Written by Jeremy Praud, Head of UK & Europe at Lauras International.
I toyed with the idea of calling this blog ‘how to choose a supplier’, but realised that when it comes to embarking on a strategic change project that will shape the whole future of your company, you’re really looking for more – you’re looking for a partner.
As an Improvement Support partner to our clients, we’ve been asked a number of times to assist with the tender process of acquiring, building, or divesting factories.
The tender process can take many forms – but our top tips will help you to keep it fair and focused:
- Ensure sure your initial brief is sound – involve your stakeholders, scope your requirements, and think through all the decisions that have to be made.
- Base your decision on a balanced matrix of supplier capabilities, experience, and tender responses that will help you make your final decision.
- Only invite companies to tender that have a strong reputation and all the capabilities you require for your project. This requires a fair bit of homework.
- Make the process as clear and the timeframe as short as possible – so all involved know what is expected and remain engaged throughout the process.
- When it comes to making a decision – rule tenders based on your matrix and remember to feedback to the unsuccessful companies and thank them for their tender.
- Always perform due diligence on your final shortlist to assess financial stability before awarding the contract to your project partner.
If you have a strategic change project on the horizon and would like some assistance in choosing partners that will help guarantee the success of the project – then get in touch today and we’ll guide you through the selection process.
