Alsbridge continually assesses the vendor market through first-hand research, practical experience with current clients, and third-party sources. Having either founded or helped to build many of the outsourcing practices of many of the largest supplier organizations in existence today, our partners and consultants have a thorough knowledge of the market, the suppliers, their people and their capabilities. Alsbridge will ensure that only the most qualified suppliers are considered, analyzed and engaged.

Development of the supplier assessment criteria should include cross-functional input, and address key factors arising from the business case and the selected sourcing model. We will work with you to establish both top-level and detailed criteria to determine which suppliers meet certain minimum thresholds and whether they have any attributes which differentiate them from one another. Criteria can be weighted at either the top or the detailed level and the model should be developed to emphasize the areas of importance to the business. This will ensure that the vendor assessment process suitably reflects the business drivers and that subsequent selection or development activities are consistent with business needs. Once the criteria has been established, we customize our supplier assessment model and begin scoring the suppliers on both qualitative and quantitative bases.

The supplier selection process can take many different routes depending on a variety of factors such as the nature of the functions under consideration, the client's unique situation, the interest the market shows in the opportunity, and/or a client's own preferences or biases in regard to either process or suppliers. Alsbridge is well-versed in drafting customized RFIs and RFPs and evaluating supplier responses to the same. However, while these continue to serve as a foundation for the supplier selection process, we feel that issuing the market a prescriptive RFP that commoditizes their service offerings and forces them to compete solely on price results in sub-optimal solution. It is this practice that is, in part, responsible for the escalating percentage of failed outsourcing deals.

Rather, our Sourcing Alignment System™ (SAS) engages the suppliers in facilitated sessions at key points to accelerate the selection process by enabling us to quickly shortlist the capable suppliers, and then further down select by allowing them to differentiate themselves on solution offerings. An internally developed RFP (lacking collaborative supplier input) can miss significant cost savings to be had by leveraging supplier capabilities. Suppliers struggle with adapting to a client's needs and finding ways to deliver the operational services; this dynamic of discussing your needs with a vendor is interrelated to the development of an RFP and continues during contract negotiations.

RFIs

In some cases, the situation calls for the use of an RFI, and in those cases an RFI is more than a Request for Information. The two-step approach of starting off with an RFI can be used to validate vendor willingness to participate in the process and interest in the RFP. Alsbridge is well practiced in dealing with outsourcing vendors and is able to develop and issue an RFI that will facilitate and accelerate the sourcing process.

RFPs

Having issued RFPs as executives of organizations buying outsourced services and responded to them as executives with outsourcing suppliers, our consultants know the commercial "tricks of the trade." This dual experience enables us to share with our clients a unique insight into the supplier selection and negotiation process.

Over time, the suppliers have grown accustomed to RFPs that clearly define requirements. They expect the outsourcing consultant to define the requirements and manage each party's expectations. Simply following a previously developed RFP and issuing it to suppliers will absolutely sub-optimize your results. Alsbridge has dozens of past RFPs on file that we use to build on, but there is no magic bullet in a past RFP. Our consultants commit time and experience to develop your RFP and carry it forward into contract negotiations.

We believe that engaging the supplier market with a well-structured (not rigid) RFP will enable competitive market forces to provide the best price proposal for services tailored to the client's unique requirements. Our methodology and process for developing an RFP can:

• Solicit proposals to better facilitate a comprehensive and objective evaluation
• Reduce ambiguity in the vendor's response through attention to detail
• Facilitate a quicker negotiation phase