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:

1. Ensure sure your initial brief is sound – involve your stakeholders, scope your requirements, and think through all the decisions that have to be made.
2. Base your decision on a balanced matrix of supplier capabilities, experience, and tender responses that will help you make your final decision.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.