Anticlue

Request Seller Responses Process

The Request Seller Responses process is when the project manager obtains the quotations, bids and proposals from the vendor. The vendor responses should include how the project requirements can be reached and the costs associated. Just remember there needs to be time for the vendors to generate proposals.

The inputs into the process are:

• Organizational Process Assets – Organizational process assets normally have a list of bidders. For example if one is moving into WOW (workstations on wheels), having a group of vendors listing who have been successful in the organization is key. Once I was going through a pilot, and our COW vendor never delivered the hanging file folders for the ED WOWs. After escalating the issue with the company, the guy showed up with wire ties and metal folders from staples. Needless to say, this vendor was not on the house wide roll out.


• Procurement Management Plan – The Procurement Management Plan details how to manage the procurement. It is good to refer to this and inform the prospective vendors of your internal process.


• Procurement Documents - Procurement documents are from the Plan Contracting process which describe how the seller's response should be presented, provide details about the required product, service, or result. Basically these are a guideline for bids or proposals to your organization.

When obtaining bids from vendors it is a key point to keep in mind, one has to ask for the right information in the right way. Otherwise as a project manager, you may be tagged with favoritism.
So how does one create a sandbox for all vendors to play in and not get into sand ball wars? The tools and techniques recommended from PMI are:

• Bidder Conferences - Bidder conferences are a meeting with all the potential sellers to assure requirements are clear for the project and the bidding process. These are particularly useful for complex, technical, or flexible procurement specifications because they provide a forum for discussion with everyone. An outcome of a bidder conference maybe to change the procurement documentation in order to reflect what sellers are capable of delivering.


• Advertising - Advertising is used to increase the potential seller list by publicly stating the solicitation in magazines, newspapers and other publications.


• Develop a Qualified Sellers List - By working from organizational supplier lists, trade organizations (like himss), or trade magazines, the project manager can determine whether potential sellers are qualified to deliver the product, service, or result required.

Requesting Seller Responses will help assure willing capable sellers are approached for a proposal.
At the end of the Request Seller Responses process, you should have the following outputs:

• Qualified Sellers List - The Qualified Sellers List is a list of vendors who are being asked to submit a proposal.


• Procurement Document Package - The Procurement Document Package is instructions for how the vendor is to respond to the proposal.


• Proposals - Proposals are seller prepared response which details how the seller will deliver the required product, service, or result. Proposals are considered a formal and legal response to the buyer’s request. Sometimes these are followed by on-site vendor presentations.