The approach is to distil out from the users’ requirements the core functional needs and to present this to a select group of known quality vendors. Then conduct a brief review of each potential vendor to understand whether their product offering really can fulfil your core needs. This should “deselect” half of the potential vendors. The remaining vendors should then be asked to provide a focused response to your key business needs from which two or three could be asked to prepare a presentation of their software. It is important here not to let the vendors to have their head as otherwise you will be shown the best features of the product that may or may not be what you need. It is important therefore that the product demonstration is well scripted to ensure that the demonstration will prove to you that the package can accomplish all your core business processes. The concern here is not so much how it does it but whether it can do it at all. If the package cannot perform the core tasks then it must be deselected irrespective of all the other “bells and whistles” it may have. It is likely that two or more packages can satisfy your needs and then the decision comes down to the following: VIABILITY OF THE SUPPLIER What is the supplier pedigree and what similar reference sites can they provide to reassure you that they are not using you as the test bed for their software. All companies have to start somewhere but with such a critical business need it is not in your interest to be the first with a supplier. When meeting with the potential vendor it is important to see more than the salesman. By their very nature they are friendly and persuasive but once the sale is made they will not necessarily be seen again. It is important to make sure that the presentation is conducted by staff who will remain in contact with you once the sale is made and who can answer your technical and business process questions on the day of the demonstration.   PRODUCT FEATURES Which of the packages presented best fulfilled the core needs. Then, and only then, should you consider the additional “nice to have” features which impressed you and which you consider would add to the efficiency of your business processes. Choose a consultant that has detailed knowledge of this market place. Different packages have particular strengths in discrete areas and the ultimate choice will be totally dependant on how the package strengths match up to your core needs. CORE TECHNOLOGY A feature rich product that is based on proprietary or old technology is a risk and it is thus very important to consider the underlying technology used by the vendor. Consideration must also be given to your organisation’s ability to manage the technical platform. Increasingly the Internet is playing a major role in modern software and due consideration needs to be taken of the package’s web capabilities. PRICE Price should not be the main determining factor but, of course, there is likely to be a limited budget and when comparing products the “best” product may be unreasonably expensive compared with the next in line. It should be the last factor considered. When comparing packages a scoring system can be employed to remove the subjectivity and as a reference for later comparison and discussion. A template can be produced weighting the relevant features with key features given the highest weighting. The package feature capability would be scored against the weighted feature list to produce an overall score. Then the subjective issues can be considered. Have your consultant present at the product demonstrations to ensure that the vendor stays on track and that best use is made of both your and the vendor’s time. Each presentation should consist of an initial company presentation and product overview followed by detailed demonstration of the products functionality in all the declared areas of need. Following each presentation a nominated team, including the consultant, should prepare a scored report on the vendor and product for later discussion. Once all the presentations have been made the team should meet to discuss the relative merits and select the preferred supplier. The consultant could then prepare a draft contract for supply and negotiate with the preferred supplier to a mutually satisfactory conclusion. Once contracts have been exchanged the consultant could be retained to oversee the system design, implementation and project management thus ensuring a completely satisfactory conclusion to the process. For further information please Ask Charlie at Charlie@askcharlie.co.uk.
Ask Charlie Limited 7 Larch Way Ferndown Dorset BH22 9SS	Telephone: Fax: Mobile: Email: Web:	01202 861540 01202 870414 07802 218707 charlie@askcharlie.co.uk http://www.askcharlie.co.uk

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