Securing Managed Services: A C-Suite Strategy Guide
SOURCE-TO PROCURE
Navigating the complexity of the modern organization requires executives to maintain thoughtful oversight and procurement of financial resources. In particular, the commitment of significant volumes of capital to technological resources is critical decision with lasting implications. Managed services, while having many advantages, also pose number of pitfalls requiring diligent consideration by the C-suite. This guide will take the executive through the conscious steps to secure managed services that ensure enterprises are safeguarded against unnecessary risk and deliver maximum performance.
Step 1: Establish Clear Expectations
The first step in source-to-procure is developing and disseminating an unambiguous definition of expectations of the prospective managed service. thorough examination of the needs of the enterprise, the expected duration of the service and any specialized skills required should be considered as part of this research. This data should also be materialized into comprehensive statement of system requirements and passed on to vendors for review.
Step 2: Construct Detailed Request for Proposal
Having clarified expectations, management can issue out comprehensive request for proposal (RFP). This document should detail the enterprise’s needs in transparent and specific manner. To ensure maximum accuracy, the enterprise’s statement of system requirements should be included as part of the RFP. The ability to thoroughly articulate one?s requirements in an RFP is paramount to ensuring vendors are able to respond to the demands of the enterprise.
Step 3: Evaluate Responses in Detail
With the RFP broadcast, management can now assess the suitability of the responses received. The entire process should be conducted in an objective fashion to ensure accuracy. During this phase of the process, vendors should be assessed on their ability to meet the precise standards laid out in the enterprise’s statement of system requirements and pricing terms through precise analytical procedure.
Step 4: Examination of Compatibility
When the evaluation process has been finalized, management should select list of the most suitable vendors for further assessment. At this stage, close investigation should be conducted to assess the technical compatibility of each of the vendors with the enterprise?s present operations. All potential vendors should be taken through this step, as compatibility is an essential requirement in seamlessly integrating managed services into an existing framework.
Step 5: Contractual Due Diligence
The final step in procuring managed services is the contractual due diligence process. The executive needs to review the contract with comprehensive eye to identify any discrepancies of opinion or any risk of gap coverage. This review should not just be the duty of the executive, but instead should include guidance from experts with experience in this field to ensure clear assessment of the risk being taken.
In conclusion, the procuring of managed services for financial or technological resources is complex undertaking with long lasting impacts. To minimize risk and maximize return on investment, executive management needs to be aware of the careful research and scrutiny required in source-to-procure activities. By employing these five steps in their organizational strategy, the C-suite can rest assured that they are making the correct decisions regarding their managed services.
