Top 53 Sales orders Software (Jan 2024)

2024's Best 54 Sales orders Systems

Shlomi LaviShlomi Lavi / Jan 21, 2024

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1. Unleashed

  • Best for: SMBs
  • Price: starts at $299 per month
  • Jun 24, 2022
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Unleashed Software is a cloud-based supply chain management software. This software enables its users to track their stock across various locations with real-time data. Its powerful inventory management module allows users to adequately monitor and manage all of their inventories across the various ...

2. IBM Planning Analytics

  • Best for: Small, medium and large size businesses
  • Price: starts at $120 per user/month
  • Oct 06, 2022
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IBM Planning Analytics software device is a supply chain management software designed for planning, forecasting, budgeting, and analysis purposes. It is designed in both premise and cloud-based format.

3. PanatrackerGP Inventory

  • Best for: Medium and large size businesses
  • Price: starts at $8,000 per license
  • Oct 10, 2022
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PanatrackerGP Inventory is both a cloud-based and on-premise customer-relationship management solution that is designed for use in businesses of all sizes starting from small-sized businesses, medium-sized businesses, and large enterprises.

4. Epicor Prophet 21

  • Best for: Small, medium and large size businesses
  • Price:
  • May 16, 2022
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Epicor Prophet 21 is a cloud-based distribution software that is designed to help organizations and companies streamline all of their distribution processes in order to ensure optimal productivity. Distributors are able to access the platform from anywhere to extract valuable information.

5. EMERGE App

  • Best for: Small, medium and large size businesses
  • Price: starts at $49.90 per user/month
  • Jul 09, 2022
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EMERGE is a distribution software that is built to create and manage sales orders, quotations, and emails, all in a single system. The software enables businesses to keep track of their inventory plus every adjustment needed to be done on damaged or unsellable products.

6. Neogrid

  • Best for: Medium and large size businesses
  • Price: starts at $1,000 per month
  • Jan 27, 2022
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Neogrid is an inventory management software designed to help businesses get daily performance data from distributors and improve the interaction between two parties to increase sales.

7. Ikaun

  • Best for: Small, medium and large size businesses
  • Price:
  • Jan 21, 2024
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Ikaun is a world-class experience management platform for the professional services industry. It is designed to streamline how experience is discovered, shared, and reused by business development and fee earners. The platform is built based on the needs of business development, marketing, and knowle...

8. CRD

  • Best for: Small, medium and large size businesses
  • Price: starts at $7,995 per user/year
  • Sep 29, 2022
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The CRD is an automation tool designed to help users in the automation of the generation and delivery of their crystal reports.

9. GovWin from Deltek

  • Best for: Start up, Small business, Medium business, Large business
  • Price: starts at $6,000 per user/year
  • Oct 01, 2022
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GovWin IQ is cloud-based marketing research, and intelligence solution that is designed for government contractors find, manage and win U.S. federal, local government, state and educational institutions businesses.

10. Flourish

  • Best for: Small, medium and large size businesses
  • Price: starts at $11.95 per month
  • Oct 04, 2022
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Flourish is a trending cloud-based Sales software, it is designed to support small, medium and large size business. Flourish received a rating of 2.5 from ITQlick team. The software cost is considered affordable (2/5) when compared to alternative solutions.

Pricing Guide - Sales orders Software:

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Software Price Range

Most CRM software in the market are priced on a per-user, per-month basis; hence, businesses can expect to pay between the range of $10 to $200 per user monthly. There are also some CRM products with yearly pricings and others with perpetual licenses.

The above price range depends on the sophistication of the CRM products feature-wise, as well as the number of user accesses or accounts paid for. Some CRM software within the above price ranges are Zendesk Sell, which starts from $19 monthly per user, FreeAgent CRM pricing starts from $25 monthly per user, and GreenRope costs between $149 for up to 1,000 contacts to $699 for up to 50,000 contacts.

