chippowell
Technical User
I’m comparing bids from four different vendors for a project that I estimated would cost between $225K and $300K. The specifics aren’t relevant, but I wondered if I could get anyone’s take on a scenario.
The requirements were for X, all four vendors submitted pricing for X.
Vendor 4 was the only one to ask “have you considered doing Y instead of X? It would be cheaper now, cheaper over time, better altogether, and in fact we recommend it.” (Y and X are related…call it Fuji apples vs. Granny Smiths, instead of apples vs. oranges). I said I would be open to looking at pricing for Y, even though I didn’t ask for that specific solution, and in fact wasn't sure it was a realistic option. The other vendors are all capable of offering Y, but they never suggested it.
Assuming Y is in fact a viable solution - I'm still researching this on my own - and assuming I would be fine with moving forward with the vendor who offered it (this is not a formal RFP process), should I give the other three vendors the opportunity to offer pricing for the Y solution? The other three vendors are also all reputable companies I would feel confident about working with.
But I’m not sure how I feel about proposing a a new potential solution to the other three vendors; they should be the ones to propose the solution to me. I have made it clear to all the vendors that if they have other ideas on how to go about this project, other than our X requirement, I am open to listening to them. Still, none of the other three have proposed Y.
Again, if Y is viable it will be much cheaper than X, and will be less expensive for me as a customer to maintain and support over the years. Obviously, this means a smaller sale for the vendor, and less maintenance and support revenue for them in the future. Again, the question: should I offer the other vendors an opportunity to offer pricing on a Y solution?
Thoughts?
The requirements were for X, all four vendors submitted pricing for X.
Vendor 4 was the only one to ask “have you considered doing Y instead of X? It would be cheaper now, cheaper over time, better altogether, and in fact we recommend it.” (Y and X are related…call it Fuji apples vs. Granny Smiths, instead of apples vs. oranges). I said I would be open to looking at pricing for Y, even though I didn’t ask for that specific solution, and in fact wasn't sure it was a realistic option. The other vendors are all capable of offering Y, but they never suggested it.
Assuming Y is in fact a viable solution - I'm still researching this on my own - and assuming I would be fine with moving forward with the vendor who offered it (this is not a formal RFP process), should I give the other three vendors the opportunity to offer pricing for the Y solution? The other three vendors are also all reputable companies I would feel confident about working with.
But I’m not sure how I feel about proposing a a new potential solution to the other three vendors; they should be the ones to propose the solution to me. I have made it clear to all the vendors that if they have other ideas on how to go about this project, other than our X requirement, I am open to listening to them. Still, none of the other three have proposed Y.
Again, if Y is viable it will be much cheaper than X, and will be less expensive for me as a customer to maintain and support over the years. Obviously, this means a smaller sale for the vendor, and less maintenance and support revenue for them in the future. Again, the question: should I offer the other vendors an opportunity to offer pricing on a Y solution?
Thoughts?
