In this episode of the Art of Procurement, I am joined by Dave Hulsen, co-founder of an RFP collaboration platform called RFP360.
I have often felt that, as procurement professionals, we can sometimes abuse the RFP process. Therefore, I was really interested in talking with Dave, and learning how we can take our RFP’s from being a burdensome exercise in paper shuffling to being a key tool that brings value to the sourcing process – for both Buyer’s and Sellers.
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“RFP’s can be very restrictive and we have to be careful with their use. We paint somebody into a corner of just answering yes or no, and there’s so much more information out there that we should be gathering.”
In this episode, you will learn:
- Dave’s background and how he entered the procurement software business.
- The 3 tips dave took from his military mentors into his business career.
- Why his product specialises in just the RFP niche.
- Some common pitfalls associated with RFPs and what we can do to avoid them.
- How we can make sure that we’re maximizing the effect of what is really a primary tool in the procurement toolbox.
- Some of the biggest mistakes seen that buyers make when they build and issue an RFP.
- Challenges faced by suppliers as RFPS come in.
- The perspective from sellers when they receive bad RFPs and how they react to them.
- How to successfully make the RFP a two way process rather than a one way process.
- When to use an RFP compared to an RFI or even just a quick phone call with the supplier.
- Why communication is key in the RFP Process.
- Dave’s recommendation on the one thing that a buyer should do on their next RFP that would really have the greatest impact on how effective it would be.
Links and Resources:
- Subscribe to The Art of Procurement
- RFP360
- Episode 21: Is Procurement Abusing the RFP Process?
- David Hulsen: 3 Leadership Tips from My Military Mentors
- Episode 16: Apply Marketing Procurement Best Practices to Become Relevant to Your Difficult Business Stakeholders, with Bob Rodwell
- Episode 4: An Outside View: How Do Sales Reps Really View Procurement and How Can We Partner to Deliver Value For Our Business, with Tibor Shanto
Thanks for Listening!
