Software purchasing let me down 4

[sammy28]

I am a new engineer at a factory and our company want to purchase a new simulation software. Our maneger ask me to compare the software and discuss with the accounting department. Then they will buy for us. I found that the process communicates with the accounting department waste me a lot of time. Because most of them only care about the price. So, how do your company purchase a software?
Will you can purchase for your own then apply for reimbursement or you should ask the accounting department to buy them for you?

 

[hydtools]

The manager gave a task to you. You need to determine what you need the software to do. Simulate: What?, Why?, Accuracy?Audience( to whom do you show the results?

Then compare your needs to selected software. Then give accounting your choice of software. Accounting does not get to choose which software, you do. That is your task.

Ted

 

[sammy28]

Thank you for your response. Great advice. So will the accounting department handle the purchasing process or it will handle by yourselves? Thank you so much!

 

[hydtools]

Give the software vendor information to accounting for them to handle the process.

Ted

 

[sammy28]

I see. Thank you so much!

 

[IRstuff]

In most cases, it's absurdly straightforward.

Identify one requirement that the software you want provides that no other package has and make that part of the overall requirements. Show the buyer that your chosen package is the only one that meets all your requirements. Done.

There are suppliers that are often have "lock-out" specs already written that specifically lock out their competitors.

TTFN (ta ta for now)
I can do absolutely anything. I'm an expert!

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[RVAmeche]

In most cases you say "buy this software from these people" and purchasing will take care of it.

That being said, you're a new engineer. Don't make the decision of which software in a vacuum. Ask the senior engineers what features they'd like, etc. Nothings worse than shelling out thousands of dollars for some fancy software only to find it doesn't do something critical you need.

 

[tygerdawg]

If the purchase of this software provides any benefit, then you should build an economic analysis. For example:
[ul]
[li]Helps you perform your duties more efficiently or effectively than without the software[/li]
[li]Achieves some level of improvement in operations that is not possible without software[/li]
[li]Provides predictive data that would not be possible etc.[/li]
[/ul]

If any improvement can be achieved, then you should make an attempt to quantify the value of the improvement. Does it make your work faster? Improve designs? Reduces risk through better estimates? These are real improvements. Some are "intangible" and it may require creativity to assign value.

Additionally, if evaluating multiple vendors of the same type of software product, then you should formulate your decision by using a comparative analysis (also known as Pugh Matrix...look it up, it's easy to build). Doing this will provide quantitative values for choosing one software over another. You can build a decision matrix on multiple weighted categories such as vendor reputation, after-sales support, price, annual maintenance costs, functionality, etc etc etc.

All of this together should have been your original proposal to The Boss to seek his "OK" on your preferred choice.

Finally in my experience, you submit the final decision to Purchasing with primary and alternate vendors, pricing, all associated costs, and any backup information. Purchasing's job is to make a commercial transaction in the best interests of the company, and you should try your best to make their job easy to do.

TygerDawg
Blue Technik LLC
Virtuoso Robotics Engineering

http://www.bluetechnik.com

 

[sammy28]

Thank you for your detail guideline. It will be very useful.

 

[TimSchrader2]

HeLLO

Most have 30 day free trials. To be more sure.
If they will wait. But on the other hand you can get some answers but the software may not let you save those answers, unless you buy.

 

[CWB1]

Software should be no different than purchasing anything else necessary for your job. Discuss options with vendors, determine what you want, get a detailed quote, hand the quote off to purchasing. If they do anything other than buy that software from that specific vendor, they should be asking you to confirm that what they want to buy is the same as the quote you provided them.

 

[dhengr]

Sammy28:
Talk with your boss/mgr., keep him/her informed of your progress and any problems or difficulties. He/she can be an important, and more powerful, go-between with the purchasing dept. if they give you any grief. Also, talk with senior and other engineers in your dept. for their opinions and needs, RE: the software package purchase. Talk with engineers from other companies as to their favorite software for the same general purposes, and their experiences with various software. Service, updates, and help with questions on the software package is an important part of the purchase also.

 

[GregLocock]

Perhaps if you gave away a closely guarded secret and told us the sort of software you are after we might be able to help in more detail.

Cheers

Greg Locock


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