WMS Request for Proposal

Your company needs a new WMS (Warehouse Management System). Specific skills and the tender approach method are not part of your everyday knowledge. However, the stakes are high. Return on investment is expected. You want to be sure of your decisions, choose a reliable, effective solution for your teams, and guarantee a good level of customer service.

Shiftware supports you in your WMS tender process by offering a project-based approach from the selection phase of the software publisher and/or integrator. We will assist you with all or part of the following steps, depending on your needs.

Step 1: Launch the project

The success of your WMS implementation project will depend on the investment and organization put in place from the supplier selection stage onwards. That is why Shiftware offers a project methodology right from the call for tenders stage.

This involves defining:

A project team consisting of a sponsor (who promotes the project to the management team), a project manager, and participants in workshops to analyze the existing situation, WMS vendor demonstrations, and site visits.
Project governance: steering committee, project committee.
Management of schedules, resources, and budgets.

Step 2: Define the challenges and needs

2.1. Clarification of issues and problems

We will clarify and prioritize the expected objectives together. They will guide us throughout the project.

Examples of objectives:

Deliver orders within 24 hours.
Mitigate the risks of the solution becoming obsolete.
Increase application performance in the context of increased activity and/or mechanization.
Increase productivity.
Improve the business management.
Simple interconnection with other software in your architecture (ERP, TMS, mechanized chains, robots, supplier and customer EDI, etc.).

2.2. Functional audit of flows (warehouse processes and interfaces)

The audit allows us to collect, analyze, and map existing flows, whether they are EDI between different software programs (ERP, TMS, etc.) or physical flows (receiving, storage and order preparation methods, specific characteristics of goods and handling units).

This step is crucial for two reasons.

The result (deliverable) of the audit will give tender participants a clear picture of expectations.
The Shiftware consultant will identify any discrepancies with best practices. WMSs on the market are aligned with standardized processes. The consultant will be able to suggest operational optimizations to ensure the most standardized solution possible (and therefore the lowest software implementation costs) while maintaining, or even improving, the efficiency of your operations.

2.3. Technical audit

The technical audit allows us to collect, analyze, and define requirements in terms of technical architecture and information system performance. Like the functional audit, it allows us to define technical requirements while challenging the existing system.

Step 3: Prepare the tender documentation

3.1. Drafting the specifications

Since the functional and technical challenges and requirements have been precisely defined in the previous step, they will be presented in a structured, clear, and concise set of specifications.

3.2. Developing an evaluation grid for publishers

The purpose of a publisher evaluation grid is to define the company's specific criteria in advance, rather than being influenced by the strengths that each player presents during demos.

We will begin by listing the selection criteria for our WMS and its integrator.

Here are some topics to cover:

- WMS functional coverage and correspondence with our processes.

- Ergonomics. Ease of skill development.

- Suitability of the software to our technical needs (impact study).

- Ability of the integrator to implement the solution in our particular context.

- Quality of the commercial offer.

- Financial proposals.

- Ability of the WMS to evolve with the company's future needs.

- Ease of interfacing with other company software (ERP, TMS, mechanization).

- Maintenance costs.

These criteria will be weighted, and we will prepare an evaluation grid for all suppliers in the call for tenders. This tool will be completed throughout the selection phase. In the next step, the summary of the evaluations and the comparison of the competing publishers will guide us in our final choice.

3.3 Define the terms and conditions for responding to the call for tenders

We will clarify together the key dates, application procedures, etc.

Step 4: Selection phase

4.1. Identify WMS publishers and distribute the call for tenders.

Thanks to its knowledge of the market, Shiftware will list WMS publishers for you and will contact them.

4.2. Analyze the responses received and draw up a shortlist

Shiftware will analyze the responses received and complete the evaluation grid. The publishers that best meet expectations will be shortlisted for the next stages.

4.3 Presentations, mock-ups, and site visits.

We will organize a presentation with each shortlisted publisher.

We will put together a mock-up file, with specifications and data sets. The goal is to ensure that the target processes can be managed with the standard software and to limit any specific requirements that would lead to additional costs and longer implementation times. However, if particular functional requirements necessitate specific developments, it will be crucial to identify them during this pre-sales phase. This will allow us to include their development and maintenance costs in the contract negotiations.

We will schedule visits to sites equipped with the selected WMS. We will choose companies whose activities and processes are similar to ours. This will allow us to benefit from user feedback and assess the ergonomics, ease of use, functional suitability, and application performance.

Step 5: Contracting

With its knowledge of WMS projects, Shiftware will support your teams in discussions with the supplier regarding the specific points of attention for such a project. This will involve negotiating the following elements.

Purchase of licenses.
Development and maintenance costs for specific features.
Planning commitments.
Flat-rate or time-and-materials billing.
Contact persons and team made available (CVs, references, etc.).
Project governance (the scope of responsibility between the publisher, integrator, and customer will need to be specified).
Server, monitor, database, license, RF equipment, etc.
Definition of penalties.

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