Too many vendors and too many similar products are available on the market — the traditional procurement process is not always a great fit.
1. It's difficult to assess the differentiating capabilities for software solutions that have become commodities. 2. The end result: there truly are many suitable products that meet your needs, not just a select few. 3. The process between writing the RFP, posting to the market, and evaluating responses can take up to a year — all while technology solutions continue to evolve and your requirements likely have changed.
Three changes worth considering
1. Start with a short-list of vendors based on widely available public information, including client reviews. 2. Request a free trial upfront, then build a more focused, shorter RFP targeting specific needs rather than core functionality that all comparable products already have. 3. Collaborate with another company looking for a similar solution — when the solution is meant to automate a core business process rather than provide a competitive advantage.
This is exactly the free-trial philosophy behind how we build our own software products — a real trial upfront, not a crippled demo, so you can evaluate fit before committing to anything longer.
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