What are the most important technical capabilities to evaluate when choosing a vendor?

1 Experience and expertise

One of the first things to look for when choosing a vendor is their experience and expertise in your industry, domain, or project type. You want a vendor who has a proven track record of delivering similar or relevant solutions, and who can demonstrate their knowledge and skills in your specific context. You can ask them to provide case studies, references, testimonials, or portfolios of their previous work, and check how they handled challenges, risks, and feedback. You can also ask them to explain their approach, methodology, and best practices, and how they align with your expectations and requirements.

2 Technology and infrastructure

Another important technical capability to evaluate when choosing a vendor is their technology and infrastructure. You want a vendor who has the right tools, systems, and platforms to support your project, and who can ensure compatibility, security, and scalability. You can ask them to provide details on their hardware, software, network, and cloud capabilities, and how they manage data, backups, updates, and maintenance. You can also ask them to demonstrate their compliance with industry standards, regulations, and certifications, and how they protect your data and intellectual property.

3 Communication and collaboration

A third important technical capability to evaluate when choosing a vendor is their communication and collaboration. You want a vendor who can communicate effectively and efficiently with you and your team, and who can collaborate seamlessly and transparently with your internal and external stakeholders. You can ask them to provide information on their communication and collaboration tools, channels, and protocols, and how they ensure clarity, consistency, and responsiveness. You can also ask them to show their project management, reporting, and feedback mechanisms, and how they handle changes, issues, and conflicts.

4 Innovation and creativity

A fourth important technical capability to evaluate when choosing a vendor is their innovation and creativity. You want a vendor who can offer you fresh and original ideas, solutions, and insights, and who can adapt and improve their services based on your needs and feedback. You can ask them to provide examples of their innovation and creativity in their previous or current projects, and how they generated, tested, and implemented them. You can also ask them to share their vision, values, and culture, and how they foster innovation and creativity among their team members.

5 Quality and performance

A fifth important technical capability to evaluate when choosing a vendor is their quality and performance. You want a vendor who can deliver high-quality results that meet or exceed your expectations and requirements, and who can measure and demonstrate their impact and value. You can ask them to provide metrics, indicators, and benchmarks for their quality and performance, and how they monitor, evaluate, and improve them. You can also ask them to provide guarantees, warranties, or service level agreements, and how they handle quality issues, errors, or defects.

6 Cost and value

A sixth important technical capability to evaluate when choosing a vendor is their cost and value. You want a vendor who can offer you competitive and transparent pricing, and who can provide you with a clear and comprehensive breakdown of their costs and value proposition. You can ask them to provide quotes, estimates, or proposals for your project, and how they justify their pricing and value. You can also ask them to provide discounts, incentives, or add-ons, and how they handle changes, variations, or extras.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?