In addition, CRM products target different sizes of organizations, and their price ranges are as follows:

  • Small Businesses can expect to pay between the range of $10 to $25 for CRM software. The prices are set on a per user per month basis. For example, Zoho CRM costs $12 per user per month, Fresh Sales costs $13 per user, per month, and Copper pricing starts $19 per user per month. In addition to this, some products offer small businesses very basic packages which can be gotten for free.
  • Medium Businesses can expect to pay between $25 to $50 for CRM software. While most products for medium-sized businesses are priced on a per user, per month basis, the number of employees or registered users will determine the prize of the software per user. For example, Hubspot costs up to $30 per user monthly but $50 monthly for two users. Others are Benchmark ONE, which costs $40 monthly per user, and Skynamo, which is priced at $46 per user monthly.
  • Large Businesses can expect prices that fall within $50 to $200 for CRM products. CRM offerings for large business organizations typically come with more features; hence, there may be separate fees for installation, setup, or training. Some CRM software within this tier are FreeAgent CRM, which costs $130 price monthly per user; GreenRope costs between $149 for up to 1,000 contacts to $699 for up to 50,000 contacts , and Quick Base pricing falls around $500 monthly for a number of users.

CRM best of breeds and their price ranges are as follows:

  • Marketing Automation Software Marketing automation products can be divided into three tiers, each carrying prices that range from $0 to $19, $19 to $50, and $50 upwards, respectively. For instance, Active Campaign pricing starts from $15 monthly per user, Hubspot Marketing Automation costs up to $50 per user monthly, and Integrated Marketing Portal pricing is around $50 per user monthly.
  • Lead Management Software The pricing for Lead management products in the market usually varies between $11 and $60 upwards. These price ranges depend on the level of the products offerings and the number of registered users per month. For example, SalesExec pricing starts from $65 per user monthly, Salesforce Essentials costs around $25 per user monthly, and Lead Capsule pricing starts from around $500 per month for a number of years.
  • SalesForce Automation Software SalesForce automation products pricing ranges from $13 to $50 upwards, depending on the level of their offerings and the number of registered accounts per month. The prices are set per user, per month; hence, SAA software pricing like Really Simple System starts from $14 per user monthly, Pepperi pricing is around $48 per user monthly, and Cliently costs up to $39 per user per month.
  • Contact Management Software Most contact management products in the market are priced on a per month basis, and there are typically set limits to the number of contacts each user can manage on the software. Depending on the level of offers, prices may fall between $0 to $14, $14 to $25, and $25 to $400. For example, Infloflo pricing starts from around $100 per month, DejaOffice PC CRM costs up to $50 monthly, and AirTable pricing starts from $14 per month.
  • Email Marketing Software Email marketing products are priced per month, and there are usually limits on the number of subscribers or emails for each user monthly. The prices range from $0 and $30 upwards, depending on the package level. For example, Constant Contact pricing starts from $20 per month, SendinBlue pricing starts from $25 per month, and Campaigner costs around $19 per month.

11. Genius Manufacturing ERP Software

  • Best for: SMBs
  • Price: starts at $1,500 per user/year
  • Oct 07, 2022
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Genius Manufacturing ERP Software is an enterprise resource planning solution for businesses of all sizes. It offers such services as document management, bills of material, quote management, and others. The software was designed and launched by Genius Solutions headquartered in Quebec, Canada.

12. PremierMerchant Software

  • Best for: SMBs
  • Price: starts at $14.95 per month
  • Jan 28, 2023
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PremierMerchant Software is a growing cloud-based Retail-POS software, it is designed to support small and medium size business. PremierMerchant Software received a rating of 2.5 from ITQlick team. The software cost is considered affordable (1/5) when compared to alternative solutions.

13. WinFDS

  • Best for: Small businesses and start ups
  • Price: starts at $17,500 per license
  • Feb 12, 2022
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WinFDS is a distribution management solution for small and medium businesses. It offers such services as order processing, pricing control, sales analysis, and others. The software was designed and launched by Food Decision Software Inc headquartered in Ontario, Canada.

14. Brain

  • Best for: Small, medium and large size businesses
  • Price:
  • Feb 21, 2022
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Brain/BRN.ai is an artificial intelligence software that transforms e-commerce businesses into AIcommerce suite for sales maximization. The software ensures that consumers can reach your team via chats for enquiries or order for products or services; this way, sales funnels can be built without comp...

15. Microsoft Dynamics GP

  • Best for: Small, medium and large size businesses
  • Price: starts at $5,000 per license
  • Feb 26, 2022
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Microsoft Dynamics GP software is a cloud-hosted financial accounting system modeled for the needs of small to large enterprise businesses. Microsoft Dynamics GP is a product of Microsoft Company which acquired the software from Great Plains Software in 2001.

