Rfid 2009
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This document discusses the process for procuring RFID technology for a university library. It outlines 6 key steps: 1) defining requirements and goals, 2) creating a detailed specification, 3) choosing a procurement method like an open tender, 4) following the multi-step procurement process, 5) selecting a supplier based on criteria like cost and quality, and 6) implementing the system with delivery, installation, training and support. The overall process takes a minimum of 82 days and requires clear planning and communication throughout.
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Rfid 2009
- 1. RFID Procurement Mark Hughes Head of Collections Swansea University
- 2. Agenda 1.0 The initial questions 2.0 Knowing what you want - the specification 3.0 Procurement methods 4.0 The Procurement process 5.0 Choosing a supplier 6.0 What happens next?
- 13. Thank You & Good Luck with your implementations Mark Hughes m.j.hughes@swansea.ac.uk http://twitter.com/Mark_H_Swansea http://www.slideshare.net/Mark_H_Swansea
Editor's Notes
- Look at the big picture / context as this will shape your procurement What you want – self service (how many units?), stock management, self payment, automated sorting, smart shelves, more than one site? Why you want it – what’s the rationale /long & short term goals? What you can commit – staff resource to the project, finance Strategy – short / long term goals, service revolution? RFID is transformational technology but not transformative of itself, so where does it fit in around service plans? Resource – in terms of project management, internal staff / external staff, external consultancy? Timescale – how soon, are there specific times of year (e.g. vacations) you want to do work in? Do you have a fixed ‘go live’ date to deliver? Budget – not just for the system, but the overall project – e.g. any additional LMS functionality or licences…signage… tagging (in house or outsource?), associated linrary refurb etc..
- RFID IS a transformational technology, but on its own it is NOT a ‘magic bullet’ or panacea for all ills it’s success or failure is dependent on many external factors You need to have a strategy for: The implications for your staff (which are huge!) What services you plan to introduce / improve / cut costs on via rfid The impact on your end users The environment into which you introduce RFID – is your library suitably laid out? How it will interact with your LMS – talk to your supplier early, especially about SIP2 (compliance with v2.2 of standard, cost of Sip licences) Overall you need a holistic business plan with a remit far wider than the technology itself
- Regardless of Procurement method, start with a specification Clear & Comprehensive – Not only does this help clarify YOUR mind on what you want, but this will form the basis of the contract between you and your chosen supplier, so vital you get this right! Functions as well as hardware – not just how many terminals, but do you want multiple language interfaces? Do you want renewal functions, dual issue / return functions etc.. Function not process – WHAT you want to do, don’t be proscriptive about HOW that is done – that’s up to the supplier to explain & justify if necessary to you Standards – most critical one being ISO 28560-2, and the UK National Profile. Lack of standards compliance WILL come back to haunt you. Thankfully most current UK vendors support this (RFID Alliance) Spend time on the spec, get it right and it will be an immense aid in choosing the right RFID system *for you*. Time invested here will pay dividends later in the project
- Specification can be a time / resource intensive task & quite specialised For something like a Library Management System you can get an off the shelf specification like UKCS (United Kingdom Core Specification), no such ‘official’ specification exists for RFID Options: Start from scratch – daunting, time consuming, where’s your ‘peer review’ in case you miss something Shared information – colleagues who have gone before are often open to sharing their work – you can mix & match this with your own ideas ORILS – put together on basis of 2 implementations, with input from the UK community Released under Creative Commons license so you can use ‘as is’, remix it, add, take away, whatever suits you – there is no true ‘one size fits all’, only a good basic framework to start from
- Your specification should end up looking something like this… Remember to include 1) Background information on the supplier – how many libraries, stock levels, opening hours etc.. 2) Required hardware – how many tags, SSU’s, staff stations, do you want an automated sorter, smart shelves etc.. 3) Required Functionality – both the ‘standard’ stuff e.g. issue, return etc..and specific requirements e.g. self payment, use of smartcards etc.. 4) Service expectations – 2 fold – what YOU expect as a service to deliver e.g. 24 hour opening, 90% self service etc.. And what YOU expect from the supplier in terms of delivery 5) Training & Support – supplier’s training plan, availability of documentation, support – what level of response, office hours or 7 day, preventative maintenance, costs… 6) Future Development – rather nebulous, but is there a clear vision & commitment on suppliers part to pushing the technology forward 7) Project plan – just an outline here, giving key date s& activities supplier would expect to meet as part of the contract
- Sub £25k – 3 quotes £25k - £139k – tender process (non EU) £139,853 + VAT and above – EU Procurement Regulations apply EU Tender Frameworks / Catalist etc..can sometimes avoid the need for a full tender process (where an agreement is in place) but have some serious limitations in terms of RFID procurement Several different EU Tender procedures, but most common are Open , and to a lesser extent Competitive Dialogue Your Procurement Dept will have a view & a preference – consult them!
- This is based around the EU Open Tender process since that is the most common. Timeline varies, depending on whether you have issued a Prior Information Notice (PIN), whether advert is paper or electronic etc.. PQQ - useful in winnowing out plainly unsuitable tenderers Pre-Tender Briefing – useful method of talking to / engaging suppliers as you cannot communicate directly with individual suppliers outside the tender framework once entered Supplier Demos – a MUST – and get staff from ALL levels along – ask awkward questions..and get written clarifications on any major points afterwards – the supplier responses will then form part of the bid & thus the contract Reference Sites – contact references – visit sites if possible – money & time well spent! Scoring & evaluation Try to find a balance between cost, functionality and supplier services. In particular on cost, take into account both startup and project lifetime / ongoing figures.
- Selection criteria & scoring should be ; Fair & transparent Equally applied across all candidates Be prepared to give feedback – written / oral / in person Very much a cliché, but RFID is a genuine long termpartnership approach – ensure you feel comfortable with long term strategy of your supplier, not least in terms of where they / the product is likely to go in the future Finally, cost not always a reliable indicator of quality , and cheapest is very rarely the best value If you’ve done your homework on the companies and the specification, you should be able to pick the best fit *for your project* ..one size does not fit all.
- Once decision has been made, each tenderer needs to be informed in writing (email is sufficient). Each supplier should be provided with their own score, and the winner’s overall score for comparison. There is then a 10 day ‘standstill’ period before any contract can be signed – unsuccessful bidders may raise a challenge to any decision during this period (rare!). Unsuccessful bidders may also request detailed feedback, which can be given orally, in writing or in person – you need to be able to justify your scoring & decision The order can be placed at end of the Standstill period…contracts are usually drawn up by legal depts on both sides, and may take a little longer to formalise – you can proceed while this is ongoing. Expect an initial project planning meeting, during which you & supplier will formalise the overall plan & settle on delivery & milestone dates.
- Usual order of implementation Items you need to tag your stock – tags / tagging stations ..then you need to actually do it Stock wand is useful to have early on to do quality checking ..SSU’s usually come close to go =live date Security gates are last thing to be installed before go-live Sorter usually done straight before or just after Training- do it close to go-live date as possible ..post implementation support includes the inevitable ‘snagging list’, and will usually last for a short period until implenentation is’signed off’ and normal support comes into force Test, test, test – know what you are getting works as you wish at EVERY stage