Automation supplier selection
This module provides high-level considerations for selecting an automation vendor.
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NSW Government organisations should refer to NSW Procurement Policy Framework to ensure compliance, efficiency, and alignment with NSW Government strategic objectives. This module does not endorse or recommend any technology supplier.29
Selecting an automation vendor
Selecting the appropriate automation vendor is essential for success. A vendor significantly influences your organisation’s ability to fulfil its responsibilities, enhance efficiency, and boost productivity. The selection process should engage subject matter experts in legal, data, technical, and business fields. Leaders and decision-makers must consider strategic alignment and suitability. You must also consider operational readiness, integration, risk management, and compliance.
The following tables provide a structured approach to guide your organisation through the vendor selection process:
Strategic alignment and suitability
| Check point | Description |
|---|---|
| Define objectives and needs | Identify potential automation processes and understand the organisation’s specific requirements and objectives. |
| Strategy alignment | Ensure alignment between your organisation’s requirements and the vendor’s product roadmap. Consider your strategic goals, industry specific challenges, ethics, social responsibility, and environmental responsibility. |
| Vendor reputation and experience | Select a vendor with reputable track record, industry recognition and successful implementations. Review customer feedback, case studies, and references. |
| References and case studies | Request references and case studies from the vendor related to similar use cases. Engage with these references to gain insights into experiences. |
| Scalability and performance | Confirm the solution’s capability to scale as your automation needs expand. Assess its performance under varying conditions and its capacity to handle future expected volumes of transactions and data. |
| Vendor ecosystem | Consider the vendor’s ecosystem of partners, industry network, integrators, and technology alliances that offer additional support and expertise. |
| Vendor roadmap and innovation | Evaluate the vendor’s future product enhancements and integration of emerging technologies like AI and machine learning. Ensure their roadmap aligns with your organisation’s long-term automation goals and consider potential issues of transparency and ethics. |
Operational readiness and integration
| Check point | Description |
|---|---|
| Ease of use and implementation | Assess the ease of implementation and deployment and the user-friendliness of the platform. Determine if business users can manage automation processes without extensive technical expertise. |
| Skill requirements | Identify and evaluate the skills required for your team to implement and maintain the solution effectively, including the number of skilled people needed during peak periods. |
| Support and training | Select vendors that offer comprehensive training and support for users and administrators. Evaluate their documentation, online resources, and customer support services. |
| Product capabilities | Assess the software’s features, such as bot development, AI tools, process orchestration, reporting, security, and deployment options. Ensure the software’s architecture can evolve with user requirements. |
| Technology fit (integration and compatibility) | Ensure the platform can seamlessly integrate with your existing applications, databases, and systems. Review the vendor’s support for business applications, APIs, data formats, and protocols used in your organisation. |
| Total cost of ownership (TCO) | Calculate the overall cost of solution implementation and maintenance including licensing fees, training, deployment, and ongoing support. Evaluate potential ROI in terms of time saved, efficiency gains, and error reduction. |
| Proof of concept (PoC) | Request a proof of concept (PoC) to test the platform’s capabilities in a controlled environment using a sample process. Use the PoC to evaluate the platform’s performance, ease of use, and suitability. |
| Exit strategy | Develop an exit strategy to ensure data portability and a smooth transition in case of vendor change. |
Risk management and compliance
| Check point | Description |
|---|---|
| Risk management | Evaluate the vendor’s ethical, social, data sharing, and environmental policies, as well as their adherence to risk management standards. Select a vendor that aligns with your organisational risk tolerance and provides robust security features. Refer to the NSW AI Assurance Framework when using AI. |
| Organisational maturity | Assess your organisation’s maturity in terms of process standardisation, documentation, and overall readiness for automation. A mature organisation is better positioned for successful implementation. |
| Security and compliance | Verify the vendor’s security measures, encryption standards, and compliance with relevant regulations, e.g., GDPR, HIPAA, ISO/IEC. Ensure their capability to handle sensitive data securely. |
| Vendor stability | Assess the vendor’s financial stability and commitment to long-term support, technical advancements, and continuous improvement of their solution. |
| Contractual agreements | Review contract terms including licensing, updates and upgrades. Ensure clarity on pricing, support, and service level agreements avoiding hidden costs. |
| Performance metrics reporting | Ensure the tool provides comprehensive performance metrics and reporting capabilities to track the effectiveness of automation processes. Confirm that the vendor can provide the required metrics when the service is managed. |