How to manage Software Procurement Process Effectively?

If you look around, you will get to see various type of procuring software such as the influential SaaS solutions or an exclusive office suite. However, the actual task is to measure software procurement process effectively. Well, now if you are wondering that how this can be done then we are here to help you out in the best possible way!

Select a supplier carefully:

By short listing some of the best software suppliers, you can make a good final decision for your software procurement process. For this purpose, a request for proposal that is typically known as tender can also work well. It helps you to circulate specific information to the suppliers so that it becomes easier for you to evaluate their proposals. These proposals are related to the software they are willing to provide regularly. Thus this strategy is considered to be ideal during the software procurement process.

The trial periods:

Until or unless you consider yourself a proficient software procurer or you are taking the services of procurement consultant, you can never be certain on the requirements of a software. If we specifically talk about the off-shelf software then you can get a trial version of software. In this way, you will be able to try the software even before buying it. Hence, you can figure out whether the software will work out for you in future or not. Still, you can’t expect the supplier to give you full access to the final product during the trial period. Moreover, the trial software is also limited. The most common types of limiting include time limiting (It means you can use the software for a limited period). The other type is known as feature limiting in which you can access limited number of features of specific software). 

Proof of concept:

If you are worried that what will happen if you will prefer software that won’t be able to meet your requirements then this is the perfect time to ask the supplier for a software’s proof of concept. In this way, you will be able to move forward an assumption related to a problem that the software will solve. Furthermore, it also involves supplier testing that can offer some solutions to be used in future.

Acceptance and Testing:

Before accepting software, there is a need to test it. Many sensible suppliers already have standard tests but they are not according to the client’s personal considerations. Therefore, it is important if you discuss the software testing criteria with the supplier in advance. Still the software testing nature entirely depends upon the software development process.

Time to use the software in live environment:

Now that you are done with testing and accepting the software, it’s time to use it. Hence, at this crucial stage, you need the support of supplier so that if an error occurs regarding the software then he is able to guide you. Normal warranties are ideal for such situations but you should be well prepared in advance because the supplier can also place limitations.

Final words:

Thus, we hope that now you are well aware of how to manage the software procurement process effectively but just in case if you forget these amazing tips then you can catch the concept here anytime!