Desk Software Service Selection = RFP

Frequently Asked Questions - RFP Checklist - Customer List Pricing at Bottom

Select Service Desk Software Accurately

This Ready-to-Use RFP Master^™ template queries vendors over 1,934 state-of-the-art criteria essential to the successful evaluation, selection, and implementation of an integrated service desk system solution.

Just a PARTIAL list of the business functions & processes addressed by the criteria found in this service desk RFP is shown below:

BBB Details

System Global Issues	Incident Management	Client Access
General Reporting	Problem Management	Self Service Portal
Service Level Requirements	Release Management	Root Cause Analysis
Service Level Agreements	Service Desk Functions	Standard Reports
External System Integration	Email Integration	Help Knowledge Base
Cloud Configuration	Client Maintenance	ITIL Configuration Mgmt
Software Usability	Contact Maintenance	Reporting
Agent Issues	Inventory - Asset Mgmt	Time and Expense Tracking
User Defined Features	IT Asset Inventory	Document Management
Transition Planning	Asset Service Tracking	Web Functionality
Client Web Interface	Incoming Call Functions	Business Continuity Plan
User Compatibility	Call Processing	Cloud Administration
Service Desk Dashboards	Escalation Capabilities	SaaS/Cloud Security
IT Service Management	Mobile Apps	Many More...
Service Request Mgmt	Web Enabled Functions
Change Management	Help Desk Staff Access

Unlike others, this RFP template is not limited to collecting just basic information about vendor background, feature availability, and pricing. This RFP template provides very powerful, unique functions for collecting additional information from vendors about proposed service desk system risk, potential implementation problems, and on-going support issues as well. This enables Infotivity RFP templates to provide service desk system evaluation and selection accuracy far beyond that of other RFPs. (See the optimized RFP Capability Checklist)

Actual screens and questions from this service desk RFP and it's matching Vendor RFP Response Evaluation Toolkit are shown below to illustrate how they enable you to easily collect the unique metrics needed to successfully identify, acquire, and implement the service desk software solution best suited to your company's needs.

View the optimized RFP Capability Checklist Obtain answers to Frequently Asked Questions View Service Desk System Comparison & Evalutation Tools.

About this RFP Template:

Click to Enlarge	SAVE WEEKS, even MONTHS OF TIME by using thousands of professionally written service desk software RFP statements & questions to communicate your software system requirements quickly and accurately. No need to re-invent the wheel. View typical RFP Table of Contents.
Click to Enlarge	IDENTIFY Feature AVAILABILITY & DELIVERABILITY. Unlike other RFPs, Infotivity RFP Masters automatically collect the information needed to identify *BOTH* the AVAILABILITY of service desk software features, and their DELIVERABILITY, i.e., HOW those features will be delivered. Each RFP Master includes a Feature Support Matrix^™ (FSM) to automatically capture this information, which can be used to create very accurate and reliable service desk software system implementation schedules. View samples here.
Click to Enlarge	Determine RISK and SUPPORTABILITY. RFP Masters automatically evaluate vendor response data collected to quantitatively determine the SUPPORTABILITY INDEX^™ of each proposed software system. This index ranks the potential support problems inherent in each proposal. Accurately compare the amount of ongoing support needed to keep each proposed service desk software system up and running. Measure the true impact of each system on your business over the long term. View sample here.
Click to Enlarge	VENDOR RESPONSE VALIDATION saves time and effort, and reduces errors, when evaluating vendor software proposals. View example here.
	EASILY CUSTOMIZED to meet your unique service desk system needs, using basic Excel techniques.
	PROVEN MS EXCEL TECHNOLOGY. Everybody already knows Excel. Save time & effort across the board! No installation, no learning curve.

Included with this service desk RFP for Free all evaluation & comparison tools for more detail see below....

