Picking a technology vendor is a critical decision. It often means a long term and costly relationship that will either be a blessing or a burden to your organization. Interviewing references can help ease this important decision. How do you probe these references? What questions do you ask? Here are 6 questions that can help you choose a vendor that will be a valuable asset to your organization. For more information on how Future Point of View can help you make wise technology vendor selections, please visit FPOV.com

1. HOW TO PICK A TECHNOLOGY VENDOR
Top 6 Questions to Ask

2. Companies often seek technology vendors to help with issues they do not
have the expertise or bandwidth to handle.
Choosing The Right Vendor Is Critical
HOW TO PICK A TECHNOLOGY VENDOR

3. HOW TO PICK A TECHNOLOGY VENDOR
Selecting the right technology partner is much like choosing a
spouse and should be approached with (almost) as much
thought and deliberation.
The right choice can set you up to gain a strategic competitive
advantage.
The wrong choice can lead to frustrating, budget-busting, and
poor quality results and more importantly, can severely slow
the momentum of your digital transformation.

4. HOW TO PICK A TECHNOLOGY VENDOR
How can you be sure you’re picking the right vendor?
Check references and ask the right questions
This will allow you to probe deeper and encourage references to shed
light on problems they wish they had avoided or how the vendor
helped move tough issues to resolution.
Even amidst glowing reviews, these insights can be extremely valuable
to your vendor selection and contract negotiations.

5. HOW TO PICK A TECHNOLOGY VENDOR
Avoid the “Reality” Bomb
Did you get all of the functionality you expected from the initial
project or were unplanned follow-up projects proposed to
complete work you thought was already included?
You need to understand exactly what results will be achieved in the first
project and what will be in follow-up projects before you commit.
Question 1:
Too often, vendor sales teams have a tendency to over promise in
order to get your signature before their implementation team
comes in and drops the “reality” bomb in your lap.

6. HOW TO PICK A TECHNOLOGY VENDOR
Question 2:
Did they complete the project within the original cost and
timeline estimate provided prior to contract execution? If not,
why not?
It’s important to understand what control you have as project scope
and expectations change.
When you bring on a vendor who promises to deliver on the cost and
schedule estimate they provide, you expect them to hold to that
budget.
Budgets & Timetables

7. HOW TO PICK A TECHNOLOGY VENDOR
Question 3:
If there was an increase in the budget due to a “scope change,”
what prevented you from anticipating that change before contract
execution?
By asking this question, you can get some insight into how good a job
the vendor does understanding what you want and need before
agreeing to the scope you contract them to do.
Anticipating Scope Change
Throughout the project, you will be faced with decisions about
whether to drop something from the scope in order to meet the
original estimate or add something that you discover along the way.

8. HOW TO PICK A TECHNOLOGY VENDOR
Question 4:
Were you happy with their performance during the project (design
quality, communications, etc.)? Why or why not?
Don’t settle for a simple yes or no response to this question. Be
sure to ask follow-up questions to understand how they handled
conflict, miscommunications, and alignment.
Performance & Team Satisfaction
Some vendors invest a lot in their marketing and sales pitch. Too
often, after the deal is done, you find yourself working with a
completely different team of people.

9. HOW TO PICK A TECHNOLOGY VENDOR
Question 5:
Do you still work with the vendor today? Do you have alternative
vendors that could do what they do for you?
Does the client continue to work with the vendor because what
was built is so customized that no other vendor could support it?
Or do they continue the relationship because it’s a good fit and a
productive working relationship?
You want to understand whether you will be “locked in” to this
vendor once you start down the road of implementation with
them.
Ongoing Relationship

10. HOW TO PICK A TECHNOLOGY VENDOR
Question 6:
If you could do it all again, what would you do differently prior to
executing the initial contract/SOW?
Vendor references (even glowing ones) provide a real opportunity to
learn from the mistakes of others.
Anticipating Problems
Ask them to help you avoid the pitfalls they fell victim to. There are
some problems you simply cannot anticipate and would only discover
through experience.

11. HOW TO PICK A TECHNOLOGY VENDOR
Don’t be afraid to ask a vendor for additional references if the ones
provided fail to give you the insight you need to make a well-informed
decision.
Just as it is with a marriage, you’re going to have to live
with the choice you make and all the challenges that
come with it. So choose wisely!

12. Future Point of View has the experience and the savvy to assist any
organization in making complex technology vendor selection decisions. We have
helped many different organizations, across a range of industries, to research,
select, and contract with vendors. We help lay the foundation for building
lasting, productive relationships with these vendors. Involving us in your vendor
selection process offers a number of specific benefits including:
Stronger Contracts and Agreements
Negotiation of Better Terms and More Fair Pricing
and much more…
We Will Play the Difficult Role as the “Bad Guy”
For more information about Future Point of View please visit FPOV.com