16. PIRO

  • Best for: SMBs
  • Price: starts at $299 per month
  • Mar 09, 2022
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PIRO is an award-winning cloud-based ERP software, it is designed to support small and medium size business. PIRO received a rating of 2.5 from ITQlick team. The software cost is considered affordable (1/5) when compared to alternative solutions.

17. Experlogix Parametric Configurator

  • Best for: SMBs
  • Price:
  • Mar 26, 2022
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Experlogix Parametric Configurator is an on-premise Configure, Price, and Quote (CPQ) solution that help enterprises to easily tackle compound CPQ requirements. The software readily connects to some leading CRM and ERP platforms and it provides a compact platform that enables make-to-order manufactu...

18. Pez.AI

  • Best for: Small, medium and large size businesses
  • Price:
  • Apr 13, 2022
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Pez.AI is an artificial intelligence software that helps businesses to build sales momentum by assessing and prioritizing leads. The software helps businesses access the lie customer database, enabling them to personalize responses concerning orders and shipping status.

19. SoAmpli

  • Best for: Large business
  • Price: starts at $17.28 per month
  • May 12, 2022
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SoAmpli empowers your whole organisation to quickly and simply share approved social media content, building greater brand awareness and expanding social reach! Time to super charge your social media?

20. Silver Bullet Technologies Logistics

  • Best for: Medium and large size businesses
  • Price:
  • May 12, 2022
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Silver Bullet Technologies Logistics is a logistics software that is used for forwarding, 3PL, and Distribution. It affords the customer the feature to have all their supply chain operations on a single database.

21. PaidYET

  • Best for: Small businesses and start ups
  • Price: starts at $19 per month
  • May 17, 2022
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Paidyet is a professional services automation software solution. It is a point of sales software that enables the companies in the billing and invoicing processes for their customers. It is a web based software solution. This means that it doesn’t require any dedication system on the client’s part t...

22. b1Desktop

  • Best for: SMBs
  • Price:
  • Nov 15, 2022
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b1Desktop is a growing cloud-based Customer Service software, it is designed to support small and medium size business. b1Desktop received a rating of 3.7 from ITQlick team. The software cost is considered affordable (1.5/5) when compared to alternative solutions.

23. Easycombine

  • Best for: Start up, Small business, Medium business
  • Price: starts at $49 per month
  • Nov 07, 2019
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Easycombine is an award-winning cloud-based CRM software, it is designed to support small and medium size business. Easycombine received a rating of 4.9 from ITQlick team. The software cost is considered average (3.2/5) when compared to other solutions in their category.

24. FreightTrain

  • Best for: SMBs
  • Price: starts at $3,000 per user/month
  • Jul 26, 2022
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FreightTrain is a leading cloud-based Construction software, it is designed to support small and medium size construction business. FreightTrain received a rating of 3.1 from ITQlick team. The software cost is considered affordable (2.2/5) when compared to alternative solutions.

25. eBridge eCommerce integration

  • Best for: SMBs
  • Price: starts at $996 per license
  • May 24, 2022
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eBridge eCommerce integration is a fast growing cloud-based Sales software, it is designed to support small and medium size business. eBridge eCommerce integration received a rating of 4.4 from ITQlick team. The software cost is considered affordable (1.6/5) when compared to alternative solutions.

26. eBridge SCM/Supply Chain Management integration

  • Best for: SMBs
  • Price: starts at $300 per month
  • May 24, 2022
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eBridge SCM is a supply chain management solution for businesses of all sizes. Its capabilities include data synchronization and sharing, data duplication elimination, integration, and others. The software was designed and launched by eBridge Connections headquartered in Ontario, Canada.

27. coresuite mobile service

  • Best for: SMBs
  • Price:
  • May 23, 2022
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coresuite mobile service is a fast growing cloud-based Accounting-Finance software, it is designed to support small and medium size business. coresuite mobile service received a rating of 3.3 from ITQlick team. The software cost is considered average (3.3/5) when compared to other solutions in thei...

28. SGIModa

  • Best for: SMBs
  • Price:
  • May 23, 2022
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SGIModa is a leading cloud-based Accounting-Finance software, it is designed to support small and medium size business. SGIModa received a rating of 4.1 from ITQlick team. The software cost is considered average (3.5/5) when compared to other solutions in their category.

29. SortMyBooks

  • Best for: SMBs
  • Price: starts at $25 per user/month
  • Apr 15, 2021
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SortMyBooks is a growing cloud-based Accounting-Finance software, it is designed to support small and medium size business. SortMyBooks received a rating of 4.4 from ITQlick team. The software cost is considered affordable (2/5) when compared to alternative solutions.

