How to select vendor

From my viewpoint it has to be not only reliabilty and price but the friendlyness of the vendor and the speed and effectiveness of service. No one wants to deal with someone who has the personality of a rock or a vendor who gives poor technical advice or makes you wait seemingly forever for service.

I have co-workers who buy based on lowest purchase price, while I believe that cost of operations over life of product is more critical. All vendors claim high reliability but you never know unless you check out their references & check out what issaid by other users not on their references list.

The really important issues to me are quality of tech support & likelihood that this outfit will still be in business serving us X years away ... there are so many that get bought out by other people who cut costs by not providing the same level of tech support.

We want the technology to remain competitive & up-to-date, but not at a cost of withdrawing support for what will some day be an older model.

I agree with Al. You've got to make sure you're getting in bed with someone who'll still be around in a year, two years, or three. I got burned once becuase I persuaded a client to buy their machines exclusively from a local distributor. The guy went belly up out of nowhere, and it made me look bad.

Support! Support! Support!
A vendor can have a great product but when you have a problem you need the guy who is going to be there to help with any technical issues that arise.
Unfortunately a vendor can promise that a product is reliable and support is available and on one or both counts you end up disappointed. So it tends to be a live and learn situation and as you deal with more vendors the better you become at making sound choices.

The right answer, might not be what we would think it is. I would say the right answer is what the END USER really wants (and if we are managing their systems well ...) what they really need.

Some End User customers would place Speed of Service next in line. Others would say After Sales Support. Then some of the longer-sighted customers might be more interested to know the lifecycle costs, or the replacement paths available to them.

Bottom line for me, is to FIRST figure out what the customer (END USER) really is trying to do. Then when we sort through the competing vendor proposals, we have a lot better idea of whats most important.

Enjoy :)
mlv//Mark LeVeck, ( http://chm.net )
c/o: USCG ESU St. Louis, MO 314.539.3900 x520

Beside reliability (how measured?) and price, the suggestions of support, continuity, and quality are right-on.

But don't forget: Trust, an intangible but real factor. If the client truly trusts the vendor, the deal is done. People trust people, not companies.

Venders who work to gain the client's Trust, so the vendor's promises can be verified by facts and by gut-feelings (more than a result of vendor rapport-building), are the venders to work with.

I'll have to go with two... resources and customer business model. First, beyond this deal, what other resources can this vendor bring to bear on my IT operation? This is where a systems integrator has tremendous value. When you have a problem, many times you can go to them for free advice or to get the issue clarified. This leads into the second item - customer business model. Is the vendor market-focused or customer-focused? Market-focused companies are always looking for the next deal and tend to push products and solutions at you - regardless of whether you have a need or not. Customer-focus companies ask about my problems and offer advice and help. They aren't afraid to admit they don't have what I need and are willing to point me in the right direction. Again, systems integrators shine because they are willing to go get the product I need - they don't have to make it. I want a partner, not a vendor. I want someone who will help me succeed and knows that is the surest way for them to succe

SPEAK WITH FORMER CUSTOMERS !!!!!