Establishing priorities and distributing the request for proposal

The process of establishing priorities for a prospective hospital pharmacy computer system and distributing the Request for Proposal (RFP) to computer vendors is described. Priorities are established through the creation of three documents: (1) a priority list, (2) a categorized RFP, and (3) a categorized RFP extension. The priority list outlines important elements in the selection of a vendor; quality of software, reliability of software and hardware, vendor stability, costs, site requirements, expansion capability, vendor support, and system performance. The categorized RFP ranks each specific RFP item as mandatory, highly important, important, or "luxury." The categorized RFP extension ranks the nonimplementation items and is used to grade vendors on items not addressed by the RFP. Each potential vendor should be called and asked the same set of questions in order to quickly eliminate those with unacceptable products. The RFP is then distributed to vendors that qualify. This process helps determine if the system being considered has all the required functions, has reliable software and hardware, and whether the vendor is stable and capable of providing assistance during implementation and throughout the life of the product.