Advisory services for an RFP

Following the merger and integration of two financial services institutions, the organisation decided to go to market with an RFP for contact centre services. It sought to rationalise, standardise and expand the capabilities of the newly restructured organisation.

Frame was initially engaged to prepare a contact centres benchmarking study which analysed and compared technology options, and provided a detailed cost model and analysis against industry benchmarks.

Based on the strength of the benchmarking study, the organisation extended Frame’s engagement to provide independent input, review and advice on:

• the RFP approaches being considered
• procurement model options, including CAPEX–OPEX versus OPEX-only models, and contact-centre-as-a service versus their existing managed services approach
• the vendors being considered, their capability and past performance
• timeframes and other aspects of the procurement process.

Frame contributed to development of the RFP and provided an independent evaluation and report of the vendors’ technology and commercial offerings.

Our vendor independence, industry experience and domain knowledge enabled Frame to assist the company to understand the trends in the contact centre marketplace, where each of the vendors and their proposed solutions were positioned, and how they compared.

We analysed the strategic corporate roadmap for each respondent — an important part of understanding their capacity to commit to and deliver a ‘strategic partner capability’ for our client, over the contract’s term. The analysis also considered the potential for a significant reduction in the number of industry players over that period.

This information meant the company was able to make an informed business decision. Instead of being based solely on the technology or the pricing, the decision included an understanding of the vendor’s market
positioning for the life of the contract, their industry reputation and demonstrated capabilities in an Australian context.

Frame contributed to writing the RFP and reviewed it during development, making sure it:

• asked the right questions, to determine which proposal would best meet the company’s current needs as well as enable its vision
• provided sufficient information for vendors to propose optimal solutions which met all business and technical requirements for the immediate and long term
• had the right balance for proposals to be compared like for like, without being too prescriptive, and yet allowing vendors to put forward alternatives which would achieve the required business outcomes.

In addition to providing advice on the current market for the solutions and industry players, Frame:

• provided expert advice and guidance
• assisted at vendor briefings and presentations
• prepared an independent assessment report of vendors’ proposals.