You work in the IT shop of a sales organization with a half dozen satellite offices located in your state.

The organization wants to develop and implement a Web-based information system so that its satellite offices can submit their sales reports on a realtime basis. But your IT shop is small, everyone is already fully committed to maintenance and support activities or to other projects, and besides, no one has any experience in developing a Webbased information system. So your management has decided to outsource the design and development.

Your job is to do the following:

a. Interview IT vendors in your local community regarding their experiences with requests for proposals (RFPs); that is, fi nd out what common deficiencies they see in RFPs, and what key things need to be included in order to prepare an appropriate proposal. Prepare a short memorandum to your management describing the interviews.

b. Research some of the different RFP templates that are available, including the template used in Figure 11–12. Select one, and explain why you chose the one that you did.

c. Using your selected template, write a request for proposal.

Data from Figure 11–12

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FIGURE 11-12 Request for Proposals Request for Proposals (RFP) 1. Introduction A. Background B. Brief summary of needs C. Explanation of RFP document D. Call for action on part of vendor II. Standards and instructions A. Schedule of events leading to contract B. Ground rules that will govern selection decision 1. Who may talk with whom and when 2. Who pays for what 3. Required format for a proposal 4. Demonstration expectations 5. Contractual expectations 6. References expected 7. Documentation expectations III. Requirements and features A. Hardware 1. Mandatory requirements, features, and criteria 2. Essential requirements, features, and criteria 3. Desirable requirements, features, and criteria B. Software 1. Mandatory requirements, features, and criteria 2. Essential requirements, features, and criteria 3. Desirable requirements, features, and criteria