NewYork2008:Managing Consultants and Dealing with Vendors

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Description

This peer sharing workshop will invite participants to compare their processes and tactics for managing critical project relationships that fall outside of organizational boundaries.

Session Notes

Vendor and Consultant Relationship Management Breakout - Jeremy & Michelle facilitating


What do organizations look for in vendors?

A good product

Match between vendor core competencies and organization needs

Some personality match between vendor/consultant and organization

Find a consultant that approaches problem solving in the way your organization is comfortable with - compatible philosophies

Non-profit pricing from vendors and consultants - discounted products and services - mini/pseudo grants

Keep a professional relationship with a clear, well-stated contract

Vendors need to show the same accountability to non-profits as they do with their other clients

Service level agreements well-defined - on paper

Web-content ownership defined

Business arrangement - its nice if they support the mission, but bottom line is the vendor service quality

Don't sacrifice a competent consultant for a good personality/warm-fuzzy relationship fit

Emotional connection between vendor/consultant and organization can cause problems in projects

Need to have a comfortable working relationship for successful project completion

Websites very emotional for organizations - branding, sometimes it is first glimpse of the organization the world sees


It is more efficient to work with fewer consultants/vendors for problem resolution and project success

Make sure you know who is doing the work - the vendor/consultant could outsource your work again - specify who is doing the work in the contract

Avoid vendor lock-in when possible

Organizational empowerment

Vendors like to maintain dependence

Demand that vendors educate you on the technical setup in your environment so you can change vendors if necessary

Make sure you have an exit strategy if the vendor/consultant relationship does not work out

If you pay someone to write code make sure you have the source and rights to modify the code if the relationship fails

Vendor responsiveness expectations set up front - ensure it is clear when someone is not meeting up to their end of the agreement

It is best for the organization to know what problem they are trying to solve when they engage a vendor or consultant to help

Organizations should shop around and talk to multiple vendors before deciding to proceed with a new relationship - validate why a vendor/consultant is selected for a contract

Authentic communication between organization & vendor/consultant - communication channels defined up front

      • Single point of contact (SPOC) - vendors/consultants need a clearly defined lead contact to maintain project momentum


Where do organizations look for vendors?

Vendor selection - research vendors online, word of mouth with similar organizations

RFP needs to be as specific as possible with requirements and schedule

Sometimes for specific or complicated technology requests RFPs can be sent out more broadly to let the appropriate vendors find you

TechFinder website - vendors/consultants advertise services

TechSoup.org - good site with example RFPs and vendors that would be good

Consultant Comments website - not a lot of information now, but may have good information in the future


What happens when a vendor relationship goes bad?

Communication - tell the vendor early in the process that you are not happy with their services

Face to face meeting to discuss the issues - give the vendor an opportunity to resolve the issue/develop a plan to work with you to remedy the situation

If the vendor is defensive and not willing to work with you ---> good idea to look for a new vendor

Understand what issues the vendor/consultant is facing (not receiving data on time) before bringing up an issue

Create a schedule of expectations for the vendor to meet and withhold payment if legally possible

Batch small customizations into one large request with a higher dollar amount to get a vendor's attention

Face to face meetings help a lot when there are large issues to address

Build in project evaluations with the vendor/consultant (unbilled) to get candid information on how things are working


The decision to go with a small vendor or large vendor?

Understand your needs now and how they will grow to ensure you vendor can handle them

Smaller agencies will provide more personal service but not always the best response


      • A-Has ***

Communication with the vendor - single point of contact, well defined channels

Find a vendor whose core competency aligns with your core needs

Write a good contract to enforce requirements with a good exit strategy