Multi-vendor management in telecoms: Important points to consider

In any large telecoms company, there is the challenge of managing the IT needs over all the sections of the business. As a result, companies are increasingly looking to recruitment and outsourcing firms to find individuals that can provide the right skills, and knowledge to drive a business forward. This often leads to a challenge of implementation, and management of agreements between the company and different vendors. This is why businesses need to develop a clearly-defined multivendor management policy to optimise the returns gained by working with these different suppliers. To fully optimise a multi-vendor strategy, the following needs to be done. Consolidate smaller work volumes with the vendors you prefer the most There is often no need to have a different vendor for all specific functions. Seek out a vendor that has done well thus far and give them more responsibilities (within their scope). Selecting one vendor for different functions will help reduce contracting costs, attract better bids and create economies of scale. Develop sufficient built-in governance “It is very important to create a central function that will manage all your vendor relationships in one multi-vendor environment. This will ensure improvements in quality management and proper oversight on all contracts. It will also ensure that no issue falls through holes and brings about a better relationship with vendors” says Tim at wenhamcarter.com, the telecoms recruitment specialist. rnMaximise flexibility In a multi-vendor environment there must not be inflexible and separate solutions that can’t work with one another. It is vital to blend the various contracts to make sure that the various vendors have what it takes to work together and support each other. Develop an integrated service management method When there is no accountability, it is easy for finger pointing to ensue. This is why it is important to find out key dependencies with specific vendors to make sure there are proper KPIs in place. This will ensure that problems are detected and solved by the vendor instead of the customer. Maintain a unilateral contracting model across the vendors Managing a wide variety of different contracts is extremely difficult. Problems can, however, be avoided by using a master agreement mechanism, as well as adopting a common service level methodology and common service description across the various vendors. This will help create an equal playing field for all, better relationships and also encourage easier management of contracts. Multi-vendor management may feel complex, but when a business leverages its potential correctly, it can be a great business tool. With proper management of service providers, telecom businesses can improve performance a great deal and get the most out of outsourced recruitment companies; bringing in the best talent to drive business growth.