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High Tech Procurement Workshop
                            Managing the Acquisition Process

Overview

Get answers and reliable negotiating insights. Learn a proven process for managing acquisitions so you get the best and safest deal possible. Understand the issues beyond technical considerations: vendor management, the intricacies of contracting, vendor ploys, negotiation strategies and tactics, procurement tools and more. This workshop has saved ICN clients billions of dollars. What’s more, we’ve helped clients ensure their rights, remedies and deal flexibilities.

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Benefits

  • Master negotiation strategies
  • Understand successful procurement methodology 
  • Maximize your protection
  • Gain significant bottom-line dollars
  • Counter vendor ploys
  • Use RFPs to negotiate with power
  • Obtain meaningful warranties and remedies for vendor noncompliance


Register Now — Save Your Seat!

Washington, D.C. • April 24-26, 2012

Pricing:
Your price is $1,795
If you are a Caucus member pay only $1,695
Multi-registration discounts are available.
Find out your level of discount.
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Phone: 407.740.0700

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CTPE ICN courses qualify for CTPE credits. Caucus awards up to 18 continuing education hours to attendees of this workshop toward their Certified Technology Procurement Executive certification.
C.P.M. Those successfully completing this workshop can receive up to 18 C.P.M. points. ISM's consent to award points is not an endorsement of this program or its contents.

 


Workshop Outline

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Your Challenge

Customer Environment

  1. Less experience
  2. Urgency
  3. Less incentive
  4. Relationship
  5. Tradition
  6. No formal process

Our Worthy Opponent

  1. Full-time
  2. Highly trained
  3. Information advantage
  4. Very motivated
  5. Team advantage
  6. Superior product knowledge

Relationship Dynamics

  1. Customer objectives
  2. Vendor objectives

Risk Allocation

  1. Customer
  2. Vendor

Defective Process — What’s Wrong?

  1. Evaluation
  2. Selection
  3. Negotiations

The Solution — The Managed Acquisition Process

  1. Form Team
    1. Why?— Five reasons, including:
      • Gains power
      • Represents total organization
    2. Who? — Just the people impacted, including representatives from:
      • Finance
      • End users
      • Legal/contracts
      • Senior management
      • Purchasing/procurement
      • Product/service expertise
      • Operational management
      • Others impacted by the deal
    1. Structure — Two-tiered:
      • Advisory Team
      • Table Team
    2. Roles — Seven key roles, including:
      • Observer
      • Emissary
  2. Establish Decision Criteria
    1. Determine results or resources
      • Who will be responsible for the outcome?
      • Who will be responsible for the project management?
    2. Determine requirements
      • Resources
        • People
        • Products
        • Services
      • Results
        • Service levels
        • Desired outcomes
    3. Collect objectives
      • Gain consensus
      • Get comprehensive understanding
      • Develop performance measurement criteria
    4. Issue Request for Information — Five advantages, including:
      • Gain RFP input
      • Negotiate representation reliance agreement
  3. Determine Relationship Architecture
    1. Strategic partnership — Seven essential characteristics, including:
      • Shared risks
      • Mutual commitment
      • Continuous improvement
    2. Tactical alliance — Four main components, including:
      • Mutually beneficial
      • Recognize differing objectives
    3. Managed competition — Four key benefits, including:
      • Maintain vendors’ attention
      • Maximize customer’s negotiation position
  4. Gain Management Approval
    1. Prioritize objectives
      • Why? — Six critical reasons, including:
        • Gain support
        • Resolve internal differences
      • Who?
      • How?
        • Rate individually
        • Rank as a team
    2. Prepare Position Paper
      • Four primary benefits, including:
        • Gain authority
        • Use as game plan
      • Seven major content areas, including:
        • Negotiation considerations
        • Potential vendors’ strengths and weaknesses
  1. Develop Contract
    1. Benefits — Six advantages to using your contract, including:
      • Improve quality
      • Qualify vendors
    2. Objectives — Five major goals, including:
      • Fit the transaction
      • Facilitate monitoring and enforcement
    3. Enforceability — Converting “vendorspeak” into meaningful language
    4. Contract hierarchy
      • Philosophy
      • Concepts
      • Details
  2. Issue Request for Proposal
    1. Objectives — Seven important things, including:
      • Increase control
      • Maximize competition
    2. Content — Seven sections, including:
      • General procedures
      • Your contract
  3. Conduct Bidders’ Conference
    1. Objectives — Six keys, including:
      • Obtaining best offers
      • Promoting competition
    2. Benefits — Five advantages, including:
      • Puts you in control
      • Reduces incumbent’s overconfidence
  4. Evaluate Potential Vendors
    1. Quality of response
      • Operational
      • Technical
      • Contractual
      • Financial
    2. Decision model
      • Team analysis
      • Prioritized objectives
      • Weighting factors
    3. Update Position Paper
      • Qualify at least two potential vendors
      • Identify conceptual
        • Agreements
        • Disagreements
      • Ensure authority
        • Customer’s
        • Vendors
  5. Implement the Zone of Consideration
    1. Overview
      • Multiple vendors in the zone
      • Power shifts over time
      • Select vendor(s) after negotiations
    2. Maintaining power — Eight ways, including:
      • No last chance
      • Decision at any time
      • Control logistics
    3. Negotiation tactics — Sixteen to consider, including:
      • Silence
      • Surprise
      • Calling a caucus
    4. Vendor selection
      • Responsiveness
      • Competitive negotiations
    5. Bargaining process
      • Offers
      • Counteroffers
      • Aspiration levels
  6. Manage the Contract
    1. Benefits
      • Enforcing your rights
      • Ensuring vendor performance
      • Record of performance
      • Input into future decisions
    2. Responsibilities
      • Delegate authority
      • Senior project executive
      • Quality review committee
    3. Methodology
      • Maintain a log
      • Review events and progress
      • Conduct regular meetings
      • Take action immediately

Keys to Success

Thirteen critical factors, including:

  1. Information
  2. Attitude
  3. Alternatives

The Truths of Contracting
Ten important principles to remember, including:

  1. If it’s not in the contract, it’s not in the deal.
  2. Contract and relationship management are critical.
  3. It is NOT a relationship of trust; it is NOT a partnership.

Supplier Ploys

Eighteen common ploys, including:

  1. “Divide and Conquer”
  2. “Try It, You’ll Like It”
  3. “Who Has the Keys to the Company Store?”
  4. “Price Protection Contract/Price Increase Coming”

Click here for a print friendly course outline


 
International Computer Negotiations, Inc.
Drawer 2970, Winter Park, FL 32790-2970

Phone: +1.407.740.0700
Fax: +1.407.740.0368
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