Evaluation criteria for vendors during the procurement process should factor in their prior experience and qualifications and strength of their team. In addition to evaluation of desktop proposals, wherever possible vendors should demonstrate their existing solutions/previous work and reference calls or visits done to validate prior experience.
Vendor scope should be clearly defined in the contract
Project planning should be a joint activity with the vendor to ensure plans are realistic and adequately resourced
Payment milestones in the vendor contract should be aligned with verifiable progress of deliverables
Have regular progress reviews on progress against the milestones with timely management of any risks and issues identified as per the governance process adopted
