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Effectively Acquire Infrastructure Services

Acquiring a service is like buying an experience. Don’t confuse the simplicity of buying hardware with buying an experience.

  • Most organizations are good at procuring IT products, but few are truly good at acquiring infrastructure services.
  • The lack of expertise in acquiring services is problematic – not only is the acquisition process for services more complex, but it also often has high stakes with large deal sizes, long-term contracts, and high switching costs.

Our Advice

Critical Insight

  • Don’t treat infrastructure service acquisitions lightly. Not only are failure rates high, but the stakes are high as well.
  • Make sure your RFP strategy aligns with your deal value. Large deals, characterized by high monthly spend, high criticality to the organization, and high switching costs, warrant a more thorough and lengthy planning period and RFP process.
  • Word your RFP carefully and do your due diligence when reviewing SLAs. Make sure your RFP will help you understand what the vendor’s standard offerings are and don’t treat your service level agreements like an open negotiation. The vendor’s standard offerings will be your most reliable options.

Impact and Result

  • Follow this blueprint to avoid common pitfalls and navigate the tricky business of acquiring infrastructure services.
  • This blueprint will provide step-by-step guidance from assessing your acquisition goals to transitioning your service. Make sure you do the due diligence required to acquire the best service for your needs.

Effectively Acquire Infrastructure Services Research & Tools

Start here – read the Executive Brief

Read our concise Executive Brief to find out why you should follow the blueprint to effectively acquire infrastructure services, review Info-Tech’s methodology, and understand the four ways we can support you in completing this project.

Effectively Acquire Infrastructure Services – Executive Brief
Effectively Acquire Infrastructure Services – Phases 1-4

1. Develop the procurement strategy and process

Kick off an acquisition by establishing acquisition goals, validating the decision to acquire a service, and structuring an acquisition approach. There are several RFP approaches and strategies – evaluate the options and develop one that aligns with the nature of the acquisition.

Effectively Acquire Infrastructure Services – Phase 1: Develop the Procurement Strategy and Process

2. Assess requirements and build the RFP

A solid RFP is critical to the success of this project. Assess the current and future requirements, examine the characteristics of an effective RFP, and develop an RFP.

Effectively Acquire Infrastructure Services – Phase 2: Assess Requirements and Build the RFP
Infrastructure Service RFP Template

3. Manage vendor questions and select the vendor

Manage the activities surrounding vendor questions and score the RFP responses to select the best-fit solution.

Effectively Acquire Infrastructure Services – Phase 3: Manage Vendor Questions and Select the Vendor
Vendor Question Organizer Template
Infrastructure Outsourcing RFP Scoring Tool

4. Manage the contract, transition, and vendor

Perform due diligence in reviewing the SLAs and contract before signing. Plan to transition the service into the environment and manage the vendor on an ongoing basis for a successful partnership.

Effectively Acquire Infrastructure Services – Phase 4: Manage the Contract, Transition, and Vendor
Service Acquisition Planning and Tracking Tool
Vendor Management Template

Member Testimonials

After each Info-Tech experience, we ask our members to quantify the real-time savings, monetary impact, and project improvements our research helped them achieve. See our top member experiences for this blueprint and what our clients have to say.

9.0/10

Overall Impact

$12,599

Average $ Saved

5

Average Days Saved

Client

Experience

Impact

$ Saved

Days Saved

Coyuchi Inc

Guided Implementation

9/10

$12,599

5

Northern Rockies Regional Municipality

Guided Implementation

9/10

$2,000

5

I appreciated the level of knowledge and the ability to distill my requirements into actionable measures.

Bauer Hockey LLC

Guided Implementation

10/10

$129K

35

The best part of the experience was working with an analyst who understood what we need to accomplish. I thought that the effort would create an ov... Read More

State of Virginia, Office of Attorney General

Guided Implementation

10/10

$12,599

10

Darin was able to provide an abundant list of tools that I can use to make a more accurate decision. He even offered to help along the way. This wi... Read More

NEPC, LLC

Guided Implementation

10/10

$12,599

20

Oregon Secretary of State

Guided Implementation

8/10

$60,484

10

City of Fort Myers, FL

Guided Implementation

9/10

N/A

N/A

OVINTIV

Guided Implementation

10/10

N/A

N/A

OVINTIV

Guided Implementation

9/10

N/A

N/A

got some new ideas and ways of approaching the problem.

