Question

what is the impact of a well-defined and complete RFI and RFP process on identification and selection of a healthcare information system?

Answer 1

A An RFI is a formal request for general information from potential vendors. ... RFIs are typically used to gather information to help decide whether to pursue further steps with a vendor. They are usually followed by either an RFP (request for proposal), RPF specifies what the customer is looking for and establishes evaluation criteria for assessing proposals.

Write an RFI if you simply want to gather information about vendors that provide health data storage.

An RFI will inquire about archive product features, project management approach, extract-transform-load (ETL) processes, security and encryption methodologies, implementation and training programs, long-term software support services and more. A

RFP is a more formal request which clearly states a problem and asks a vendor to solve it. Write a health data storage RFP if – on top of fact-finding — you are able to provide enough detail about the legacy databases to be decommissioned and the clinical data elements to be archived that a vendor could provide a set of recommendations for implementation as well as pricing. An RFP should state the problem to be solved, identify the timeframe in which to solve it and list any budget or deployment requirements for the vendor to meet.

RFPs are difficult to create, software vendors are typically asked to assist in the creation, or at a minimum provide input, which certainly biases the evaluation criteria from the inception. Healthcare entities should take the necessary time and effort to create RFPs that accurately reflect the needs and requirements of the business and subsequently perform an unbiased evaluation of the submitted proposals. Additional attention to the RFP creation and review process can ensure time savings and a solution that best meets business needs.

• An RFI educates ⁠— RFI responses explore how a vendor might solve a problem or fill a need
• An RFP compares ⁠— RFP responses evaluate the merits of each vendor compared to others

  

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Setting due dates for each major milestone in the RFI/RFP process allows vendors to plan accordingly with less room for interpretation or negotiation. The vendor’s ability to adhere to established response timelines gives you some insight into their ability to deliver on-time archiving results. Here are some suggested items to include on your timeline:

1. Date for release of the RFI/RFP to vendors
2. Date by which vendors should confirm their intention to respond
3. Date by which vendors may submit clarifying questions
4. Date by which clarification will be provided back by you
5. Date by which the RFI/RFP is due
6. Date by which selected vendors will be invited for an onsite presentation
7. If known, date by which a vendor will be selected