- A large percentage of organizations do not have a formalized vendor management process, leaving the entire organization vulnerable to poor business outcomes.
- Because it is so hard to quantify ROI for vendor management activities and resources, it often doesn’t get done effectively.
- Managing vendors is a cross-functional endeavor. Without a solid internal foundation, effective vendor management is likely to fall short of achieving value-added outcomes.
Our Advice
Critical Insight
- Define what vendor management means for your organization. The definition is dependent on your organization’s size and structure.
- Vendor management does not exist in a vacuum. It is integrated and dependent on other business and IT processes, such as project management, requirements gathering, procurement, and compliance.
- The internal relationships need to be strong before your vendor relationships can be strong. Make sure your organization can present a united front.
- Understand exactly where you are consuming resources in terms of people and time invested into these solutions. This is a holistic perspective on resource allocation that will drive visibility upwards to senior management and force a ROI or cost-benefit dialogue.
Impact and Result
- Taking a proactive approach to managing your vendors will help negotiate relationships where everyone’s best interests are accommodated.
- The approach begins by laying the foundation for a thorough vendor management function within your organization.