Subscribe to the Data Center Knowledge Newsletter
Get analysis and expert insight on the latest in data center business and technology delivered to your inbox daily.
Creating an Effective Operations RFP
How do your approach facility operations request for proposals (RFPs)? Steve Manos of Lee Technologies recently put together some guidelines to RFPs, and he's looking for your feedback.
Colleen Miller
June 21, 2011
2 Min Read
.svg?width=1280&auto=webp&quality=95&format=jpg&disable=upscale "DataCenterKnowledge")
How do your approach facility operations request for proposals (RFPs)? Is the process in your organization nailed down or is it more "recreate the wheel" each time one needs to be written?
Steve Manos of Lee Technologies recently wrote a helpful column, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Facility Operations RFPs, outlining the common issues around RFP development.
Steve also put together a guide for writing RFPs and is interested in receiving input from those in the data center industry.
Here's the link - Hitchhiker's Guide to Facility Operations RFPs - to his draft document. Please feel free to use this page to comment on the document or send emails to [email protected].
Some highlights of RFPs include:
Cost: This is obvious, however, in and of itself can be pretty involved when considering all of the cost options inherent in a program like this.
Insurance: Do your vendors meet the necessary insurance coverage of your organization?
Training: What career and skill development programs does the vendor have as part of their program? How does the facility operations team hone its skill in a live data center environment?
Methodology: This is one of the biggest. How does a vendor effectively wrap all of the components of a successful critical facility operation into a succinct process that becomes the company’s doctrine?
Quality Assurance/Quality Control/Quality Improvement: What is the vendors QA/QC/QI plan in regards to the review, creation, and constant adjustment to operations procedures (SOPs, MOPs, EOPs, etc)?
Management Systems Integration: Assuming the client has a current maintenance management system, how would a vendor work with or integrate its preferred systems with the client’s existing system?
Key Performance Indicators: How does the vendor measure performance? What method and how frequently does the vendor assess client satisfaction?
Staff Determination: How does the vendor assess and determine staff levels in both number and technical capability?
Are these your major areas as well? Are there more considerations that you include? What are your key points of "due diligence"? We welcome your thoughts.
About the Author
You May Also Like
