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Effective RFP's

Effective Request For Proposals are critical to getting what you need from your supplier. The RFP is where it all starts and by using the process to your advantage rather than treating it as a mechanical procurement exercise, you will get better results. Remember, you will be living with the supplier for the term of the contract, and their success will be your success.

By taking control of the process from procurement, you will ensure your ongoing operational needs are met and that the selection of a provider is truly based on best value and your needs using leading techniques and approaches.
We've been on both sides of the RFP process and know what it takes to do it right.

This one pager summarizes the key elements. You can Download it for free.

If you want help developing your RFQ and RFP process, including evaluation and transition, please feel free to contact us to discuss how we can add value for you.

This article is © Copyright Michel Theriault. Please review our Permissions

You can also read our latest Facilities Management blogs at www.thebuiltenvironment.ca

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Benchmarking Even if you think you are doing everything right, how do you know unless you compare? No organization is the best at everything and the same is true for yours. So, if you aren’t benchmarking, you can’t possibly be doing everything you should be doing.
Service Contract Reviews A Service Contract Review by an independent third party can help you ensure that you are getting the services you expect, that your contract documentation, including procurement, pricing, measurement and management, are delivering the best value and even establish the best approach for a renewal or re-bid.
Personal Coaching Coaching is a standard business approach to help managers and leaders with their development and with specific elements of their job. A confidential third party who isn’t invested in the organization’s politics or imbedded culture guides you or your staff through ideas and options with an un-biased, broad based view that helps you look at things more objectively.
Training & Education Are you holding a quarterly or annual meeting with your global, regional or local Facilities team? Need something to pump up your staff, give them training on strategic, leadership or management approaches in FM or help them collectively deal with an issue?
FM Systems Implementation Implementing Property Management and Facilities systems including CAFM, CMMS, Work Order management and Help Desks can sometimes be the single most important thing you can do to improve service, reduce costs and preserve your assets, including reducing future costs.
Team & Meeting Facilitation Finding solutions,developing ideas, brainstorming or holding an annual staff session is easier with an external facilitator to draw out results and shephard discussion, giving your better value, less wasted time and full participation.
Business Cases Effective Business Cases that get the results you need are not easy. They take research, analysis and strategy, not to mention a well crafted and written document that gets the point across and influences your boss, board of directors, council, CFO and anyone else who has the ability to accept or reject your business case.
Satisfaction Surveys Satisfaction Surveys provide you with key information about your FM services to help you make decisions and improve services. Strategic Advisor develops and implements surveys for Facility and Property Managers. This includes Customer Satisfaction Surveys, Employee Satisfaction surveys, Tenant opinion surveys and more.
Asset Management Services Asset Management delivers results by integrating all aspects of managing properties It provides overall management of the facility maintenance, capital planning, repair and replacement strategies, energy cost reduction strategies and more. It helps you develop a strategy to manage your facilities and maintain asset value, minimize costs and ensure your facilities serve your core business effectively.
Writing & Presenting for FM Communicating clearly is important to get your ideas across, influence others, look professional and get better results. Yet most Facility Managers and Property Managers have never had formal training in this important area. Get better results by understanding how to create clear, compelling and influencial communications.
Transition & Change Transitioning can include internal organizational changes, implementation of systems, outsourcing, out-tasking or subcontracting initiatives.
Strategic Planning Strategic planning implies looking at the future, but most managers are so busy dealing with operational issues, personnel issues, customer service and the day-to-day facility requests and issues. If you want to improve or change your organization or your facilities and buildings, you need a solid strategic plan that maps the requirements, benefits, risks, issues and implementation plan so you can get approval and move forward.
RFQ / RFP Procurement Well structured Request For Proposals (RFP) get the best results for your contracting initiative. They are harder to develop than it seems, and often internal staff are too busy with other initiatives or are too close to the services to effectively develop the RFP's. You end up living with your service contracts for several years at a time, so you want things to go smoothly.
Customer Service Customer service is just as important in an internal service delivery model as it is with externally facing services. It's often even harder to achieve, however, and can have a significant impact on the customer satisfaction food chain, since what you deliver affects the productivity and success of those receiving your services.
FM Assessments Is your FM organization and systems giving you what you need? Are you up-to-date on the leading practices and what you could be doing differently? A review can help you fine-tune or completely revamp your organization and systems.
Policies & Procedures Consistent and effective results require well developed policies and procedures that not only meet the needs of the service, they are easy to understand and implement. The benefit of documenting them is to provide training material, consistency and an auditable process you can measure for performance.
Performance Management Managing performance is the most important thing you can do to improve your service and processes. If you don't measure results, you don't have solid management information that enables you to make decisions and improvements that lead to your success.

The problem is identifying the right measures that won't drive the wrong behaviours and then effectively reporting, analyzing and acting upon the results.
Outsourcing Decision Outsourcing can be a viable business model. Your organization may or may not benefit from outsourcing, however your success depends on effective analysis, decision-making and implementation. We help you assess the benefits and identify the costs and risks of this important decision. The exercise can also help you identify what you can do internally instead of outsourcing.

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Where is Michel Next?

  • 22 June 2012
    Seminar @ SIMA 22 June 2012 03:00 PM to 04:00 PM

    "Winning Enough Business? Write Better Proposals" This seminar is essential for suppliers in the FM industry.

  • 23 June 2012
    Seminar @ SIMA 23 June 2012 08:00 AM to 09:15 AM

    "Procuring Success" For either supplies or Facility Managers, this will introduce techniques to improve the results of procurement

  • 19 July 2012
    Seminar @ Total Facilities Live 19 July 2012 04:00 PM to 05:00 PM

    Strategic Facilities Management - Get Results This two-part seminar covers 4 key topics to success: communicating to Influence,