Making a Great LMS RFP

How to Craft a Thorough RFP when Selecting an LMS

A Request for Proposal (RFP) is an essential document when choosing a Learning Management System (LMS) for your organization. An LMS RFP provides a detailed description of your organization’s needs and expectations and serves as a benchmark for potential providers. A well-crafted RFP will not only help you get the best solution for your needs, but it will also make the selection process easier and more efficient. Here are some tips on how to write a crystal-clear RFP when choosing an LMS:

• Begin by clearly defining your objectives:

  Before you begin writing the LMS RFP, you should have a clear understanding of what you want to achieve. What type of training do you need to provide? What type of content do you want to manage? What are your desired outcomes? Knowing the answers to these questions will help you create a detailed list of requirements that you can use to evaluate potential LMS providers.

• Create a detailed list of requirements:

  Once you have a clear understanding of your objectives, create a list of requirements that your LMS should meet. This list should include the features you need, the type of content you want to manage, and any other requirements that are specific to your organization.

What’s in an LMS RFP?

An LMS RFP (Request for Proposal) typically includes a detailed explanation of an organization’s current learning environment and their desired learning system goals. It includes a timeline for the project, a description of the scope of work, the type of solution sought, technical requirements, and a budget. The RFP also outlines the criteria used to evaluate vendors, such as their track record, customer service, and support. Additionally, the RFP will ask LMS vendors to provide detailed descriptions of their proposed solution, including features, capabilities, and pricing. Finally, the RFP will include procedures for submitting and evaluating responses.

Why Does a Client Need a Request for Proposal?

A Request for Proposal (RFP) is a document that outlines a client’s needs and requests information from potential vendors or contractors. By providing a detailed specification of their requirements, the client can ensure that only qualified LMS vendors or contractors respond and that all responses are evaluated fairly. By issuing an RFP, the client can also save time and money by streamlining the selection process and making sure that all potential vendors or contractors are aware of the project’s scope and requirements. In addition, issuing an RFP can help the client make sure that the contract or project meets their budget and timeline requirements.

1. Define what you really need

The RFP outlines in writing what you specifically hope to accomplish with an LMS. When the project is initiated, you will be able to assess its effectiveness based on whether or not the project’s goals were clearly established before it began. When making a choice involving hundreds of dollars, it is not wise to just test a random solution and see whether it works.

2. Prioritize

Both a Mercedes and a horse-drawn carriage will get you where you’re going if you need to get from point A to point B. Therefore, before beginning an eLearning project, you should know which features are necessary and which ones are pleasant to have, what you’re willing to pay for, and which features you can do without in order to save money.

3. Determine the limits

It is preferable to alert LMS Vendors to all crucial occasions before they begin a presentation. These factors include the need to use a certain technology, such as on-premise installation, as well as the deadlines, spending limit, and user count. It would be pointless to waste time listening to presentations of solutions that would take up to six months to implement if the timeframe for a full release of LMS was two months away.

4. You must navigate the crowd

More than 100,000 “t-shirt” results may be found on Amazon, including options for men, women, kids, and even animals. It is difficult to look at every one of them. Although there are only roughly 500 LMS providers, the best part is that you still require a screen to sort out the useless options.

5. Get exactly what you need

When you are able to reduce the gap between the client’s and the service provider’s points of view, you can accomplish this. An LMS RFP aids in identifying any gaps in knowledge of the work and brings to light all the crucial particulars that may affect execution, overall cost, and the solution you ultimately select.

Communication with LMS vendors

Be receptive to dialogue with suppliers. You’ll only interact with a select few LMS vendors as a result of your early research or RFI. Make yourself ready to respond to inquiries so that you may be sure they comprehend the criteria. Additionally, you must both determine whether the other business is a suitable fit; the more you communicate, the better. You’ll end up with a better match if you gain as much knowledge as you can during this courting phase.

Evaluating and scoring proposals

Throughout the selecting process of LMS RFP, you must make apples-to-apples comparisons. To do this, several associations employ a rating system. At a current AMS Fest, Wes Trochlil from Effective Database Management, Gretchen Steenstra from DelCor, and Moira Edwards from Ellipsis Partners discussed a common scoring model:

• A function receives 4 points if it is baseline, 3 for configuration, and 2 for custom.
• A basic nice-to-have function would score four points, whereas a baseline must-have function would score eight points.
• The sum of all functional requirement scores divided by the maximum score is the RFP score.

You can decide on a weight for each category, such as a 65 percent weight for functional needs, a 20 percent weight for price, etc. Determine how you will take sensitivity, enthusiasm, and inner instinct into account.

It takes time to create a genuinely good LMS RFP system. However, the discussions and judgments you make as you construct it may be some of the most worthwhile and satisfying work you complete all year. It’s worthwhile because there is no other way to discover the ideal LMS for your association’s requirements.

To Sum Up

1.Spend some time creating an LMS RFP up front to avoid wasting time on pointless presentations and sales pitches.

2.Maintain a structured approach and list your criteria in order of general to specific.

3.You’ll be more likely to find a good solution faster if you include LMS usage scenarios in the RFP.

4.In the LMS RFP template, specify your key expectations and restrictions.

5.Create a detailed list of technical requirements in a different document (Excel or Google Spreadsheets) so the vendor can check or uncheck each item.

Contact the Paradiso solutions support team, and they will be available for you if you need to talk about your circumstances and decide on LMS requirements for your business.