Western Governors UniversityC 929NEP2 Task 1 - Choosing Vendor

Jeff Roseberry Student ID No. 000288302 IT Sourcing and Development in a Global Economy – C929 NEP2 Task 1: Choosing a Vendor A. Summarize Endothon’s Outsourcing Needs and Expectations Due to a the budgetary and sch ...

Jeff Roseberry Student ID No. 000288302 IT Sourcing and Development in a Global Economy – C929 NEP2 Task 1: Choosing a Vendor A. Summarize Endothon’s Outsourcing Needs and Expectations Due to a the budgetary and schedule challenges and constraints, Endothon’s outsourcing needs and expectations are as follows:  Contracting a lower cost offshore company to implement a new ERP system for Endothon (the “Company”) with: • A minimum of 10 years of experience with developing, configuring and implementing ERP systems; • 100% independence from any fee- / commission-paying firms that could potentially be considered as qualified hardware or software providers to the Company; • Experience with the completion of at least three IT strategic plans or similar projects over the past five years; and • Current E&O and workers’ compensation policies – and a commitment to maintain the such policies – that meet or exceed the minimum requirements of the Company.  Proposing the project plan and activities that will most effectively meet the Company’s objectives, as stated in the Request for Proposal (“RFP”);  Performing a comprehensive risk assessment and gap analysis as stated in the RFP;  Completing the implementation of the ERP system in ten months;  Initially configuring, implementing, and providing ongoing maintenance, service and support to the Company;  Transitioning the ongoing maintenance, service and support to the Company’s team after two years (after the completion of the implementation); and  Committing to a maximum budget for the project of $10,000,000 (U.S.). B. Identify Project Sponsor, Stakeholders & Steering Committee Project Sponsor: Mei Lee, CIO Stakeholders: Endothon Board of Directors Maria Sousa, CEO John Prescott, COO Kevin Cahill, CFO Jon Rasmussen, CMO Alice Trebold, Chief of Supply Chain Manufacturing Sam Goodwin, Sr. VP of Sales Anne Scofield, Sr. VP of HR Endothon Accounting & Finance Depts.pg. 2 Endothon HR Dept. Endothon Sales and Marketing Depts. Endothon IT Dept. Endothon Manufacturing and Operations Depts. Endothon Employees Endothon Clients Endothon’s Suppliers Steering Committee: Mei Lee, CIO Maria Sousa, CEO John Prescott, COO Kevin Cahill, CFO Jon Rasmussen, CMO Alice Trebold, Chief of Supply Chain Manufacturing Sam Goodwin, Sr. VP of Sales Anne Scofield, Sr. VP of HR C. Bullzai Strengths & Weaknesses Strengths  Reputation for completing projects ahead of schedule  Experience with Epicor  Overall, responses to RFP are more complete and informative  Provides specific accomplishments for a client’s revenue increase that resulted from a similarly project (in Cover letter)  Thorough response for recommended methodologies, industry standards and best practices for IT governance (Page 9, response f.)  Robust plan for communicating project status and controlling scope and budget, i.e., weekly, monthly and quarterly updates and reviews at multiple levels (Page 10, response 5.)  Provides comprehensive ERP system training to Company team members, including CoBit 5 governance training and certifications for two years after implementation (Page 11, responses 6, 7, 8)  Agrees to complete implementation in 10 months (Page 11/12, response h.)  Comprehensive Statement of Work (“SOW”)  Proposed implementation timeframe appears to be less than 10 months (SOW, Page 25, Sect. 6)  Discloses potential constraints attributable to issues created by the Company that may impede project timeline (SOW, Page 26, Sect. 7) Weaknesses / Gaps / “Red Flags”  Reputation for challenging communication issues with American employees / clients  All technical and programming work occurs at Bullzai Headquarters in India  Recommendation to “expand scope” of project (Page 9, response e.)