How the municipality of Montferland got the most out of its tender

In order to continue to comply with the regulations that apply to compliance and legality when purchasing software contracts, the municipality of Montferland chose last year to outsource the European Tender to a Software Broker. Q-Advise guided and advised the municipality in drawing up this tender. “The issues surrounding software licenses and contracts are so complicated that it is almost impossible for a Purchasing and ICT department to handle them. That is why we asked for advice from Q-Advise, which supported us throughout the entire process,” says Michael Rave, head of the Information department at the municipality of Montferland.

“Of course, as a municipality we had experience with a European tender, but for the method of requesting information – and thus getting the most out of the tender and finding a sustainable partner – we were looking for a party that could help us with that,” Rave explains.

Many (government) organisations and companies purchase their software each time based on a project or individual request. In addition to a lot of administrative hassle and research, this is not effective and it results in unnecessarily high costs. By bundling all software purchases in a Software Broker contract – as Montferland has done – a significant efficiency gain is made and the legitimacy of all software purchases, large and small, is guaranteed. As an independent expert in the field of licenses, compliance, purchasing and tenders, Q-Advise was asked to supervise the process and to take part in the project team that was put together by the municipality.

Believe in plan of action

The municipality of Montferland wanted more support and guidance, especially in the preliminary phase of the tender. “We were looking for a way to secure all software requests in an overarching tender. However, we did not really know how to start. Of course, as a municipality we had experience with a European tender, but for the method of requesting – and thus getting the most out of the tender and finding a sustainable partner – we were looking for a party that could help us with that,” Rave explains. “The issues surrounding software licenses and software contracts are so complicated that it is almost impossible for a Purchasing and ICT department to handle. For this support, we turned to the experts of Q-Advise. The first conversations with their team manager Victor Dsane went very well. He convinced us of the way in which their specialists would tackle this issue. This gave us a good feeling. We then cancelled other parties and continued to talk to Q-Advise about guidance and support.”

“During our introduction, they said that with Q-Advise we would bring in an advisory party at Champions League level. They more than fulfilled that promise”

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Preparation and completion

After the kick-off, it became clear where the strength and added value of Q-Advise lies: the preparation and implementation of the substantive components in the tender. Q-Advise’s specialists in the field of licenses, compliance and purchasing with a great deal of legal knowledge have used their expertise and skills to help determine the required number of software licenses, write the specifications and a legal assessment of the wishes and requirements. “We also supported the municipality by answering the questions of the tenderers, assessed the tenders and drew up the provisional award,” says Dsane about the support provided.

“Before you buy software, you first need to know whether you actually need what you are buying,” Dsane emphasizes. “We see from the market that many customers, regardless of the size of the organization or company, struggle with the amount of Microsoft products. Whether it concerns on-premise or Cloud bundles. And due to the various changes in recent years, it has not become any easier for customers. Before we started writing the tender, it had to be clear what the municipality of Montferland needed. We worked this out together with the municipality. The result has also done us as a project team good.”

Pleasant cooperation

Within the project team, Hans Volbeda (Senior Automation) and Judie Agterof (Senior Purchasing Employee) were in charge. “We brought together the expertise of both the municipality and Q-Advise, so that they could work together on a clear scope and a conclusive specification,” says Michael Rave. “This made it clear to the tenderers what the assessment method was and the assessment of the tenders and awarding of the points went very smoothly.”

Rave’s words are confirmed by Volbeda. “The collaboration went smoothly and pleasantly. We had scheduled contact moments to monitor the progress of the process. As a municipality, we know what is important to us, but thanks to Q-Advise we obtained the right insights and were able to put everything down on paper properly. Q-Advise did an excellent job and thanks to their knowledge we were able to create a conclusive specification.”

Champions League

The European tender resulted in three high-quality bids, Rave recalls. “Because the request was well-structured, we were able to assess the bids correctly and award points on the issues that were important to us. We ultimately awarded the contract and are looking forward to the coming contract period with confidence. We are extremely satisfied with the quality that Q-Advise has delivered in this process. The added value is great. During our introduction, Victor Dsane said that with Q-Advise we would be bringing in an advisory party at Champions League level. They have more than fulfilled that promise.”

The municipality of Montferland has contracted the Softwarebroker as of March 2023 and is confidently looking forward to a sustainable future. “Because the scope and request were clear, the new partner can get started. It is clear to everyone what is expected of each other,” says Rave.

Future

The municipality wants to continue using Q-Advise’s advice in the future. “The knowledge and experience they bring from an independent position gives us the certainty that we will receive honest and transparent advice. That keeps everyone on their toes,” says Rave. “In addition, Q-Advise can help us further with optimizing the license position of our most important vendors. With such new insights, we can query our needs and wishes even better.”

The pleasant cooperation, the level of advice and the high quality of the tenders that the tender yielded are reasons for Montferland to recommend Q-Advise to other municipalities and government institutions. Rave explains: “Their experience has ensured that we have arrived at a better specification and tender document. I am happy to share my experiences, so please contact me for more background and explanation.”

Contact us
Municipalities or government institutions that also want to complete their software tendering process more successfully can contact the experts at Q-Advise. “We are happy to help your organization.”

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