30. Business Partner Screening

  • Best for: SMBs
  • Price:
  • May 23, 2022
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Business Partner Screening is a growing cloud-based Supply Chain software, it is designed to support small and medium size business. Business Partner Screening received a rating of 3.7 from ITQlick team. The software cost is considered affordable (2.4/5) when compared to alternative solutions.

31. Be-as Product Configurator

  • Best for: SMBs
  • Price:
  • Nov 14, 2022
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Boyum IT is an award-winning cloud-based Accounting-Finance software, it is designed to support small and medium size business. Boyum IT received a rating of 4.6 from ITQlick team. The software cost is considered average (3.4/5) when compared to other solutions in their category.

32. Pos one

  • Best for: SMBs
  • Price: starts at $1,200 per license
  • May 23, 2022
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onePOS is a restaurant management solution for businesses of all sizes. Its capabilities include accounting management, credit card processing, inventory management, and others. The software was designed and launched by onePOS LLC headquartered in Florida, United States.

33. Web CRM One 2-0

  • Best for: SMBs
  • Price:
  • May 23, 2022
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Web CRM One 2-0 is a trending cloud-based Marketing software, it is designed to support small and medium size business. Web CRM One 2-0 received a rating of 3.6 from ITQlick team. The software cost is considered affordable (1.5/5) when compared to alternative solutions.

34. SBOeConnect

  • Best for: SMBs
  • Price: starts at $129 per month
  • May 24, 2022
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SBOeConnect is an e-commerce and retail management solution for businesses of all sizes. Its capabilities include credit card processing, product catalog, email marketing, and others. The software was designed and launched by InSync headquartered in West Bengal, India.

35. WebSalesForce

  • Best for: SMBs
  • Price:
  • Nov 14, 2022
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WebSalesForce is a growing cloud-based Sales software, it is designed to support small and medium size business. WebSalesForce received a rating of 3.5 from ITQlick team. The software cost is considered average (3.4/5) when compared to other solutions in their category.

36. ManyContacts

  • Best for: Start up, Small business
  • Price: starts at $37.63 per month
  • May 30, 2022
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ManyContacts is a fast growing cloud-based Email Marketing software, it is designed to support small size business. ManyContacts received a rating of 3.9 from ITQlick team. The software cost is considered average (3.4/5) when compared to other solutions in their category.

37. OLK- E-Commerce & Sales Platform

  • Best for: SMBs
  • Price:
  • May 24, 2022
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OLK Enterprise is a SAP Business One e-commerce solution for businesses of all sizes. It facilitates such services as order fulfillment, CRM, customizable reporting, and others. The software was designed and launched by TopManage headquartered in Panama.

38. RepTivity - Sales Teams Leaderboard

  • Best for: Small business, Medium business, Large business, Private use
  • Price: starts at $30 per month
  • May 30, 2022
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RepTivity is a gamification platform for sales teams of businesses of all sizes. It offers such services as data visualization, user demographics, community forums, and others. The software was designed and launched by RepTivity Inc headquartered in Massachusetts, United States.

39. 3PL Module

  • Best for: SMBs
  • Price:
  • May 24, 2022
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3PL Module is a growing cloud-based Sales software, it is designed to support small and medium size business. 3PL Module received a rating of 3.3 from ITQlick team. The software cost is considered average (3.3/5) when compared to other solutions in their category.

40. Matrix One

  • Best for: SMBs
  • Price: starts at $29 per month
  • Nov 14, 2022
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Matrix One is a growing cloud-based CRM software, it is designed to support small and medium size business. Matrix One received a rating of 3.4 from ITQlick team. The software cost is considered average (3.5/5) when compared to other solutions in their category.

41. Wipro Order-to-Cash BPO

  • Best for: Medium and large size businesses
  • Price:
  • Jun 07, 2022
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Wipro Order-to-Cash BPO is a business process outsourcing and enterprise resource planning solution for businesses of all sizes. It optimizes various business processes and applications. The software is a product of Wipro Technologies headquartered in Bangalore, India.

42. Round-Robin Mailer

  • Best for: Start up, Small business, Medium business, Large business
  • Price: starts at $89 per license
  • Aug 08, 2019
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Round-Robin Mailer is a growing cloud-based Sales software, it is designed to support small, medium and large size business. Round-Robin Mailer received a rating of 4.6 from ITQlick team. The software cost is considered affordable (2.5/5) when compared to alternative solutions.

