By May Huffer
It’s the beginning of a new year and with a new year comes new changes with just about any organization. Some changes are big and some small but all the while, inevitable. For example, you may be wondering if there are better ways to streamline your daily work tasks and if you can utilize technology to help. As a sales professional in the HR Technology space, I see this happen all the time. Companies have appointed their HR Directors and IT Managers to find ways to use technology to help employees be more productive and self-sufficient. It’s very common to issue RFPs or RFIs to find software systems that could be the solution to their unique business needs.
A lot of effort goes into creating and releasing an RFP/RFI. Analyzing the company’s current HR landscape and creating an HRIS strategy and roadmap are all part of the content in the RFP before it’s even released. Although that pre-RFP release leg work might seem like the most difficult part, in my experience what comes after an RFP/RFI has been released can be much more challenging.
Summarizing the vendor responses and distilling them to get an “apples to apples” comparison takes time, effort, and experience. HR technology consulting firms like HRchitect help in the creation of these comparison reports to ensure consistency in how each vendor is evaluated. For example, HRchitect in addition to reviewing vendor provided responses, will also include in a summary report Charts and tables to compare these vendors by price, fit to requirements and any other criteria important in decision making. We will also add information about the vendor based on our years of experience that the vendor may have omitted in their response.
It’s important to find vendor agnostic firms to help you if you are contemplating an RFP in the future. Hire a firm who is well known in the HCM space and who brings to the table templates and tools to provide a more efficient and effective experience.
So, if you’re about to do your own comparisons here are a few helpful tips:
- Assign a Project Manager to be the single point of contact for the RFP to assign tasks and stay on top of Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) and vendors
- Perform a vetting process of vendors before issuing an RFP making sure they meet at your minimum requirements for cost and functionality
- Work with HRchitect to help you make a fair and accurate comparison based on proven methodologies and decades of experience.
HRchitect is widely considered one of the best strategic technology consulting firms and your best insurance policy for success with any HCM project. Our services span from helping organizations create HCM technology strategic plans, evaluation and selection services for new or replacement systems (including the RFP process), change management, implementation services, and ongoing support.
About May Huffer
May has over 12 years of B2B outside sales experience that ranges from Retail to HCM Management Systems. She joined HRchitect in 2013 as a Regional Sales Manager and leads the sales efforts in the 14 state northeast region of the US as well as eastern Canada. May has worked with clients from mid-market to enterprise scale, who have deployed solutions ranging from Core HR systems to Workforce Management.