Table of Contents

Selection of vendors, consultants, software, and tools

Max Dana Updated by Max Dana

General guidelines

Decisions regarding where ArtsPool spends our money and which partners and services we choose, should be led by our values and our commitment to anti-racism. When evaluating new or existing contracts, consider the following:

  • Does the prospect have a statement of values published, and if so, does it align with ArtsPool's?
  • Does the prospect have a statement of anti-racism published, and if so, does this statement contain action items and steps towards accountability?
  • Does the prospect have accessibility tools on their website/public materials?

By including these in your evaluation up front you will ensure that these factors don't get lost when evaluating factors like price, functionality, service, etc and making a final decision.

Review and selection process

  1. Confirm the appropriate staff stakeholders for this selection process. The selection process should be led by the most relevant internal team ("Selection Team"), with input from any other employees impacted by the decision.
  2. The Selection Team confirms the available budget for this consultant, vendor, software, or tool with ArtsPool's General Manager or Executive Officer.
  3. Once the budget is confirmed, the Selection Team collects information and research options according to the appropriate process below.
  4. The Selection Team prepares a recommendation for other internal stakeholders, with notes on their rationale, and requests feedback prior to the final decision.
  5. If vendor, consultant, software, or tool is member-facing, the Selection Team should conduct an appropriate process to engage with and get feedback from members prior to a final decision. This process will vary widely depending on the vendor. The Steering Committee can serve as a partner for this feedback.
  6. Once feedback has been received from staff and member stakeholders, Selection Team confirms selection with the third party, alerts the General Manager regarding the timing of the contract and expected first charges, and requests support from other ArtsPoolers (Technology Officer, Service Team Leads, etc) as needed.
Any technology or software selection processes that are not initiated by ArtsPool's Technology Officer should include the Technology Officer in the employee stakeholders group.

Consultants and vendors

When selecting vendors or consultants, use this Request for Proposals form, if possible. If the vendor or consultant is in a field that does not typically respond to an RFP process (i.e. lawyers), interview at least three candidates with strong consideration of the Guidelines above.

Software and tools

When selecting software or other operational tools, follow the guidance in the article How to choose software. Also, consider the General Guidelines above when making these selections.

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