Saturday, July 25, 2009
The business analyst and the RFP
Recently a group of business analysts I met with said that they are limited in what they do because the company outsources everything and all they end up doing is acting as an intermediary between the vendor and the business. I asked what part they play in the Request for Proposal (RFP) process to select the vendors that provide the solutions. They said that they were not involved at all. This is a shame. The business analyst can provide invaluable service to the organization in the development of an RFP and in the evaluation of the submissions from the vendors.
The RFP is a statement of a problem that the organization is having and a request for companies to submit solutions to the problem. Along with the statement of the problem are contractual information and constraints, such as dollar limits and ownership issues. The vendors submit their proposed solutions and the cost of that solution. Usually the solution and cost are submitted separately so that the solution can be evaluated without the influence of price of solution.
Since one of the primary jobs of the business analyst is to define the business problem to be solved, the business analyst can be instrumental in the unambiguous definition of the problem the business is having. Many times the RFP contains a set of requirements stating what the organization wants. Again, the business analyst is the ideal person to create these requirements.
Another job of the business analyst is to assist management in making decisions by researching and providing information to the decision-makers. This business analyst role is ideal to assist with the evaluation of the submissions of the vendors. The business analyst can provide the evaluation criteria derived from the business stakeholders. The BA can also manage the process of organizing the review process including vendor presentations.
While this particular company did not take advantage of the skills and knowledge of the business analyst in the bidding and procurement process, at least not yet, many companies are assigning their business analysts to manage the entire RFP process. This is a good thing. ¶ 1:20 PM
The RFP is a statement of a problem that the organization is having and a request for companies to submit solutions to the problem. Along with the statement of the problem are contractual information and constraints, such as dollar limits and ownership issues. The vendors submit their proposed solutions and the cost of that solution. Usually the solution and cost are submitted separately so that the solution can be evaluated without the influence of price of solution.
Since one of the primary jobs of the business analyst is to define the business problem to be solved, the business analyst can be instrumental in the unambiguous definition of the problem the business is having. Many times the RFP contains a set of requirements stating what the organization wants. Again, the business analyst is the ideal person to create these requirements.
Another job of the business analyst is to assist management in making decisions by researching and providing information to the decision-makers. This business analyst role is ideal to assist with the evaluation of the submissions of the vendors. The business analyst can provide the evaluation criteria derived from the business stakeholders. The BA can also manage the process of organizing the review process including vendor presentations.
While this particular company did not take advantage of the skills and knowledge of the business analyst in the bidding and procurement process, at least not yet, many companies are assigning their business analysts to manage the entire RFP process. This is a good thing. ¶ 1:20 PM