Click to Enlarge	"APPLES-to-APPLES" COMPARISON of vendor RFP responses (proposals) is assured by extensive use of quantitative RFP questions and full vendor response validation. Compare proposed system service desk software features side-by-side faster and more accurately with the fully automated Color Comparison Chart^™ matrix included with this RFP at no extra charge. View a typical comparison here.
Click to Enlarge	"Service Desk Response Evaluation Ratios (scores) help you save time. View a typical evaluation ratios here.
Click to Enlarge	AUTOMATED WEIGHTED GRADE POINT SCORING is a quantitative measure of how well a proposed service desk software system matches up to your business priorities. This graph compares the overall total scores for each proposed system. This Score is based on all vendor responses except Pricing and Vendor Background. View sample 3-D Bar Chart comparison here.
Click to Enlarge	Feature Delivery Methods This graph compares HOW each service desk vendor is planning to deliver the proposed system. The bars show how much of each competing system is going to be delivered Fully Supported "out-of-the-box", how much will be delivered using the Report Writer, a Configuration option or 3rd Party product, and how much is dependant on Custom Programming & Scripting. The scores used in this service desk comparison are based on responses to system questions only, i.e., no vendor, pricing, or support responses are utilized. View sample 3-D Bar Chart comparison here.
Click to Enlarge	Supportability Index A proposed system could look very good on paper, but once implementation begins the reality could be very different. The ease with which a service desk system can be implemented and maintained over it's expected life is controlled in large part by the amount of custom programming and scripting required to build & maintain the system. The Supportability Index is based on responses to Service Desk Software System Features only. This graph compares the potential support effort inherent in each proposed system. View sample 3-D Bar Chart comparison here.
Click to Enlarge	Overall Comparison This graph compares the total Weighted Score of each proposed service desk system along with its Supportability Index and associated Vendor Profile. Use this when assessing the RISK of a proposed system and whether or not the desk system can indeed be implemented by the proposing vendor successfully. View sample 3-D Bar Chart comparison here.
Click to Enlarge	Vendor Profile Scores This graph compares a score measuring the background, expertise, capabilities, and other data collected in the Vendor Global Issues section of the service desk RFP. The Vendor Profile Score provides a way of assessing the Capabilities PROFILE of a proposing vendor. View sample 3-D Bar Chart comparison here.

This Service Desk RFP also has Supporting Documents INCLUDED:

	Cover Letter Samples - Make the task easier with this service desk RFP cover letter template collection. Choose from Letter samples designed for all events, such as "RFP Response Request", "Intent to Respond", "No Intent to Respond", "RFP Change Enclosed", "Proposal Rejection" "Finalist Selection", and " Best & Final Offer Request" to meet your unique system needs.
	Full Version of risk assessment matrix checklist focused on service desk management system acquisition and implementation projects for working sample "Click Here"
	the Optimized service desk RFP Guide. Designed to be viewed in a browser off-line, this document outlines the best procedures for creating custom RFP questions. Included or Sold Separately
	The Service Desk System Cutover Checklist Helps Streamlines Implementation! Included or Sold Separately
	MS Word document describing the organization and usage of the service desk comparison matrix.

(See bottom of this page for pricing information.)

A Detailed & Comprehensive List of:

Service Desk System Features
Pre-defined service desk RFP criteria ensure no important business requirements or software features "slip through the cracks". All are in a quantitative format that guarantees vendor responses will be meaningful, consistent, and easy to compare. All questions are professionally prepared by application specialists to address BOTH the STANDARD features and EXCEPTION CASE software functions required.

Identify BOTH Software Features Availability and Deliverability

Unlike other RFPs that try (and fail) to gather useful solutions data about complex service desk system features, RFP Masters are not constrained to the use of summary-level "Yes" or "No" answers. This RFP Master^™ uses a Feature Support Matrix^™ (FSM) that identify BOTH feature AVAILABILITY and DELIVERY Method. This RFP Master function is useful during both the software selection AND the system implementation phases of large projects because it enables effective Earned Value Management through detailed cross-referencing of usable software functionality and vendor invoicing.

