Selecting new technology is never easy, but it’s something we’ve guided hundreds of clients through successfully. From the wealth of knowledge we have gathered, here are some of our tips on how to get the best out of the process:

Prepare for the selection process

Agree a set of key decision-making criteria prior to circulation of the ITT, on which to frame discussions during and in conclusion of the process.

Allow the Technology Partners to ask questions that might seem obvious from the ITT

They will have only had the ITT a short time, and may have interpreted certain aspects incorrectly. Keep the discussion points on topic, and don’t get too focused on the details in a given area.

Attend all technical demonstrations

Ensure that the whole selection panel attend all of the demonstrations, and that they understand that this is not the final solution they’re seeing, but an example of what’s possible.

Note your responses

Read all the submissions and note any concerns, questions and thoughts, plus any major areas aspects which should be covered during the Final Presentations.

Prepare for final presentations

Pre-meet as a team to review the written responses and plan what you need to hear at final presentation, avoiding the temptation to make final decisions or influence others’ opinions at this stage.

Refer to your checklist

Listen to what the partners have to say and refer to your checklist to ensure any concerns or questions you prepared are addressed and clarified.

Conduct reference checks

Conduct the same number of reference calls for each candidate Partner, to ensure balance, and draw up a list of agenda items/talking points which will be covered to ensure consistency.

Due diligence

Review the information provided and raise any questions with the Technology Partner, discussing any concerns openly; there will be context to much of the written information which may not initially be obvious.

Understand partner models

Take time to understand the model under which the partners operate, responsibilities across all parties, and that most partners will use standard, well-established contractual master terms and conditions.

Review and reassess

Review and reassess each of the Partners against the original decision-making criteria, while appreciating that you will have learnt a lot along the way about what really matters to you, so you don’t have to be wedded to the criteria you agreed a few months prior.