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How to Construct and Effective Telecom
RFP
Every day across the
business world, potential customers interact
with vendors and providers of goods and services
through signed agreements, often referred to as
the "RFP" or "Request for Proposal".
In the telecom industry,
the RFP can serve as the means for purchasing
equipment as well the preferred path by
companies and government agencies to obtain
telecom services and maintenance agreements from
telecom carriers themselves.
Although the
circumstances and desired results will have a
big impact as to the length, specificity, and
detail of an RFP, there are certain points that
you must consider when attempting to construct
one that is effective.
To maximize the result
and time spent on the RFP itself, be sure your
your next RFP contains the following:
1) A Table of Contents The
organization of material contained within the
RFP is best outlined in the beginning:the table
of contents. Outline each area of the RFP in
neat detail so that readers will be able to
quickly scan content and understand exactly how
the RFP has been organized.
2) A Situation Summary This
area provides the reader background information
about your company or organization - the nature
of the enterprise, size and scope, a brief
history, ownership information, etc. as well as
an overview of the current telecom systems and
the reasons and concerns for making changes.
3)
Required Rules of Response An effective RFP
will provide bidders with specific and concise
terms under which they must respond. You will
save alot of time and confusion by making this
section of the RFP specific and detailed. In it,
consider answering questions such as:
When is the due date for proposals?
To whom is the response to be delivered and
how many copies are needed?
What format should the response be and is
what kind of supporting material will be needed?
Who is the contact person for additional
information or premises inspections if
available?
Are there any exceptions in the proposal and
if so, to what degree will you accept?
4) Functional Objectives An
important part of an effective RFP is to explain
exactly what you wish to accomplish with the new
system or service and what you expect it to do
for you. It is in this area that you will
outline the needs analysis, operational
considerations, traffic details, etc.
5) Specifications Once you
have outlined the functional objectives, you
will need to state the specifics for which that
objective can be achieved. This section can be
generic in nature or very specific. When in
doubt, try to be as specific as the number,
size, color, type, etc. to eliminate
confusion.
6) Delivery and
Installation Here you will outline the
location of the products and/or services to be
delivered, connected and exactly when they must
be operational. Technical installation
requirements and any unusual scheduling
considerations should also be included.
7) Documentation and
Training This section specifies the required
physical labeling of components, circuits,
terminations, etc. You may wish to consider
requiring diagram layouts that identify the
location of fixed equipment and/or all cable
runs needed. Provision of installation and
technical manuals, user instructions, and
personnel training should also be included.
8) Warranties, technical
service and maintenance This section
addresses the availability, terms, guaranteed
response time, costs, etc. during the life of
the contract. Specify bases for pricing (i.e. a
purchase, 3 year lease, monthly lease, etc.) and
any allowances (trade-ins, prompt payment, etc.)
and rate guarantees. Strive to allow vendors to
include complete information in this section so
that the evaluation process is made that much
easier.
9) Vendor information
Lastly, it is a good idea to create an
opportunity (questionnaire) for vendors to
provide information about themselves. Most will
do so regardless, but may not address your
questions thoroughly. A short questionnaire of
information you require can be helpful when
sifting through bidders.
After completing your
RFP, put yourself in the vendors' position. Is
it clear and concise? Can you perhaps be more
specific in any areas to avoid confusion? Less
specific?
Overall, make your RFP
easy for the vendor to understand and respond.
Once you've made your decision, sign the
contract and chances are you will have a
positive and lasting relationship with the
chosen vendor or service provider.
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