Sometimes it can be difficult to asses the many vendors and consultancies in the field of media and social media monitoring and measurement. A multitude of more or less free services and tools of dubious use and quality clutters the big picture. At the same time, some very pricey solutions make grand promises but fail to make apparent how exactly they can guarantee value-for-money for your enterprise.
Whether you are preparing a Request for Proposals (RFP) or starting your own procurement of monitoring or measurement services, Quantum PR Measurement can help you in the process by vetting your candidates and making sure you are asking all the right questions you need to be asking.
Request for Proposals (RFP)
Usually, a Request for Proposals (RFP) is produced when you want or need to invite different interested parties to compete in a bid for a particular contract.
This is often the case for government and other public institutions who adhere to regulations but it can also be the case in the private sector if a large contract is at stake and you want the potential bidders to compete and present their best solutions at the lowest possible price.
In either case, if you are putting out a tender e.g for a campaign or delivery of communication services you will need to contemplate what sort of demands you will make regarding monitoring, measurement and evaluation.
Your RFP must make it clear to all bidders what they are expected to account for in their bid. You may e.g. require that bidders:
- Submit a solution that is tailored to the specifications you have provided or,
- Submit a proposal for the cheapest generic solution available
- Account for how they are going to handle changing or unforeseen circumstances
- Demonstrate an ability to analyse a problem you put forward and suggest suitable solutions and their pros/cons
- Demonstrate their ability to work in a given framework that you dictate and can deliver measurement according to the metrics you specify
All of these things require careful wording – particularly in a tender process.
We can help you put together your RFP and serve as your assistant and advisor in any meetings with the potential bidders.
Procurement of measurement or monitoring services
If you would rather simply pick the suppliers that you would prefer to work with, you may still find that you need someone on your side to help you vet potential candidates.
Looking for just the right fit can be difficult in a monitoring and measurement market that is constantly changing and evolving. That is why any good procurement process involves these steps, which we can help you with:
- Need recognition and specification
- Source/examine supplier options
- Test different solutions
- Negotiate price and terms
- Review purchase order
- Monitor delivery and initial use/complications
- Renegotiate renewal of contracts
Any and all of these steps requires you to know not just what you are buying but also why. There must be a good fit between your needs and the services or tool you procure and it is very important that your needs and objectives are what dictates the solution you purchase. Otherwise you risk ending up with e.g. a monitoring system that can only monitor and measure metrics that are not relevant for your objective.
For more information on how we can help you, please get in touch via phone or email at (+45) 61 67 45 85 or jesper@quantumprmeasurement.com.