Point three: Evaluating the quality of tenders
Thanks to the high-quality preparation of the tender documentation and the approach to a suitable and reasonable number of suppliers, you now have around five different price bids ‘on the table’. How do you make sense of them and ideally select two finalists?
How should you assess quality?
The basic advice is this: stick to the conditions set out in the tender documentation that you established at the outset. Focus on the scope of the bid, its comprehensiveness and the individual approach. If you’ve received a bid that, at first glance, looks like a standard template with only the company name rewritten, it’s obvious how much attention the agency will pay to your project.
Pay attention to the details that will help you better understand the company’s philosophy and professionalism; click through the links provided, which may take you to the agency’s website or show you a demo version of the content management system. A useful factor in determining the best offers for you could be, for example, the inclusion of responsive design, which is now truly fundamental to website development.
Check the references
Do you already have your favourites and want to make a final decision between two shortlisted offers? Check the references provided. In both personal and professional life, it is common to exaggerate one’s achievements somewhat, so it is important to take each reference with a pinch of salt. Choose the two or three most interesting ones, and if a contact person is listed, get in touch with them to ask (otherwise, request their contact details) how the collaboration went and how satisfied they are with the result. An objective third-party opinion can be very helpful.
Point four: Personal presentation
The agency’s own presentation of their proposal should give you a better idea of the philosophy and approach to project management they offer, and whether this is really what you are looking for. It is advisable to have a series of questions prepared for the presentation, based on the proposal you received, to explore individual points in greater depth.
What should you ask?
In addition to clarifying basic information such as the implementation process, delivery date or price, you should be interested in the following:
- What is the agency’s history?
- What are their most significant references?
- Who will be responsible for your project and what experience do they have?
- Who will be on the development team?
- A demo of the content management system.
- What post-implementation support is provided for the project?
Finally, try asking some of the less pleasant questions that the other party doesn’t like to hear, such as asking for a discount or a quick turnaround. Depending on the type of answer, you can get a final impression of whether you’re dealing with a true professional or a novice. It also doesn’t hurt to ask a factual question regarding, for example, the number of your followers on Facebook or another social network. This allows you to easily check how thoroughly the presenter has prepared.
Point five: We’ve made our choice
The presentations are over and you are now absolutely certain which agency you will be working with on the project. Before you begin working together, insist on signing a contract with a detailed specification setting out the scope of the project.
A few tips and a summary to conclude
- Don’t rush – a quality project takes time.
- Look for a team – a content management system, a low price or free services won’t create your project; it is created by the development team, so you need to get to know the people working for you.
- Set an appropriate budget – the saying “you get what you pay for” applies to web design too, and even more so these days.
Thank you for your attention, and we wish you the best of luck with your tender process. Should you still be unsure, we would be happy to offer our advisory and consultancy services.