43. Revvy CPQ

  • Best for: Start up, Small business, Medium business, Large business
  • Price: starts at $75 per user/month
  • Oct 15, 2019
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Revvy CPQ is a product configuration software solution for businesses of all sizes. It offers such services as quoting process automation, conflict resolution, configuration, and others. The software was designed and launched by Model N Inc headquartered in California, United States.

44. iVend eCommerce

  • Best for: SMBs
  • Price: starts at $160 per month
  • Mar 17, 2020
Compare iVend eCommerce Vs. Unleashed

iVend eCommerce is a fast growing cloud-based Marketing software, it is designed to support small and medium size business. iVend eCommerce received a rating of 4.7 from ITQlick team. The software cost is considered affordable (2.2/5) when compared to alternative solutions.

45. AcPlus Accounts

  • Best for: SMBs
  • Price:
  • Nov 01, 2019
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AcPlus Accounts is a growing cloud-based Accounting-Finance software, it is designed to support small and medium size business. AcPlus Accounts received a rating of 3.4 from ITQlick team. The software cost is considered affordable (2.4/5) when compared to alternative solutions.

46. MAG-B1

  • Best for: SMBs
  • Price:
  • Sep 14, 2019
Compare MAG-B1 Vs. Unleashed

MAG-B1 is an award-winning cloud-based Sales software, it is designed to support small and medium size business. MAG-B1 received a rating of 3.6 from ITQlick team. The software cost is considered average (2.7/5) when compared to other solutions in their category.

47. Unicommerce

  • Best for: Small, medium and large size businesses
  • Price: starts at $29 per license
  • Mar 14, 2022
Compare Unicommerce Vs. Unleashed

Unicommerce is an award-winning cloud-based Inventory Management software, it is designed to support small, medium and large size business. Unicommerce received a rating of 4.7 from ITQlick team. The software cost is considered affordable (1.5/5) when compared to alternative solutions.

48. ORDER MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (R-ORDER)

  • Best for: Small, medium and large size businesses
  • Price:
  • Nov 10, 2019
Compare ORDER MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (R-ORDER) Vs. Unleashed

Robocom Order Management is order and inventory management solution for businesses of all sizes. It offers such services as real-time order status, multiple backorder processing, and others. The software was designed and launched by Robocom Systems International headquartered in New York, United Sta...

49. Centerline TMS (Centerline)

  • Best for: Small, medium and large size businesses
  • Price:
  • Aug 06, 2019
Compare Centerline TMS (Centerline) Vs. Unleashed

Centerline TMS is a fleet and transportation management solution for businesses of all sizes. Its capabilities include order management, dispatch management, integrated accounting, and others. The software was designed and launched by Robocom Systems International headquartered in New Yo...

50. Idealo Connect

  • Best for: SMBs
  • Price:
  • Sep 09, 2019
Compare Idealo Connect Vs. Unleashed

Idealo Connect is a growing cloud-based Supply Chain software, it is designed to support small and medium size business. Idealo Connect received a rating of 4.6 from ITQlick team. The software cost is considered affordable (1.8/5) when compared to alternative solutions.

51. Web EC One

  • Best for: SMBs
  • Price: starts at $49 per month
  • Mar 19, 2020
Compare Web EC One Vs. Unleashed

Web EC One is a fast growing cloud-based Sales software, it is designed to support small and medium size business. Web EC One received a rating of 4.7 from ITQlick team. The software cost is considered affordable (2.4/5) when compared to alternative solutions.

52. StockTracker

  • Best for: Small, medium and large size businesses
  • Price: starts at $4,999 per license
  • Oct 05, 2019
Compare StockTracker Vs. Unleashed

StockTracker is a growing cloud-based Inventory Management software, it is designed to support small, medium and large size business. StockTracker received a rating of 4.9 from ITQlick team. The software cost is considered average (3.5/5) when compared to other solutions in their category.

53. order management

  • Best for: Start up, Small business, Medium business, Large business
  • Price: starts at $1,000 per month
  • Mar 19, 2020
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Oracle Order Management is a supply chain and inventory management solution for businesses of all sizes. It streamlines the order fulfillment process and workflow of business. The software was designed and launched by Oracle Corporation based in California, United States.

