Richard Grimes, MPA, C.P.T.

Course Outline

This online course will help participants define what a successful relationship with a vendor would look like and how to establish it. Systematic guidance helps users:

• Clarify their current view of a typical client-vendor relationship
• Create their vision of what a successful relationship should behave like
• Develop key phrases to include in the RFI and RFP in search of a compatible vendor
• Ask key questions to help determine whether a potential vendor would be a good fit
• Develop a framework to build a successful relationship

The objective of this course is to help users understand the "why" of significant development strategies so they can construct the "how" that is best for their organization. This course includes a quiz at the end designed to measure the understanding of the course materials.

This course includes a multiple choice quiz at the end, which is designed to enhance the understanding of the course materials.

Learning Objective

At the conclusion of this course, the student will know:

• How to clarify their perception of the traditional client-vendor relationship from the client's viewpoin;
• How to clarify their perception of the traditional client-vendor relationship from the vendor's viewpoint;
• How to re-evaluate the "customer is always right" concept;
• Who influences the width of the performance gap between commitment and compliance within a client-vendor relationship;
• Who controls where the vendor works within the performance gap between commitment and compliance;
• Why and how the relationship between the leader and work performer impacts work productivity;
• The five components of motivation important to a vendor;
• How these motivational components relate to a successful client-vendor relationship;
• How viewing a vendor from a new perspective may have a profound impact on their eventual relationship;
• What vendors typically look for in a relationship with a client;
• What are the most typical complaints about vendors;
• How to identify the characteristics of a relationship with a vendor that would best satisfy a client;
• How to construct the foundation for a successful relationship with a vendor;
• Key phrases to add to RFIs and RFPs to alert potential vendors that a client is considering a non-traditional relationship; and
• To develop an easy-to-use and fair evaluation system for subjective or "fuzzy" topics that are traditionally difficult to measure
  
  

Intended Audience

This intended audience for this course includes:

• Project managers who help develop RFIs, RFPs, and contracts with potential vendors
• Project team members whose leadership is considering alternative methods of developing relationships with vendors
• Officials of organizations who help develop RFIs, RFPs, and contracts with potential vendors
• Key personnel of client or vendor organizations who want to develop alternative strategies to the traditional adversarial relationship between many clients and vendors.
• Key personnel within organizations who may become vendors of their products and services
  

Benefits to Attendees

Benefits for attendees taking this course include:

• Obtaining tools to help determine your current attitudes about client/vendor relationships using a sixteen question survey
• A series of questions to help you determine whether a potential client or vendor would be a good candidate for a successful business relationship
• Understanding how the behavior of the client can influence the work performance of the vendor
• Guidance in developing an acceptable performance range that meets with clients needs without having to micromanage the vendor - thus reducing the chance of relationship friction
• Identifying cost-free motivators for vendors to help the client get as much value as possible from the relationship
• Guidelines to help an organization see the benefits of changing the way they regard relationships with vendors
• Identifying the top three cost-free things vendors want from a relationship with a client
• Guidelines on developing a foundation of teamwork with a vendor
• A systematic approach to developing an effective project "report card" that helps clients and vendors monitor the progress of their relationship and project.
  

Course Introduction

This online course will teach you how to design and develop a practical foundation for a successful relationship with nearly any vendor. You will learn effective and proven techniques in identifying the wants and needs of the client and vendor, methods of translating them into measurable performance reports, and questions to ask potential clients or vendors as you search for the most compatible candidate for a business relationship.

You will receive guidelines and tools that you can use immediately in the workplace. This course includes a quiz consisting of true or false and multiple-choice questions at the end, which will help you understand and implement the course materials.

Course Content

Table of Content

Course Overview
How do we view vendor relationships?
Exploring the "Customer is Always Right" Concept
The Components of Motivation
CONFIDENCE >> COMPETENCE >>PERFORMANCE
Changing How We Regard Vendors
What Vendors Want
Complaints About Vendors
Starting with the Outcome
Developing the Foundation for a Relationship
RFIs, RFPs and Teambuilding
The Request for Information (RFI)
The Request for Proposal (RFP)
Teambuilding with a Vendor
Getting Started on a New Relationship
Developing the RFI
Traditional RFI Elements
Non-Traditional RFI Elements
Developing the RFP
Developing The Teambuilding Framework
Identifying Relationship Keystones
Developing a Project "Scorecard"
Identifying the Value of a Performance Range
Summary

Bonus Materials

The author would like to offer his "The Volunteer Organization's Development Handbook" free of charge to users who take this course. Just download the handbook in PDF at the beginning of the quiz!

If you are part of a volunteer organization whether it is a professional engineering chapter, a youth sports league, or a booster group at your child's school, this handbook will be useful. Please feel free to share it as much as you want.

Quiz

Once you finish studying the above course content, you need to take a quiz to obtain the PDH credits.