I wonder if anyone has a sample Request for Proposals to share that fits
this bill:
We use iMIS for our membership database and over the years have not been
too happy with it. In recent years, we have let our upgrades to it slip
and are using Quick Books, Excel, and FileMaker to build various data
shells which take info from iMIS and serve it up in the ways we want.
(We are well aware of the fact that it may be as much "us" (or at least
the us who *was* us) at fault as it is iMIS.)
We have been looking to decide either to replace iMIS, to get something
else, or to "build our own" using, perhaps the next eBase as a core and
doing lots of modifications to it - which we have the capability to do.
We already do lots of serving up of databases to the Web using FileMaker
and that's crucial thing for us in whatever we end up doing.
What we want to do is put out an RFP to find a consultant to come in
from the outside and help us with our "big picture" view of what's
available, and to audit what we have and our skill sets and help us
develop a plan to best move from where we are to a better place. We need
*lots* of flexibility, because we have a small staff that tries to do
large, great things - and new initiatives all the time. Plus, we're
connected to a major university and that means all sorts of both good
and not-so-good things which a consultant would need to take into
account.
The problem is, we techies on staff have little faith in most such
consultants - expecting them to have vested interests in what they sell
or what they, personally know. You know, one works with Sequel, another
with Oracle, etc. We want to write an RFP that touches all the bases and
makes it very clear that we want a broad picture painted and with great
flexibility, from someone who understands our constituency, our members,
our staff, our connections with the university, etc., as well as the
external world and where association IT is going to be in 3-5 years.
So, anyone have a sample RFP to share? :)
--
Terry Calhoun, FAIP, Internet Editor
(734) 998-7027 | fax (734) 998-6532
Society for College and University Planning (SCUP)
[EMAIL PROTECTED] | http://www.scup.org
AIM = splendid1 | ICQ 6860899
311 Maynard Street | Ann Arbor, MI 48104-2211 USA
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