A Buyer's Guide to Business Software Solutions

How to Evaluate and Buy Business Software
 
If you’re somehow puzzled if this article is only for a specific size of business, no, it’s not. This is for you SMEs, MNEs and start-ups software buyers. Also, we’re not talking about a specific software solution here. Whether the software solution that you’re planning to buy is for Accounting, Business Intelligence, ERP, CRM, Help Desk, Maintenance Management or other types of application, one thing is for sure; with the help of this article, you will be able to know the right process in evaluating and buying a business software solution.
 
We’ve been into the software business for years and we’re seeing a lot of nitty-gritty things that often bring confusions and hesitations to many companies looking for better software solutions. Some companies can’t afford to let go their legacy systems while a few is encountering technological snags once the new system is in place. While this is the underlying truth behind software acquisition and implementation, what’s exciting about buying a business software solution is that there is a clear and obvious proof that thousands of companies and corporations today are happy with the benefits this technology is bringing into their respective businesses.  There is a significant increase in their revenue and the growth is on-going. And it’s easy to say; many from the Fortune 500 companies are making a lot of money because of their smartly-acquired business software.
 
So, let’s get straight to the point. What should you do in order to acquire that business software that could make your organization achieve its goals? The answer to this is pretty straightforward: evaluate and buy that right business software. Yes, that’s what you need to do and here’s the best manual from ITQlick.com that could certainly help you in doing that strategically.
 
Consider the Needs of Your Organization
Let’s assume that at this point, the entire management team agreed that you are ready to invest on a certain software application. The budget has been compromised and the key persons who will be involved in the acquisition process were already identified. Therefore, it’s time to approach things the project management way.
 
Define the Project
Every business software solution is categorized base on application type, features, deployment model, market size and pricing model. Remember that our objective here is to evaluate and buy a business software product that will fit into the size and present needs of your business. So what the project management team should try to deal with first is to define the real requirements of your business exactly base on the categories set by the software industry. Moreover, by doing this activity, you are already narrowing down your search for the right solution. Now, consider bringing this list of FAQs to the project management and aim to come up with clear-cut answers.
 
  1. What type of software is needed? Is it Integrated-Suite, Best-of-Breed or Industry-Specific? Ask your CEO’s main agenda and find the perfect match from these available options.
  2. What are the core and secondary features? Are you looking for basic, advanced or hi-end features? List down the specific features per category and allow the department managers and supervisors to give their insights on this list.
  3. How are you going to deploy the system? Would it be on-premise, cloud-based, hosted, or mobile-based? Weigh these options with the help of your CIO.
  4. Are you going for Tier 1, Tier 2 or Tier 3 vendors? Their offered solutions are base on the size of their target market - SMEs, MNEs or start-ups. Seek your CFO’s advice as it is important to match your financial capacity against the cost of the solution that the providers have for you.
  5. Are you willing to pay for the perpetuity software license or a subscription-based solution is way better? How many users are there and what would be their roles in using the system? Solicit feedbacks from future end users for they know better what challenges and risks might possibly come along their way when they’re using the system.
 
Finalize the BOM or List of Requirements
After providing definite answers on the above questions, we can say that the project has already been defined. Your procurement team is now ready to do their role in the acquisition process of this solution. However, in order for them to execute their job properly, they must have the complete list of requirements - features, specifications, hardware, and the software product. In other words, the Bill-of-Materials (BOM) that is final, complete and well-prepared must be handed over to the procurement director. Needless to say, it is very important that everybody is following the company purchasing and procurement protocols at all times.  
 
Request for Proposal (RFP)
The RFP process will bring everything into formality. Since you’re more likely in a line of business that doesn’t regularly buy software products, it is of critical importance that your RFP is well-structured before you send it to your prospect solution providers.
 
Draft the RFP
An RFP that contains all the relevant information as discussed during the project management meetings will enable the providers to return back to you their proposal that is complete and substantial. Therefore, your RFP should basically contain the following:
 
Brief Introduction
  • Company Name
  • Mission and Goals
  • Purpose of the RFP (or the need for software solution)
Business Background
  • Organizational Structure
  • Current Situation (IT infrastructure, system currently in-use, system issues and desired solutions, etc.)
  • Major Objectives of the Software Purchase
Request for Specific Requirements
  • Solution Functionality
  • System Specifications
  • Vendor Company Information
  • Price Model, Service Plans, Package Options
Other Important Inquiries (if necessary)
 
Send the RFP
Well-structured RFP will bring a lot of advantages especially when the proposals from various providers are received and then subjected for review and analysis. Send your RFP to at least three to five providers (or prospects which you have already shortlisted during the project definition phase). Depending on the complexity of the solution, most vendors will send their proposal in a matter of time, which could be around 4 to 6 weeks for Integrated-Suite solution.
 
