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This session provides valuable insights into working effectively with vendors and consultants. Learn to understand the vendor’s perspective, prioritize your needs, and demand competitive proposals. We discuss common pitfalls, such as missed deadlines and poor communication, and how to avoid them through careful proposal evaluations and clear documentation. Gain tools for fostering strong partnerships and ensuring accountability while also addressing budgetary considerations. Join us to enhance your vendor interactions and build capacity for your organization.
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Working With Vendors & Consultants:Do You Get What You Pay For? Ruby Sinreich ··· lotusmedia.org & PPFA Donna Bell ··· ncyt
Top Three Takeaways: • Understand the vendor’s perspective • Prioritize your needs • Demand competitive proposals
Introductions • Introduce speakers • Introduce yourselves • share past experience with vendors or goals for this session
Do You Need a Vendor? • Volunteers • Free-ish • Variable skills • Little accountability • Staff • Cost • Dependable • May require investment • Builds capacity • Vendors • Even more cost (usually) • High skills • Legal accountability
Care and feeding of your vendor Common pitfalls: • Missed deadlines • Different expectations • Poor communication How can we avoid these?
The RFP • Determine your needs first • Write a request for proposals • Spread the word • Get more than one proposal/offer
Proposals: Apples & Oranges • Prioritize your needs • Analyze costs and benefits • Ask follow-up questions if needed • Evaluate and compare
How to Speak Geekor “it’s all geek to me” • Understand the geek mindset • Beware the jargon • Get it in writing • ‘Google’ terms you don’t know
Q & A • Resources: • TechSoup.org • ManagementHelp.org • Each other • This outline & handouts are at:lotusmedia.org/vendor