showing sample question on service request management

Determine the Risk & Supportability of Proposed

Software Solutions
Unlike other RFPs, an RFP Master can illustrate potential support problems (and risk) inherent in vendor software proposals. The Feature Support Matrix^™ (FSM) used in each RFP Master^™ categorizes the inherent risk posed for each criteria, and uses that information to calculate the SUPPORTABILITY INDEX^™ for each vendor RFP response. For example, a feature delivered "out of the box" FULLY SUPPORTED is less risky than one delivered through custom programming, even if the programming is free. This RFP Master function is useful during both the software selection AND the implementation phases of a large service desk system because it enables effective Earned Value Management through detailed cross-referencing of usable software functionality and vendor invoicing.

showing change management sample questions

Vendor Response Input Validation.

Vendors must answer each RFP question by choosing from a pre-defined list of possible responses. See below for an example of this drop-down list. This forces all vendors to respond to each service desk software question in a consistent, standard manner. Eliminates the days of time typically wasted trying to compare the inconsistent or incomplete vendor responses obtained by using traditional, non-quantitative RFP questions! Ensures vendor proposals are easy to compare and evaluate!

Color-Coded, "Apples-to-Apples" Comparison of Proposed Systems

Software Comparison
These comparison matrices automatically change vendor response cell background color to GREEN, YELLOW, or RED, to reflect how favorable each response is to your needs! Compared to the tedious task of reviewing hundreds of mono-color Yes/No answers, these colored responses allow problem areas to be spotted more easily, and risk assessment is made much more accurate. All required response comparison matrices are included and ready-to-use! Quickly and easily compare service desk software system proposals side-by-side, feature by feature, in detailed comparisons you control! Keep your project on-schedule and under-budget.

side by side comparison samples on incident management

Evaluation Ratios

Use an extensive set of ratio calculations to compare service desk vendor proposals quickly and efficiently.

Weighted Grade Score Graph

Compares the Weighted Grade Point Score calculated for each proposed system. This is calculated as follows: The vendor response to each RFP question is assigned an unweighted "raw" score. This raw score is then multiplied by the weight factor you entered previously (default = 1) for that service desk RFP question to calculate the weighted score for each response. All of these individual scores are then totaled for use in this comparison. This score is essentially a measure of how well a software system fits your business and software needs, prioritized by the weight (importance level) you assigned to each question in the RFP. In essence, this score measures the SUITABILITY of each proposed service desk software system to your overall requirements. . NOTE this score measures just software functionality, and does not include any measure of vendor background, expertise, support, or programming ability.

Feature Delivery Method Comparison:

An analysis of how each vendor is proposing to deliver the system feature/function contained in their service desk proposal. The graph below shows the percentage that is Fully Supported "out-of-the-box", the percentage to be done via Report Writer, a Configuration Parameter, or Third-Party add-in, versus the percentage to be done via Custom Coding (Scripting / Programming). This information is very useful in terms of identifying RISK, since a Fully Supported (and tested) service desk feature presents far less risk than that same feature done as a "custom programming" task. Also, see the Supportability Index, which sums up these detail risk factors.

Service Desk Supportability Index Graph:

The Supportability Index is a forecast of how much service desk software support and maintenance may be required to keep each proposed software system running at full potential over it's lifetime. This score is determined by how much custom coding is required to implement the proposed software, and which business processes depend on the customized software.

Overall Comparison Graph:

This graph compares both the Weighted Grade (Suitability) Score, Supportability Index, and the Vendor Capabilities Profile side-by-side for easy reference. It is important to see how much custom coding is in a proposed service desk system that also has a high Weighted Score, along with the Vendor Profile. The more custom code, the higher the risk posed by that system. Therefore, the more custom coding, the more expertise and capabilities a vendor should have.

Vendor Profile Score Graph:

The backgrounds, expertise, capabilities, and certifications of each vendor is obtained in the Vendor Global Issues section of the service desk RFP. The vendor responses to this section are totaled separately from the software functionality topics, and this data is used to calculate the "Vendor Profile Score". The higher the score, the more CAPABILITIES a vendor is probably going to be.