Why still send RFP?
Is there really a need for RFP if your preferred solution (like cloud-based) and the service plans or packages are already displayed on the vendor’s website? Well, yes, you still need to undergo the RFP process. For most sales people, they certainly know that those figures appearing in the vendor’s website are usually the “list price” and not the “actual price”. More importantly, the vendor’s proposal (response to RFP) will serve as your main basis for the negotiation. Therefore, sending an RFP is a strict requirement.
 
Follow up questions relevant to RFP
More often than not, questions and concerns will be raised by the vendors to whom you send the RFP. You have to entertain them with utmost professionalism. Solution providers who are seeking further clarifications relevant to the RFP are consisting of professional software experts who wants to help your organization as much as they can. Entertain them but at the same time, always be cautious when providing additional information which you know is confidential or proprietary.
 
Evaluate the Proposals
Always refer to your finalized BOM when tabulating the contents of each proposal. Part of this process is to check the features that are available from this certain vendor and to cross out those that are not. While using spreadsheet aids the tabulation process, laying down the document proposals on the table and allowing your project management team to review them one by one should always be conducted. Evaluating the proposals in full force can help strengthen your decision-making process. Have another round of brain-storming session and come with the name of your preferred solution provider.
 
When selecting the final vendor, always promote the best interest of your organization. Consider answering these questions with full sincerity.
 
  1. Which vendor can provide the long-term benefits to your organization?
  2. Which vendor can provide the best and honest service from acquisition to full implementation?
  3. Which vendor is willing to devote most of its time in better serving its client?
 
Contact this solution provider and in your own strategic approach, try to get the answers to those three important questions above. In most cases, vendor who really wants to prove its craft will offer product demos on a higher level. Others will even invite you to check their already deployed and working systems. Feel free to connect with this type of vendor. Conduct simulation and testing, be it a cloud-based or on-premise solution. Examine all aspects and angles especially those that your project management team want to really know in-depth. For as long as it could help you arrive at a better decision, consider doing all the options available – for the interest of the organization.
 
Enter the Negotiation Process
Most solutions providers can be flexible in terms of pricing. Although the final say is oftentimes on the mouth of the sales person from the vendor’s side, a good negotiation process can always deliver a win-win situation to both parties involve. While negotiation sometimes cannot be settled in one sitting session, always be honest with your intentions whenever negotiating with your provider. If it’s about your budget, justify it with clarity. If it’s about their service plans, tell them what’s lacking or missing on their solution. At the end of the day, the most important event that should happen is that both of you are shaking hands because of a well done negotiation process.
 
Seal the Contract
So what are you going to do on a contract that involves a significant amount of investment? There are three project management approaches for this.
 
  1. Pass the ball to you legal team. They know what to do and more or less they will tell you if there is something wrong with the contract. Give them enough time to review before they affix their signature and then finally seal the contract.
  2. Hire a consultant base on the technical aspect that you want to clarify in the contract. If it’s the Scope of Work (SOW), a software implementation expert is the right person. If it is related to complex legal terms and conditions, a lawyer can help. If it has something to do with money, invite an accountant to conduct a thorough review and computation if necessary.
  3. Always consider consulting your project management team. Remember that the CIO, CFO and CEO are all team members. They will be the signatories and they know what’s best for the interest of the company when signing a contract agreement.
 
From evaluation to buying stage, it is important that the project manager must take full responsibility of monitoring all the works identified and distributed among team members. This is why delegating the right project manager is also an important consideration when buying a business software solution. And again, ITQlick.com wants to emphasize that whatever the size of your company is, using the project management approach will always lead you into a better outcome – that is getting what you paid for the right business software solution. 

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Auditor - Shlomi Lavi

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Shlomi Lavi is an entrepreneur and founder of ITQlick.com. He holds a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) in Information Systems Engineering from Ben Gurion University in Israel. Shlomi brings 17 years of global IT and IS management experience as a consultant and implementation expert for small, medium and large-sized (global) companies. Shlomi’s goal is to share the best knowledge and news about information systems so you can make smarter buying decisions for your business.