A good proposal describes more than features and price. It makes responsibility, decision-making, risk and long-term ownership visible.
- Test whether the partner understands the business process and risk, not only the brief.
- Clarify ownership, access, support, change control and exit before work begins.
- Compare proposals on completeness and operating model—not headline price alone.
Ask how they understand the problem
A capable partner should be able to explain the business objective, affected users, operational constraints and major risks in plain language. Immediate certainty without discovery is usually a warning sign.
Ask what assumptions they are making and what evidence could change the proposed approach.
Make responsibility explicit
Clarify who provides content, data, decisions, testing, access and approvals. Define how delays, scope changes and third-party dependencies will be handled.
The delivery model should identify the people responsible for architecture, design, development, quality and support.
Protect ownership and continuity
Confirm ownership of domains, cloud accounts, source code, licences, documentation and credentials. The organisation should retain sufficient access to operate and transfer the service.
Ask how backups, security updates, incidents and supplier exit will be managed.
Compare value, not only price
A lower proposal may exclude discovery, migration, testing, content, support or recovery. A higher proposal may include work the organisation does not need.
Normalise the scope, assumptions, responsibilities and ongoing cost before comparing commercials.
The objective is not more technology. It is a stronger business outcome with controlled risk.
A practical review checklist
- The partner can explain the business problem clearly
- Scope boundaries and assumptions are written
- Named roles and decision routes are visible
- Account, code, data and credential ownership are clear
- Testing, support and security responsibilities are defined
- There is a practical handover and exit process
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