How long should it take to choose a system?

The duration of the procurement phase usually reflects a variety of factors, including, for example: How strong is the business foundation—the business case—behind the acquisition? Is there support for the project from management and the board? How many internal resources and competencies are available? How fast does the process need to move? How certain do you want to be about price and solution? How many systems and vendors are relevant to consider? Which contract model should be chosen for the agreement? — and much more.

To reach a decision on the choice of system and vendor, it is important to establish a well-documented and objective decision basis. You must ensure that you turn the stones that are necessary—no more and no fewer—to identify what is right for your company. And it is important to emphasize that there is no “one size fits all” solution. What is right for one company is not necessarily right for the next.

Spend a little time with many vendors and a lot of time with a few vendors!

In recent years, we have observed a clear trend toward carrying out the procurement process in a new and more innovative way. This is since it can be difficult to define business needs in sufficient detail, given the pace at which the market and environment are evolving. Whereas companies previously spent extensive time describing business requirements, we now see that this part is completed more quickly and with less detail. Instead, more time is spent working with potential vendors through demos and workshops before a choice is made. There are clear advantages to this model—but also disadvantages.

Regardless of the method, there will always be built-in decision time and typically some “calendar gymnastics,” which means that a procurement process can rarely be completed in less than three months. But three months should be the target—and we have plenty of good experiences showing that it can be achieved within this timeframe.