How To Draft A Quality RFP For VR Training Companies
You’ve been secretly eyeing vendors for weeks, covertly perusing their online portfolios and landing pages. Now it’s time to make your presence known. That may be overdramatic, but vendor vetting involves a lot of behind-the-scenes work and RFPs are your first contact with VR training companies. While the vendor must impress you with their qualifications and fair price points, you must also pique their interest to get responses. After all, developers can be selective about projects, especially if they’re in high demand. Here are 8 insider secrets to draft a top-notch request for VR training content providers. Specifically, an RFP that helps you find the perfect outsourcing match.
eBook Release
Virtual Reality Outsourcing: Your Guide To Finding The Perfect Immersive Learning Partner
This guide can help you pick the right virtual reality training outsourcing partner for your remote workforce!
8 Key Ingredients Of A Successful VR Training RFP
1. Begin With A Broad Overview
You don’t need to lay all your cards on the table. But you should start with a high-level overview of the project. For example, what are your main training challenges? Which topics do you need to cover in your VR training strategy? This intro must also include some background info about your company. Some vendors will determine if the project is a good fit for them based on the first paragraph alone. So, be upfront about your expectations and project scope to respect everyone’s time.
2. Include Budget And Time Constraints
How much can you realistically spend on VR training outsourcing? Furthermore, are there any deadlines the vendor should know about? Your RFP should always include the budget and timeline so that content providers understand your limits. Plus, they can check their schedules to see if there’s room for your project. Maybe they’re already booked this month and you need the deliverable ASAP, for instance. As a bonus tip, don’t divulge your max spending cap right away because you need some room for negotiation.
3. Outline The Goals, Objectives, And Outcomes
Clarify the goals and objectives for your VR in the workplace program. You should also outline the desired outcomes, performance behaviors, and skill gaps involved. For example, the customer service training is for interpersonal skills and these tasks. In addition, include measurable outcomes so that vendors can determine if it’s even feasible based on the budget, available resources, and timeframe.
4. Clarify Technical Expectations
You’re probably hiring a VR training company because you want their tech expertise. But you still need to do a little homework regarding software and VR training trends. For instance, employees must be able to access content on these devices and you expect these delivery formats. You can also keep this section broad and ask for vendor input later on. If you’re purchasing off-the-shelf solutions, tech specs should be readily available.
5. Specify VR Training Deliverables
In this section, outline any and all deliverables you need from the VR training vendor. Include a brief explanation about the intended audience, seat time, and cost breakdown. To illustrate, only 10% of your budget is allocated for this JIT resource. Likewise, you can ask vendors for their suggestions or even let them know that the list is just a starting point and you want to gradually expand your library. Here are just a few VR training activities to consider for your program:
- Interactive task simulations
- Compliance tutorials
- 360-degree product demos
- Skill-building serious games
- Decision-making scenarios
- Virtual tours for new hires
6. Be Fully Transparent About The Evaluation Process
Vendors must be aware of the evaluation process and follow-up. When will you make your decision and how will you contact them? Will they have to complete a sample project first? You don’t have to explain your entire scoring system. Just give vendors enough information to personalize their responses. For example, you’re looking for these qualifications and specialization areas and this is how your team will assess each proposal. Don’t forget to include proposal deadlines (or bid due dates). Try to give them at least four to six weeks to send their offers for best results.
7. Schedule Meet-And-Greets With Top Choices
Schedule a meeting with your top candidates if you have any lingering doubts or simply want to break the tie. Keep things casual to get a feel for the vendor’s personality. Start with some basic questions regarding their workflow and background. Then dive into their VR training ideas for your training program. You can also include some “typical” interview questions to gain more insight. For instance, what was the most challenging thing about their last project and how did they resolve the issue?
8. Finalize The Contract
After you review proposals and meet with vendors, contract negotiations kick off. Hopefully, you’ve already chosen an outsourcing partner for VR training in the workplace. And it’s simply a matter of reviewing the agreement and signing on the dotted line. But first, you need to verify all the terms and conditions. Is it a fair deal? Are you satisfied with the list of deliverables? When in doubt, ask for legal advice and/or request revisions. It’s also wise to schedule another meeting with the content provider to summarize the key points. That way, you avoid confusion and costly disputes later on.
Conclusion
Writing a top-notch VR training RFP doesn’t involve any secret formulas. It’s not an exact science because different projects call for different specializations. However, these tips can help you draft an RFP that streamlines vendor selection. Only qualified VR training companies who fall into your price range will respond because you’ve outlined all the project specs and tech requirements in the document. As a result, you can skip right to vendor comparison, follow-up interviews, and test projects.
Choose the best outsourcing partner for VR training using our online directory. There are ratings, reviews, and company bios to simplify vendor vetting, as well as a complete list of solutions for every company. Start your search today so that you can submit RFPs ASAP.
Download the eBook Virtual Reality Outsourcing: Your Guide To Finding The Perfect Immersive Learning Partner for insider tips to launch an experiential learning program.
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