Mastering RFPs for a Winning Supply Chain

Registration Opens and Coffee Served

Opening Remarks by Conference Chairs

Examining Current Trends, Issues, and Challenges in Today’s RFP Process: What You Need to Know to Ensure Your RFP Strategy is on Track

• How can an RFP play a role in an organization’s business strategy?
• Understanding the major obstacles vendors and contractors are facing when responding to RFP’s. How can buyers aid the process?
• What makes a bad RFP? What makes a good RFP?
• Are electronic RFP portals hindering or helping? How far can automation go?
• Examine common mistakes made by the vendors and contractors? Where are the greatest improvements needed?
• Explore trends and emerging practices in the RFP process?
• How can communication and collaboration with suppliers be improved to enhance responses?
• How can suppliers differentiate themselves amongst competitors to improve their chances for success? What makes a buyer happy?

Networking Coffee Break

What Buyers and Suppliers Need to Know to Secure and Match the Best Vendors and Contractors for the Job

• Assessing organizational needs:
  • Identifying core requirements
  • Centralized or distributed purchasing: Which is best for you?
  • Assessing the business, market and economic outlook
  • Using in-house resources or outsourcing
• Developing vendor criteria
  • Using local suppliers or sourcing internationally? What are the risks?
  • Sourcing from small and medium enterprises; What are their special needs? How to communicate and bring them into the process?
• Identifying and creating the bid list
  • Prequalifying suppliers; What criteria do you use?
  • Incorporating transparency and fairness
• Benefits of automating the source list
• When should you refresh the bid list?
• How are supplier relationships changing?
• Understand how trade agreements may affect your source list

Practical Procurement: Moving Beyond the Basics

• Challenging situati ons that arise during the RFP process
  • RFP situational awareness
  • Predicting what might go awry
• Ounce of prevention
  • Managing risk through drafting
  • Creating a reliable “Smart RFP” document
• “Pound of Cure”
  • Defending your document when prevention fails
  • Best practices that get you into the clear

Networking Luncheon for Speakers and Delegates

A. Exploring the Legal Essentials Surrounding the RFP Process: What You Need to Know to Ensure Your RFP Document is Sound

• RFPs, RFQs and Invitations to Tender;
  • What are the differences?
  • What are the essential elements of each?
• Non-legally binding RFP’s:
  • When should you use these?
  • What are the risks?
• How do you keep an RFP and Tender disti nct? How can a tender be indirectly created?
• Understand the importance of party intentions
• What are the latest rulings and legal developments?
  • Critical review of awards and settlements
• Explore recent domestic and international changes to procurement law; How will these impact private industry?
• Ensuring your documentation reflects changes in law

B. The Most Common Serious Mistakes in RFPs and Procurement and How To Easily Avoid Them

• Understand the most frequent and serious RFP mistakes
• Where, when and how are those mistakes most likely to occur?
• Understanding legal, commercial and procurement process mistake differences
• Tips and techniques to easily avoid or mitigate those costly mistakes
• Examine the most successful “to do’s” for RFP and contracting success
• Expediting RFPs and contracting by getting it RIGHT from the outset

Techniques for Minimizing Disputes and Controlling Risk to Stay on Track During the RFP Lifecycle

• Understand the importance of conducting due diligence on potential suppliers beforehand
• Identifying risks prior to the RFP:
  • Bonding and insurance
  • Logistical challenges; Risks with international suppliers
  • Matching the right RFP model to the procurement process and supplier base
• Designing the RFP to minimize disputes proactively:
  • Transparent instructions
  • Exclusion of bidders
  • Drafting tips
  • Dispute settlement mechanisms
• Key personnel for managing the RFP; What requisite skills should they possess?
• Ensuring vendors have established reasonable timelines
• How to effectively communicate noncompliance issues
• Ensuring transparency throughout the process
• Examining leading cases and examples

Networking Coffee Break

Evaluating Your Bids: A Guide to Analyzing and Selecting the Best Supplier for Your Organization’s Needs

• Understand the owner’s legal obligations to bidders in the RFP and Tender processes
• Evaluation of vendors and contractors
  • Criteria categories; developing the matrix
  • Comparing proposals; using a points system to evaluate
• Going beyond the boilerplate response; Examine how responders can differentiate themselves
• Developing the bid criteria; Do they match your organizational needs?
• Methods for selecting the winning bidders
• Finalist interviews: When are they needed?
• Examples and case studies

Scanning the Horizon: Examining New Trends, Developments and Alternative Models in the Bid Selection Process

• Examine the future direction of the traditional RFP model
  • Is this the right model as procurement increases in complexity?
• Explore more open, flexible, negotiated type models
• Is the Request for Solutions a better approach?
  • When is this model appropriate?
• Identify other collaborative approaches being used by industry?
• What role can technology play?

Chair’s Closing Remarks and Conference Concludes