Choosing Your Vendor: Essential Tips
Being pitched by competitors for possible collaboration in #staff#augmentation model, I turn back to them with the following questions I recommend you asking your possible vendor too:
1. what pricing model do you offer? is it per head per month, or hourly? is it cost-plus?
2. with your pricing model, will i know how much the developer gross rate, and how much you charge for your service fee? 3.
what is your company’s current size?
4. with your typical route, do you hire people from the market OR you place them from your own bench?
5. what time it usually takes for you guys to staff the vacancy?
6. with candidates you show, will i be able to interview them in English, with no translator/middleman?
7. once the team is sourced and starts working on the project, am i right understanding they will be directly managed by me, without your Project Manager in between; or, your primary model assumes your Project Manager involvement?
Having full answers to these questions will narrow your short list down to 10% of your potential vendors – typically, 2-4 would be ideal to have as “finalists”, to then talk to each and every one, and, aside of red lights seen, hopefully none, make your final choice more based on your gut feeling and, of course, numbers heard.
