Are you in the process of choosing a new vendor? Here are the top ten Vendor Vetting Tips

Here are the top ten tips and things to look for when choosing a new vendor!
1. Longevity, how long the vendor has been in business doing this type of work, their depth of experience, the skill set, and how they portray their best practices to you.
2. Building the Relationship: Let vendors see that you’re not trying to nickel-and-dime them. I think vendors respect a client who is willing to be flexible when it comes to the workload, cost, time, and so on.
3. Your vendor is not delivery work to your expectation: Acknowledge that their work product has changed, that their services are no longer meeting your needs. Be honest and give feedback. Be very clear as to why you’re disappointed.
4. Have an exact scope of work prepared, every vendor does things different so having a scope defined reduces the “I didn’t include that conversation.” It will also ensure pricing is apples to apples across the board.
5. Vet a minimum of three vendors for each project.
6. Observe their project management methodologies. It’s important that you see they have their risk management under control and that they have a communication protocol in place. They should have some sort of backup plan in case the project is going awry.
7. Be sure to get appropriate buy-in from all the internal stakeholders, and make sure your contracts are designed in a way that benefits both parties.
8. Verify the have the equipment and man power to perform the project to the specifications required.
9. Ensure they provide you with references that measure their quality of work and that the reference is for similar types and size of work you are going out to bid for.
10. The interview: Have a face to face interview, email and phone conversations are great but nothing gives you a feel for a contractor or vendor like a face to face interview!
If your thinking about moving on from a current vendor and assigning a new vendor to a portfolio or project here are some questions you may ask your self!
1. Do I want to continue to do business with them?
2. Are They willing to accommodate our infrastructure?
3. Can they build their systems to support our infrastructure?
4. If a vendor’s service is shaky, email the account manager, and maybe copy the CEO, and give clear examples of where you saw a difference in the service quality. It gives them an opportunity to remedy the situation and to improve.
If your looking for a new partner, contact us today at Transblue we care about your business and we believe in customer service!