Phase 3: Objective Vendor Selection & Investment Modelling
Translating Requirements into a Vendor-Agnostic Solution Design
Phase 1 established what you need (the Requirements Catalogue), and Phase 2 defined precisely how that solution will look and function (your Certified Blueprint Architecture). Phase 3: The Request for Proposal (RFP) from 4bluefeet is the detailed, vendor-agnostic solution design document that serves as the technical master plan for your entire ERP project. It is created before the selection of a system, ensuring the solution is designed around your unique business needs, not limited by a specific software’s out-of-the-box features.
A well-structured Request for Proposal (RFP) is the linchpin of a successful ERP system selection process. It's the moment where you translate your internal business needs into a formal document that vendors can respond to. The RFP ensures you get answers to the questions that matter most to your business. It allows you to directly compare different systems and implementation approaches on a level playing field, giving you a clear path to selecting the best-fit solution. Achieve truly unbiased ERP selection with our independent, vendor-neutral methodology.
Our Managed RFP Methodology: From Authoring to Final Selection
RFP Authoring
We author a comprehensive RFP that eliminates ambiguity and vendor sales jargon. Our template is meticulously designed to force all vendors into a standardised response format, making direct comparison inevitable.
This is achieved by structuring the document to include a detailed Functional Scorecard, which requires vendors to address every single requirement using a controlled response (e.g., 'Out-of-the-box' or 'Customisation Required').
Furthermore, the Commercial Integrity section mandates a clear, multi-year cost breakdown covering licensing, support, and implementation fees, delivering a true Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) figure and preventing hidden costs from surfacing later in the project.
Vendor Management
We transform the vendor management stage from an internal full-time job into a streamlined, controlled process.
We manage the entire process from start to finish, which includes identifying and shortlisting a maximum of four suitable vendors, distributing the finalised RFP, and coordinating all subsequent communications.
Crucially, we act as the single point of contact for all vendor questions, consolidating, clarifying, and documenting every inquiry. This ensures every vendor receives the same precise information, maintains process integrity, and allows your internal team to remain focused solely on running the business. We keep the process on track and on time, thereby allowing you to focus on the key decisions.
Evaluation and Selection
We guide you through the complex process of evaluating vendor responses, converting detailed proposals into simple, actionable data.
Our custom Vendor Selection Matrix is the key deliverable, providing an objective assessment of all candidates.
We assess vendors across three critical dimensions: a Functional Fit Score (a quantitative analysis of how well the vendor meets the functional requirements), an Implementation Risk score (a qualitative assessment of the vendor’s methodology and timeline realism), and a clear, visual comparison of the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) across all proposals, ensuring you select the most economically viable partner for the long term.
De-Risking the Market: Objective Selection & Investment Modelling
During the vendor selection process, you need a partner focused solely on your best interests. We act as your unbiased advocate and primary firewall, ensuring the selection remains strategic and objective, free from the influence of powerful sales organisations. We manage all vendor communications, filtering out generic sales pitches and ensuring that demonstrations are strictly focused on addressing your documented requirements. We scrutinise every proposal for hidden contractual risks, unrealistic timelines, or insufficient support models. By keeping the process transparent and focused, we build your confidence in choice, ensuring you select the best ERP solution.
Once the Certified Blueprint Architecture (Phase 2) is complete, you possess the definitive answer to what your business needs and how the new system should be designed. The next critical step is translating this design into a structured, vendor-neutral Request for Proposal (RFP).
This phase is designed to remove the guesswork, prevent feature creep, and ensure every vendor response is directly comparable, allowing you to choose a partner based on merit, not marketing.
From Blueprint to Tender Document
We transform your detailed Blueprint into a Structured Tender Document that functions as a scoring mechanism, not just a questionnaire. The goal is to enforce focus: vendors must address your architecture, not merely list their system's capabilities.
Key Deliverables of the Tender Document:
Our consulting includes a proprietary RFP evaluation Matrix:
We use the categorised, prioritised requirements from the BRD and Blueprint to create a mandatory response matrix.
Each requirement is assigned a weight and a score based on its criticality.
Vendors must demonstrate, line-by-line, how their solution addresses each specific requirement, confirming whether it is native, configurable, or requires customisation.
