Evaluating vendor responses.

The process of evaluating computer vendors' responses to a request for proposal (RFP) is described. The steps involved are (1) reviewing vendor proposals, (2) attending vendor presentations (3) reviewing references, (4) visiting vendor clients, (5) reviewing vendor stability, and (6) making the decision. The primary purpose of reviewing proposals is to reduce the number of vendors under consideration. Vendors' proposals should be attended by representatives of all affected departments, and each vendor's presentation should be discussed with the RFP or RFP extension as a guide. Interviewing users of a system helps determine how the system works in practice and how accurately the vendor has represented his product. Likewise, visiting selective vendor clients, without the vendor representative being present, helps establish whether the persons actually using the system like it and find it easy to use. A vendor's stability can be best determined by examining its financial stability and its commitment to the pharmacy product. Making the selection requires elimination of vendors that do not meet minimum requirements, rating the remaining vendors numerically, and deciding which features of each system are most desirable. The vendor selection process provides an opportunity to thoroughly study an operation and helps set priorities for the department.