Define what you need
Defining what it is you are actually setting out to buy is one of the most difficult stages of system selection. At the two extremes you run the risk of:
- Describing exactly what you do at the moment and missing out on opportunities for change and development or
- Constructing a wish list of objectives that no system can match
However, the creation of a Statement of Requirements is crucial. A carefully considered and well-constructed list will be invaluable throughout subsequent stages of selection and implementation. As well as formally stating requirements arising from your process review, the Statement of Requirements can be used as the basis for constructing the formal tender and hence provides a benchmark for initial shortlisting of products. It can also be used as the framework on which to base detailed evaluation scripts for selection events, insertion into a negotiated contract as a formal document of customer requirements, and can be used further in the implementation stage as the basis for user acceptance testing.
In preparing your initiation or scoping document you should have identified in broad terms what it is you are trying to achieve and what, if any constraints are imposed upon you. Where the nature of the project is essentially reactive e.g. the existing system is failing, the supplier is withdrawing support, the hardware requires replacement etc you may have constraints such as a fixed timescale or budget imposed. Where the aim is to improve upon an existing system, there may be greater scope to explore a range of possible solutions.
In the education environment, most procurement is subject to a formal tendering process and many business system replacement projects will be of sufficient scale to be subject to EU procurement legislation. Later sections of this infoKit deal with the process of preparing a tender document and with EU legislation; this section is concerned with starting to define the requirements internally. For smaller projects, the process of getting the requirements clear by means of a small team or focus group may give you all you need to move into the procurement stage. For larger projects this will be a first step in preparing a formal tender.
Your requirements will generally fall under three headings - general, technical and functional. The emphasis of the JISC infonet approach is on finding the best business solutions and to this end the model concentrates on functionality. We will however begin with the other areas as they may impose constraints on the rest of the project.
General Requirements
The first thing to consider is are there any general requirements which are a prerequisite for your decision? Examples of this may include requirements about the sort of company with whom you would consider doing business.
Are you prepared to contract with a small company that offers good product functionality or do you feel there is greater security in dealing with a larger organisation? It is advisable to involve your Finance or Treasurer's Department in decisions of this nature. They will normally be able to carry out an initial check on a company's status at an early stage in the evaluation. Credit Reporting can prove to be an invaluable tool at this stage.
Are you in the market for a specialist product which may have a limited user base or do you ideally want to identify a market leading product even if this means compromising in some areas of functionality?
Are you prepared to sign up to the company's standard licensing terms, do you wish to impose your standard contract on them or do you want to negotiate a contract? The answer to this question may depend on the size of the project and the extent to which you are undertaking any bespoke or developmental work. This does however have an impact on your procurement route especially where procurement is subject to EU regulations. Find out more about Procurement. You are advised to involve your Procurement Officer and Legal Adviser at an early stage.
