Specification & Selection

CCL has provided independent specialist advice in the area of business system selection and evaluation for over 20 years.

Our aim is to ensure that our Clients' interests are protected at all times and that in doing so, they receive the maximum return on their, often very significant, investment.

In helping Clients select a business system, CCL can provide assistance in some or all of the following areas:

Preparation of a detailed Specification of Requirements (SOR)

A detailed document is prepared after close liaison with the Client, clearly defining all the required elements of the new system and vital for the following main reasons:

  • It forms the basis of any eventual contract with a Solutions Provider (Supplier) in that the proposed system must satisfy the functional requirements outlined within the document
  • It forms a collectively agreed 'shopping list' of Clients requirements, which is not constantly changed by suppliers leapfrogging each other and hence, puts clients in the 'driving seat' and reduces selection timescales
  • It helps to minimise the ‘expectations gap'. Users sometimes believe that a new system is a non-performer because their original expectations far exceed those which have actually been fulfilled. In many cases, as a direct consequence of not having produced a detailed Specification

Preparing an Invitation to Tender (ITT)

The CCL Invitation to Tender presents the Client's requirements to selected Supplier in a clear, concise and unambiguous fashion.

This document will ultimately form part of the sales contract between the Client and Supplier and will consist in whole or in part of:

  • The Specification of Requirements
  • Transaction and Data Volumes
  • Hardware Requirements
  • Training Schedules
  • An Implementation Plan

Identifying Suitable Prospective Supplier

The ITT is of little value if it is submitted to inappropriate Supplier. CCL ensures that through detailed background research and from previous knowledge and experience, a list of suitable potential suppliers is identified in an effective manner.

Vetting Supplier Responses

In responding to an ITT, what a Supplier says and what he means may not always be the same thing.

CCL analyses each Supplier's response or proposal to ensure that their claims of their system's capabilities are accurate and, where necessary, to expose any system limitations.

Preparing a Shortlist of Recommended Suppliers

CCL have no formal links or associations with any Software Solutions Suppliers and are therefore totally objective and unbiased in the analysis and review of potential Suppliers' solutions. Our only objective is to assist our Clients to find the most appropriate solution for their requirements.

Arranging Demonstrations and User Visits

It is at this point that Hardware or Software weaknesses or unsuitability can best be discovered but only if, like CCL, you know the right questions to ask, how to ask them, and more importantly, how to interpret the answers!

Final Supplier Assessment and Recommendation

Even at this stage, perhaps having evaluated three or four systems, the final choice of Supplier can be far from straightforward.

Our experience gained from many years of direct involvement within the computer industry means that we are better able to recommend the final supplier based on a more informed and better understanding of how the industry operates, thus ensuring at all times the best interests of the client are served.