The Vendor’s Perspective of the RFP Process

Most people in the library community have participated either as a creator/evaluator or a responder.  I have been fortunate to have experienced the RFP process from both perspectives, that of a College IT Director and of a vendor.

As an owner of a deeply customer-focused company, we try to view everything from the customer perspective.  Generally speaking, we don’t see that same perspective being viewed in reverse.   This isn’t a criticism.  After all, customers create an RFP in order to ensure they get the best value in a solution that meets their needs.  But often they don’t make it particularly easy for vendors to respond.   

Are Public or Corporate Funds Like Monopoly Money?

I suspect that most of us would consider $150.00 to be a lot of money. Certainly if I had that much cash in my pocket I would not toss it on the floor, dispose of it in the trash, or let it blow away in the wind.

Library RFID in 2009 — Part 1: Security

More and more customers are looking at RFID and asking questions about return on investment, efficiency, service improvement, and other factors driven by the need to do something to maintain (or improve) service levels in an economy that is driving budget cuts.   The earlier days of RFID were often driven as a component of building a new library and wanting to ensure that the new facility incorporated the latest technology.  Certainly it makes good sense (and cents) to include RFID in a construction budget just as it makes good sense to invest more in energy efficiency.  It’s an investment today for today and for the future.

The Support Effort was Off the Chart

I recently heard a report that a technician was very proud of the hours of effort that went into delivering stellar support.  The technician and a colleague had spent hours on the phone with a customer, helping the customer with a challenging problem.  The report indicates the number of hours on the phone, the work done offline after hours and early in the morning, and it documented the series of very lengthy written communications that went into the support effort.   

Just Another Day in the Library

This week I am visiting Louisville Free Public Library’s new Newburg branch.  If you aren’t aware, the main library flooded two weeks ago, destroying the central computer room and equipment as well as part of the collection.  The damage has the facility closed until further notice.  Consider the ramifications of a multi-branch library system in the midst of opening a new high tech branch location, just completing a major ILS upgrade, and faced with NO SERVERS, NO TAPE DRIVE, NO SERVER ROOM.  Lots of people moved into action to help the staff bring their library back online.   When the library faced challenges with self service and RFID staff technology at the new branch, their only RFID location so far, we needed to send someone onsite.