Software Vendor Selection & Negotiation

Considering a major software purchase? We have experience, and deliver success.

We utilize a software vendor selection methodology which compliments your purchasing process.

The familiar opportunity: increase sales, improve customer satisfaction, and decrease costs. The risk: wasted money, declining morale, and a significant opportunity lost.

Our methodology

Maximizes the chance of a successful fit to avoid being one of the 50% of large implementations that fail
Delivers the best price and terms saving companies millions of dollars in licensing and implementation fees
Keeps the project on schedule so that deliverables are met
Maximizes the use of your time by leveraging our consultants, and methods, rather than spending unnecessary time juggling multiple vendors.

Best Practices: Software Selection

We bring a comprehensive vendor selection methodology.

In order to make sure you're getting the very best software within your timeframe and budget, we

Identify all candidate firms at the onset of the process
Leverage vendor input while creating a clear, easy-to-use RFP
Structure efficient communications with multiple firms, while maintaining fairness
Compare packages with side-by-side demonstrations of well-defined use cases, rather than general (often highly selective) demonstrations led by the vendor’s sales team.

Rest assured we avoid relationships with software or services firms which would put as at a conflict of interest. We bring experience not bias to the table.

Best Practices: Negotiation in Software Purchasing

Negotiations for large software purchases are best done in parallel with selection.

We apply general negotiating principles as well as software-specific techniques.

We clarify vendor interests (stated and unstated) and constraints at the onset of any negotiations. For example, small and medium-sized public firms may report the number of "seven figure deals" during analyst conference calls, and licensing terms may be constrained at the board level. Getting clear on these can help bring success, and avoid time-consuming breakdowns during negotiations.
We achieve the best terms by structuring agreements on (non-binding) assumptions of the largest-possible eventual partnership. Long-term planning can help both organizations be clear on the importance and value of the deal.
We introduce negotiations before short-list selection. This critical step brings maximum leverage at every phase of the negotiation. Effort invested here can mean all the difference in price... and will actually save you time in the overall process.