Load More Testimonials

Workshop: Effectively Acquire Infrastructure Services

Workshops offer an easy way to accelerate your project. If you are unable to do the project yourself, and a Guided Implementation isn't enough, we offer low-cost delivery of our project workshops. We take you through every phase of your project and ensure that you have a roadmap in place to complete your project successfully.

Module 1: Develop the Procurement Strategy and Process

The Purpose

  • Establish procurement goals and success metrics.
  • Develop a projected acquisition timeline.
  • Establish the RFP approach and strategy.

Key Benefits Achieved

  • Defined acquisition approach and timeline.

Activities

Outputs

1.1

Establish your acquisition goals.

  • Acquisition goals
1.2

Establish your success metrics.

  • Success metrics
1.3

Develop a projected acquisition timeline.

  • Acquisition timeline
1.4

Establish your RFP process and refine your RFP timeline.

  • RFP strategy and approach

Module 2: Gather Service Requirements

The Purpose

  • Gather requirements for services to build into the RFP.

Key Benefits Achieved

  • Gathered requirements.

Activities

Outputs

2.1

Assess the current state.

  • Current State Assessment
2.2

Evaluate service requirements and targets.

  • Service requirements
2.3

Assess the gap and validate the service acquisition.

  • Validation of services being acquired and key processes that may need to change
2.4

Define requirements to input into the RFP.

  • Requirements to input into the RFP

Module 3: Develop the RFP

The Purpose

  • Build the RFP.

Key Benefits Achieved

  • RFP development.

Activities

Outputs

3.1

Build the RFP requirement section.

  • Service requirements input into the RFP
3.2

Develop the rest of the RFP.

  • Completed RFP

Module 4: Review RFP Responses and Select a Vendor (Off-Site)

The Purpose

  • Review RFP responses to select the best solution for the acquisition.

Key Benefits Achieved

  • Vendor selected.

Activities

Outputs

4.1

Manage vendor questions regarding the RFP.

  • Managed RFP activities
4.2

Review RFP responses and shortlist the vendors.

  • Imperceptive scoring of RFP responses and ranking of vendors
4.3

Conduct additional due diligence on the vendors.

  • Additional due diligence and further questions for the vendor
4.4

Select a vendor.

  • Selected vendor
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About Info-Tech

Info-Tech Research Group is the world’s fastest-growing information technology research and advisory company, proudly serving over 30,000 IT professionals.

We produce unbiased and highly relevant research to help CIOs and IT leaders make strategic, timely, and well-informed decisions. We partner closely with IT teams to provide everything they need, from actionable tools to analyst guidance, ensuring they deliver measurable results for their organizations.

MEMBER RATING

9.0/10
Overall Impact

$12,599
Average $ Saved

5
Average Days Saved

After each Info-Tech experience, we ask our members to quantify the real-time savings, monetary impact, and project improvements our research helped them achieve.

Read what our members are saying

What Is a Blueprint?

A blueprint is designed to be a roadmap, containing a methodology and the tools and templates you need to solve your IT problems.

Each blueprint can be accompanied by a Guided Implementation that provides you access to our world-class analysts to help you get through the project.

Need Extra Help?
Speak With An Analyst

Get the help you need in this 4-phase advisory process. You'll receive 10 touchpoints with our researchers, all included in your membership.

Guided Implementation 1: Develop the procurement strategy and process
  • Call 1: Scoping call
  • Call 2: Establish your acquisition strategy and timeline

Guided Implementation 2: Assess requirements and build the RFP
  • Call 1: Scoping call
  • Call 2: Input requirements into the RFP
  • Call 3: Complete the RFP

Guided Implementation 3: Manage vendor questions and select the vendor
  • Call 1: Scoping call
  • Call 2: Score RFP responses

Guided Implementation 4: Manage the contract transition and vendor
  • Call 1: Scoping call
  • Call 2: Review the service level agreements
  • Call 3: Manage the transition and vendor relationship

Authors

Darin Stahl

Margaret Hao

Contributors

  • Alan Zimmerman, Experienced IT Service Delivery Executive
  • Four more anonymous contributors

Related Content: Data Center & Facilities Optimization

Search Code: 77946
Last Revised: November 13, 2015

TAGS:

Procure, Acquire, Infrastructure Service, RFP, Request for Proposal
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