Redesigning the RFP Process

I proposed two sessions for the Association Technology Conference 2010.  The first is on Intranet Best Practices.  We all get to see lots of good and bad web sites but most have little exposure to intranet sites as they are generally protected behind firewalls.  This session will go behind the walls of several good sites designed to meet the information, networking, knowledge sharing and collaboration needs of staff (and sometimes volunteers).  If you have a good site (or perhaps just an intranet widget or concept) that you would like to share, please contact me.

The second session addresses an issue that I raised in an earlier post, concerning the enormous resources that are currently wasted as associations try to exercise due dillegence in selecting vendors to do work and with vendors attempting to respond.  Except for the cases where detailed requirements can be well-defined (discovery and requirements are often included in RFPs), associations tend to include a long wishlist of high-levels features and get apples-to-oranges responses from vendors that are impossible to evaluate.  This session invites senior professionals from both associations and technology firms to a workshop where, together, we will attempt to identify the current challenges and redesign a process that may result in more effecient, effective proposals and technology projects with well-defined scope, clear expectations, and the best possible client/vendor team.

If you are up for this challenge, drop a note to Megan Denhardt at ASAE and the Center to express interest and support this session concept.  The Technology Council's Education Committee will be meeting soon to review session proposals and set the agenda for the 2010 conference.

Comments

[Deirdre Reid]

Both of those sound like very valuable sessions. I don't know whether I'll be attending the Tech Conference, but if I do, those will go on the wish list for me.

[Rick]

Received notice today that RFP Redesign Workshop was accepted. Intranet best practices was not but there were three times more session proposals than slots so I feel fortunate to have gotten one of these selected. Thanks for your support.