Scenario-Based Demonstration Scripts:
We move beyond generic demonstrations. We craft custom scripts derived from your Optimised Data Flows (Phase 2).
Vendors are instructed to demonstrate real-life scenarios critical to your business—such as a complex order-to-cash process or a specific batch manufacturing scenario—using your data sets, not generic demo environments. This validates their functional fit under real-world pressure.
Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) Structure:
We mandate a clear, standardised format for TCO submission, covering initial licensing, implementation fees, migration support, ongoing maintenance, and five-year subscription costs. This eliminates hidden fees and allows for a true, apples-to-apples financial comparison.
Vendor Engagement Management
The 4bluefeet team manages all vendor interactions to ensure control, consistency, and absolute vendor neutrality throughout the process.
Initial Vendor Vetting: We apply industry knowledge and technical fit against your Blueprint to create a shortlist of relevant ERP vendors, saving you weeks of research.
Structured Q&A and Workshops: We run structured Q&A sessions, forcing vendors to adhere to the scope of your tender document. This prevents them from broadening the discussion or attempting to resell functionality you already confirmed as unnecessary.
Demonstration Control: We facilitate and score all custom demonstrations, ensuring the vendor follows the agreed-upon script and that all necessary stakeholders are present for evaluation.
The Final Scored Shortlist
The outcome of the Structured Tender is a transparent, data-driven Vendor Shortlist and an extensive Evaluation Report.
We apply the scoring rules outlined in the tender document to create a ranked list, focusing on the three pillars of selection: Functional Fit, Implementation Risk (based on Blueprint alignment), and Total Cost of Ownership.
This process dramatically reduces project risk and empowers your leadership team to move into the negotiation phase with complete confidence, knowing the selected partner is the best possible fit for the solution already designed.
Next Step in the 4bluefeet Methodology
Phase 3 concludes the selection of your partner. The next step is locking in the deal and preparing for execution. Explore the remaining three stages of our methodology below to see how we guide you through the final contract, successful implementation, and post-Go-Live stability.
Foundational Strategy & Baseline Architecture
Key Deliverable: The AS-IS/TO-BE Process Architecture and the Final Requirements Catalogue.
The Certified Blueprint Architecture
Key Deliverable: The 4bluefeet Blueprint Document (BRD), certified for technical feasibility.
Objective Vendor Selection & Investment Modelling
Key Deliverable: Validated Vendor Suitability Report and the Financial Investment Model.
Organisational Readiness & Adoption Framework
Key Deliverable: Change Impact Assessment (CIA) and the Organisational Readiness Framework.
Integrated Quality Assurance Oversight
Key Deliverable: iQA Sign-Off and the UAT Completion Certificate.
Cutover Assurance & Performance Governance
Key Deliverable: Cutover Readiness Audit and the Long-Term Governance Model.
RFP Process & Vendor Selection: Unbiased Comparison FAQs
Get answers on how a structured RFP ensures every ERP proposal is directly comparable, resulting in a clear cost analysis and a confident, data-driven final decision.
We generally recommend shortlisting three to four highly suitable vendors. This ensures you have a competitive field for pricing and variety of options, without overwhelming your internal team with too many presentations and proposals to review.
Yes, absolutely. We ensure every vendor signs a strict NDA before receiving the RFP. This protects your business-critical information, financial figures, and unique functional requirements from being shared or misused during the evaluation process.
The biggest risk is vendor bias and scope creep. Without a structured matrix, vendors will tailor their responses to highlight their strengths and obscure their weaknesses, often leading to ambiguous proposals and inaccurate costings. Our process ensures an apples-to-apples comparison at every stage.
Our TCO calculation goes beyond license fees. We factor in initial setup and customisation, migration costs, hardware/hosting (if applicable), and multi-year support and maintenance fees. This provides a realistic cost comparison over the expected lifetime of the new system.
Ready for Unbiased Vendor Selection? Contact 4bluefeet
You focus on running your business; we manage the vendors. We ensure every proposal is apples-to-apples, delivering clear cost comparisons and a definitive Selection Matrix so you choose the right solution, not the best sales pitch.