Do Better Deals Workshop
Are you Begging or Negotiating?
Overview
Designed to help you maximize your leverage throughout the procurement process, this workshop has helped large and small companies, governments, and organizations of all sizes save billions of dollars during the past thirty years. By focusing on best practices in a variety of areas (RFIs, RFPs, contract drafting, negotiations, contract management, and vendor management), you can begin improving your deals, increasing vendor performance, and reducing costs. The procurement of goods and services is not an isolated event—it’s a process—and to
do it well requires teamwork. Every stage of the process involves an opportunity for you to strengthen or weaken your bargaining position with your vendors. Whether you are directly or indirectly involved in the sourcing and procurement of goods and services, this class will help
you get the most out of your vendors—no matter what type of deal you’re doing.
Upcoming Events
After attending this workshop, you’ll be better prepared to:
- Identify and counter vendor ploys
- Use RFPs to negotiate with power
- Maintain leverage throughout your negotiations
- Utilize sourcing/procurement best practices
- Increase vendor accountability
- Maximize your contractual protections
- Develop advantageous relationships with your
key suppliers - Prioritize deal objectives
Workshop Outline
Course Length: 3 half-days
Your Challenge
Customer Environment—Eight Issues to Address, Including:
- Low aspirations
- Sense of urgency
- Lack of executive support
Vendor Environment—Seven Considerations, Including:
- Highly trained
- Very motivated
- Team advantage
Relationship Dynamics
- Customer objectives
- Vendor objectives
The Solution — The Managed Acquisition Process
1. Form Team
- Why?— Seven reasons, including:
- Gains power
- Reduces second guessing
- Who? — Just the people impacted, including representatives from:
- Finance
- End users
- Legal/contracts
- Senior management
- Sourcing/procurement
- Product/service expertise
- Operational management
- Others impacted by the deal
- Structure — Two-tiered:
- Two-tiered
- Advisory
Team - Table Team
- Advisory
- Team size
- Roles
- Responsibilities
- Two-tiered
2. Assess Baseline/Marketplace
- Assess Baseline
- Type of project
- Something new
- Modifications required
- Documented successes
- Areas for improvement
- Concerns
- Financial information
- Business relationships
- Internal expertise
- Type of project
- Assess Marketplace
- Conduct external assessment
- Issue request for information
- Benefits
- Four main sections
- Conduct additional research—Six key ways, including:
- User groups
- Research firms
- Evaluate research
3. Decide: Results or Resources
- Contracting for Resources
- Vendor responsibilities
- Customer responsibilities
- Contracting for Results
- Key concepts
- Vendor responsibilities
- Customer responsibilities
- Management tools
4. Collect/Prioritize Objectives
- Collect Objectives
- Who?
- What?
- Benefits – Five key reasons, including:
- Improve contractual protections
- Refine project scope and improve focus
- Prioritize Objectives
- Who?
- Why?
- Benefits – Six advantages, including:
- Decide without pressure
- Establish decision model
- How?
- Rate individually
- Rank as a team
5. Prepare Position Paper
- Why? — Four primary benefits,
including: - Gain authority
- Use as game plan
- Sample Topics – Eight major categories, including:
- Negotiation considerations
- Potential vendors’ strengths and weaknesses
6. Gain Management Approval
- Why?
- How?
7. Develop Contract/RFP
- Develop Contract
- Benefits — Seven advantages to using your contract, including:
- Improve quality
- Qualify vendors
- Objectives — Six major
goals, including:- Fit the transaction
- Facilitate monitoring and enforcement
- Enforceability — Converting “vendorspeak” into
meaningful language - Contract hierarchy
- Philosophy
- Concepts
- Details
- Benefits — Seven advantages to using your contract, including:
- Develop Request for Proposal
- Functions
- Benefits – Ten advantages, including:
- Results in better specifications
- Proposals are more specific
- Objectives — Seven important
goals, including:- Increase control
- Maximize competition
- Content — Six sections,
including:- General procedures
- Your contract
8. Conduct Bidders’ Conference
- What?
- Who?
- Customer personnel
- Representatives from all of the potential vendors
- Why? – Eleven advantages, including:
- Increases competitive proposals
- Offers additional clarifying opportunities
- Reduces incumbent’s overconfidence
- Logistics – Thirteen considerations, including:
- Meeting room size and layout
- Review and manage the agenda
- Coordinate arrival of the vendors
9. Evaluate Potential Vendors
- Who?
- Options
- Considerations
- What?—Three critical concepts
- How?
- Selecting a methodology
- Team orientation and tasks
- Seven primary steps
10. Conduct Competitive Negotiations
- Overview
- Multiple vendors in the zone
- Power shifts over time
- Top-down negotiations
- Guiding principles — Twelve thoughts, including:
- Negotiate only when you are prepared
- Don’t rely on verbal promises or assurances
- Competition is your strongest negotiation ally
- Preparation
- Negotiation roles – Seven key roles, including
- Observer
- Emissary
- Identifying and maintaining power
- Developing the negotiation agenda
- Conducting negotiation simulations
- Meeting prior to negotiations
- Negotiation roles – Seven key roles, including
- Ploys and tactics
- Offers
- Counteroffers
- Aspiration levels
- Negotiating – Twelve factors for success, including:
- Strategy implementation
- Asking questions
- Linking concessions
11. Select Vendor(s)
- Select one or more vendors
- Execute the contract(s)
- Notify non-selected vendor(s)
12. Manage Contract/Vendor
- Manage Contract
- Why?— Six critical reasons, including:
- To ensure compliance
- To enforce our rights
- Who?
- Options
- Key Personnel traits
- How?— Ten important concepts, including:
- Contract management tools
- Rolling estoppel
- Why?— Six critical reasons, including:
- Manage Vendor
- Why?— Six benefits, including:
- Gain flexibility
- Improve relationships
- Who?
- Options
- Factors for sucess
- How?
- Define roles
- Assign duties
- Select vendors
- Tasks— Ten key concepts, including:
- Conduct status meetings
- Develop improvement plans
- Why?— Six benefits, including:
Keys to Success
Thirteen critical factors, including:
- Information
- Attitude
- Alternatives
The Truths of Contracting
Ten important principles to remember, including:
- If it’s not in the contract, it’s not in the deal.
- Contract and relationship management are critical.
- It is NOT a relationship of trust; it is NOT a partnership.
