Prepare Your Vendor Selection For The Future Of Services Sourcing

Selecting the right vendor for your IT services needs is becoming increasingly important as the solutions in the IT services marketplace evolve and change and the importance of strong business alignment increases. Selecting the right vendor for your business requirements with the right solution, the right capabilities, and the right price is becoming increasingly complex, and yet Forrester sees many companies still struggling with the basics. While the sourcing strategy describes the goals and objectives of a good sourcing decision and the activities supporting these, vendor selection is the next critical step in executing the strategy. The process — involving RFPs, negotiations, and contracting — becomes more complex with new disruptive technologies, a stronger need for business/IT alignment, and changing delivery models. This document addresses what needs to be considered in the RFP process, which elements are important for contracting, and how to use this information to negotiate with vendors.