I’ve been doing technology and services RFPs for over 40 years, and I’ve learned that you can’t cut corners and still expect a good result. Since 2012, we have relied on Advantiv and DecisionDirector to reduce valuable staff time and hassle while increasing IT stakeholder confidence and clarity in procurement decisions. And all for a fraction of the cost of an FTE!
We’ve been advising and hosting complex RFPs since 1997
RFPs for software, systems, and services.
Less than 50 requirements to well over 12,000.
Written by a consultant, the client, or us.
Public sector, private sector, healthcare and education.
We’ve seen it all. It’s what we do.
Let us do it for you.
Key Highlights
- Save valuable staff time and eliminate hassle
- Turn-key support to load, configure, and manage your technology and services RFPs
- Configurable response fields for each line item
- Full support for vendors to ensure maximum participation and quality responses
- Uniform easy-to-read proposals, extracts, and reports
- RFPs and more can be shared between you and your peers
Let Us Support Your Next Major Selection Project
Our clients love our project advisory and online hosting service for their technology and services RFPs. You can, too.
Why? To save valuable staff time, eliminate hassle, and ensure the best possible results.
- We work closely with your team, including your consultant, if you have one
- We handle all of the set-up, RFP configuration and user support
- All standard and custom terms, conditions, and contractual language are stored in a private, secure library for each client and each project
- We train and support the responding vendors
- Vendors manage their own private and secure access to each RFP
- Vendors create and manage their own response teams
- Vendors respond to each requirement and information and document request individually
- Vendors can work right up to the due date as DecisionDirector handles the generation of the proposal documents automatically
- Vendor responses are uniformly presented for easy evaluation
How It Works: Vendor Response Collection
Vendors can easily create, manage and submit their responses in DecisionDirector’s secure, private, multi-user RFP response management environment.
How It Works: Vendor Response Evaluation
Once a vendor has responded to an RFP in DecisionDirector, those responses are easily reviewed. And, depending on the RFP, powerful analysis reports and extracts are also produced.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of RFPs do you typically host?
We can host any kind of RFP. Our clients typically rely on us, though, to help standardize and then host RFPs (and also RFIs) that address somewhat to extremely complex (non-commodity/non-materials) acquisitions of technology and services, including:
- Enterprise software systems (Finance/ERP, HR/Payroll/HCM, Student, CRM, Learning Management, and so on)
- Large and small departmental software systems (Enterprise Asset Management, Online Program Management, Survey Tool, Institutional Review Board, Room Scheduling, Grants Management, Faculty Review, Degree Audit and many more)
- System implementation, integration, and IV&V services
- Website redesign, IT consulting, and any professional service
- Hardware and software solutions such as VoIP systems, Access Control, and more
Each RFP may have a combination of general questions, detailed requirements, terms and conditions, and all manner of documentation requests (pricing, insurance certificates, org charts, et cetera)
We already have an e-Procurement or Bid Management system. Why would we want this?
Many of our clients have an e-Procurement system or Bid Management system. For some, though, their procurement system does not capture line-item responses from bidders or, if it does, it is not designed to handle complex RFPs as are typical of technology and services procurements. DecisionDirector was built from the ground up with complex procurements in mind. Additionally, to ensure alignment, buy-in and support, many of our clients also use DecisionDirector to engage stakeholders in the pre-procurement planning and post-RFP due diligence.
Beyond the functional differences, our RFP Hosting service includes our personal attention to each RFP and to each vendor who is interested in responding.
For further reading, see: https://help.decisiondirector.com/help/why-decisiondirector
Is DecisionDirector a Bid Publication Site?
No, bids are not published through DecisionDirector.
Our clients publish their bids through their normal channels. DecisionDirector’s role is to collect, collate, and analyze detailed bid responses from bidders who express interest in responding to the clients’ bid opportunities, and who are then provided private, secure access to DecisionDirector.
We are a public sector organization with strict procurement guidelines. Can you support us?
Definitely. We have hosted and supported numerous public sector procurements for states, counties, cities, and public colleges and universities.
For more information, see https://help.decisiondirector.com/help/support-for-public-sector-procurement
Our staff is maxed out. Is there much of a learning curve or time requirement?
Not at all. We’ll conduct an overview of DecisionDirector for your team and show them how it works to support these types of projects. They’ll quickly “get it” and become excited about how to leverage it.
And, since we handle all of the administration, set-up, and support, your staffers will actually spend less time and effort on the non-productive aspects of running an RFP.
Suppose we have already drafted an RFP but have not yet released it. How would we get it into DecisionDirector, and what happens from there?
The Advantiv team would handle the upload into DecisionDirector. You would send us your draft document(s) (under NDA, if you prefer), and we would convert them into a format suitable for loading into DecisionDirector. From there, we would configure the line-item response formats, and then set up the draft RFP in your secure DecisionDirector workspace for your review and approval.
When all is ready, you would release the RFP and we would then support the on-boarding and orientation of interested/invited vendors. We would support all vendors as they work on their responses to your RFP, and would provide you with access and results of the submitted bids shortly after the due date,
What does your RFP Hosting service include?
The Advantiv RFP Hosting service includes the DecisionDirector RFP module, the DecisionDirector Knowledge Pack library, access to the DecisionDirector Share Center, and turn-key support and advisory services to ensure smooth-running RFP projects.
So, you would host and support RFPs that we ourselves write, plus RFPs developed from your Knowledge Packs, and any RFPs that we might obtain and modify from the Share Center?
Yes, exactly.
In addition to RFP Hosting, what if we wanted to use the other DecisionDirector capabilities (visioning/discovery, requirements gathering, due diligence, et cetera)?
We’d be happy to provide additional DecisionDirector capabilities and support to meet your specific needs. We can do so on a project-to-project basis or we can upgrade your RFP Hosting subscription. Either way, it’s fast, easy, and highly cost-effective.
RFP Hosting with DecisionDirector.
Speed. Ease. High Response Rates. Quality Responses.
Are you a consultant? We’d love to support you, too.
If you are getting ready for a major planning and procurement project, or are in the middle of one and need assistance, contact us for a no-obligation conversation.
Our Position, Policies, and Practices
We are 100% vendor neutral.
We have no stake in, or benefit in anyway from, a selection outcome.
We never reveal vendor response data without permission from the vendor.
We do not claim ownership of any client, consultant, or vendor data entered into DecisionDirector.
We never sell or otherwise distribute any of the data entered into DecisionDirector.
We have many consulting partners who have integrated DecisionDirector into their planning and selection methodologies, and their baseline requirements and other information into the DecisionDirector database.
Clients are free to use our baseline library or that of their chosen consultant, or a combination of both.
Vendors may establish baseline requirements of their own in DecisionDirector, for clients and prospects that wish to start with those.
We do whatever we can to help clients, consultants, and vendors be successful in using and benefiting from DecisionDirector, but we never provide unfair advantage or share inside information about the projects we support.
We hold all conversations in full confidence and do not discuss or share sensitive or competitive information.
We are committed to creating and supporting the best practices that lead to the best possible outcomes, and therefore are always open to constructive criticisms and suggestions.