12 Steps for Selecting an External Provider

• An Organizational Perspective

All organizations have a selection process to find an external provider.

What are the steps used to select an external provider?

This is an overview of the selection process I have used since I have been in the training business as a Human Resource Development manager.

But, what questions should a provider ask themselves before submitting an offer to an organization? How should a provider ready themselves for the process of being vetted for a contract?

1.??? The Company or Organization

2.??? Establish Internal Needs for Training

3.??? Locate Providers

4.??? Contact Possible ProvidersWhat are the steps?

5. Follow-up with Providers

6.??? Collect Offers – Build Provider Pool

7.??? Create A Short List

8.??? Contact Shortlisted Providers

9.??? Reduce Shortlist

10.???Set Up a Meeting with Final Choice

11.???Discuss final details before signing a contract

12.???Set Up Onboarding and Training Process

Questions a provider should ask themselves, and their contact person, before taking the time to write an offer to an organization:

Training Type:

1. How many people are expected to participate in this training?

2. How many training hours does this offer involve?

3. How will the content of the training be determined?

4. In person? / On location? / In-house? / Online? / Hybrid?

5. Is this a 1-2-1 Coaching?

6. Is this a 1-2-1 training?

7. Is this a group training? How many people per group?

8. Is this a Microlearning format? (Videos and materials)

9. Is this a Motivational training?

10.? Is this a package deal?

11.? Is this an on-demand training?

12.? Is this Communications training?

13.? Is this Compliance training?

14.? Is this Rewards training?

15.? Is this Skills training?

16.? Is this training a combination of skills development and language learning?

17.? How is a training hour defined? ?(45 minutes or 60 minutes)

18.? What is the duration of the training contract? (Start and End)

19.? Who else is bidding on this offer?

20.? What language will the training be offered in?

Contract Details:

1.??? Are travel costs separate from the actual training hours?

2.??? Does a Needs Analysis already exist?

3.??? How will feedback be dealt with? (Formative Assessment)

4.??? How will you make the final decision? (Pricing, Quantity, or Quality)

5.??? How will materials development be dealt with?

6.??? How will pre-knowledge be assessed? (Diagnostic Assessment)

7.??? How will the participants be assessed? When?

8.??? How often should the participants meet?

9.??? Is translanguaging allowed in the training?

10.???Materials creation or development. Costs of materials per person?

11.???Should a Summative Assessment round or event take place? (ROI - Return on Investment)

12. What is the time element involved in the training aka length of training contract?

13.???What do the Online costs of the training look like?? Who pays for what?

14.???What methodologies will be applied during the training?

15.??? What should the outcomes of the training be?

16.????Who are the participants? (Profiles)

17.????Who is the decision maker? When will the final decision be made?

18.????Who will do the diagnostic assessment?

19.????Will a Matching Process take place for 1-2-1 coaching or training?

20.????Will the participants be grouped by pre-knowledge?

21. What are the terms of payment?

22. Will I be able to meet with internal SMEs (Subject Matter Experts) to help me put this training package together?

23. What can the organization tell me about previous internal training, similar to this offer, that has taken place in the past? (Lessons Learned + Best Practices)

24. Depending on the volume of the training, can I bring in anyone else to assist me in designing, planning, and implementing this contract?

25, How much time do I have to put together a viable offer?

?Technology:

1.??? Do the participants have experience with online training?

2.??? LMS - Do the participants know how to use the existing LMS?

3.??? LMS - Does an LMS already exist?

4.??? What technological conditions must be met to implement the training successfully?

5.??? What technology are the participants already using?

6.??? What technology (apps and software) is allowed to be used during the training?

7.??? What technology will have to be taught before training begins?

8.??? What communication channels will be used between the trainer, the company, and the participants?

9. Will this be an M-learning (on-demand) training module?

10. Will I have access to your tech team to support me with the technological integration of this training?

11. How will data protection be dealt with?

12. How will the analytics collected be dealt with?

?

Onboarding:

1.??? How should the participants be onboarded to the training process?

2.??? How will the trainer be onboarded into the organization?

3.??? How will the training process be embedded into the organization?

4. Will I have access to internal IT people to assist me in the tech-oriented aspect of onboarding?

Pricing:

1. What is my time worth? (Instructional Design and Planning Time)
2. What is my time worth? (Training and Pre-training Time)
3. What is the worth of my materials?
4. What do others charge for the same services, planning, design, and training?
5. What makes my training better or different than the other providers?
6. What additional services will I need to provide to win this training contract?
7. How much have I charged for my services, planning, design, and training before?
8. How much time will be invested in writing a winning offer?
9. How much of my time will be needed to deliver this complete training program?
10. How much know-how can I bring to this training contract?
11. What will I need to learn to deliver this training program successfully?
12. Based on my experience - Can I deliver the go?

Social Media:

1. What does my social media presence say about me and my services?
2. What will an organization find when they do an internet search on me?
3. Does my LinkedIn page reflect my experience and educational background?
4. Am I ready to present a portfolio that reflects my experience and projects?
5. Is my portfolio up to date?
6. Will my past project participants be willing to write a referral for me on LinkedIn?
7. Am I sharing valuable content on social media that reflects my experience?
8. How am I networking on social media?
9. What does my network on social media say about me as a professional?
10. Am I using all the possibilities on LinkedIn to showcase my experience?