The small-scale support services procurement approach simplifies the procurement of services (e.g., staff augmentation, consulting, small projects) with a relatively small transaction volume. It streamlines the idea-to-RFQ, supplier Q&A, and quoting process. Due to its simplicity, organizations can include a higher number of potential suppliers instead of only their preferred ones. This makes small projects more competitive and brings better solutions to the buying organization.

What are small-scale support services? Small-scale support services are staff augmentation, professional, and managed services for a limited budget. They include necessary activities to support an organization but leave out optional and expensive activities. The service supplier brings a high degree of expertise and experience if the customer sources these services from the best available, instead of only considering their preferred suppliers.

Why are small-scale support services an alternative to classical professional and managed services? Classical professional and managed services are expensive because the customer buys too much service from a supplier who must build up their expertise in the first place. Small-scale support services come from the best-fitting organizations which don’t need to gain extra expertise but instead bring lots of experience from working with other customers. Customers select the best value for a predetermined budget.

How do organizations buy small-scale support services? Organizations interested in procuring small-scale support services set up a lean procurement process that ensures concise requirements and quotes. Organizations source small-scale support services best if they involve a high number of potential suppliers but limit the amount of work for the potential suppliers. Buyers can source small-scale support services with or without an external sourcing advisor.

Which services can an organization source as a small-scale support service? Organizations can source small-scale support services for a vast number of areas of expertise. In most cases, for every imaginable service, there exists more than one potential service supplier with the required expertise and experience who is available and interested in delivering the required service. Service suppliers answer small-scale support service requests if they’re an attractive deal for both sides.

Organizations follow a shortcut procurement process, keeping the amount of work limited for both sides.

The small-scale support service procurement process is as concise as possible:

The required information should fit on approx. three pages:

Small-scale support service suppliers can come in different shapes and sizes:

Hello,

We kindly invite you to answer this request for quote (RFQ) for small-scale support services. Small-scale support services are staff augmentation, professional, and/or managed services of limited scale and financial volume. By keeping the work required for a quote and for customer relationship management limited, the customer wants to make this cooperation as attractive as possible for you.

The buying process is partly standardized and streamlined to keep the costs for all sides as low as possible. For this reason, we publish and distribute some information in English only, while your quote and (draft) contract shall be in the specified local language. While keeping this procurement process as effective and efficient as possible, we’ll give you room for consultative sales collaboration after written quotes in the first round.

The small-scale support service procurement process:

About us:

→ Insert customer information here. ←

We seek to buy a small-scale support service in the following process area:

→ Insert process area here. ←

We describe the current organizational situation as follows:

→ Insert current organizational situation here. ←

We describe the current technical situation as follows:

→ Insert current technical situation here. ←

We describe the information security environment as follows:

→ Insert current security environment situation here. ←

We declare the following activities out of scope:

→ Insert out-of-scope activities here. ←

Next step: Please read this RFQ carefully to avoid unnecessary questions upfront. We kindly ask you to drop us your questions in English or your local language through the corresponding form:

→ Insert form link here. ←

Procurement schedule:

Please send us your questions about this process, together with any questions about the service scope, through the form mentioned above.