Don't rush into this.  After going through this in the past year, I have
some experience.  We sent out an RFP detailing our requirements.  This
started out as a small report and ended up being 60 pages long.  The more
info you can provide to the vendor, the better.  A good RFP  has the
vendor check-off if their product will accommodate your particular need.
Ours was setup with "must have"  and "should have" requirements.  The DoD
has great requirements and although we don't need DoD approval we used it
as a guide.  We had a vendors meeting so they could ask questions of the
RFP.  We narrowed it down to four vendors, had detailed demo's and then
continued to narrow it down to two.  We went for second demo's, receiving
further clarification of their product and then decided.  We also had a
consultant advise for part of the process,

In the implementation stage, we continue to go back to the RFP to see if
we are receiving what we asked for.  Due to an unforeseen situation we are
behind in our schedule, but continue to plod on.  You need to have a good
feeling about the company you are dealing with and their project manager.
We also added DM, Workflow, Forms Management and KM to our requirements.
It was easier to sell to the organization when they saw the many ways we
could better manage our information.

All told, we took about 5 months from start to finish in choosing a
vendor.  Take your time.  A failed impementation will look bad on your
record as well as wasting capital.   A quick decision, could be a bad
decision.

Call me if you'd like to talk.

John Annunziello
Records Information Specialist
Toronto and Region Conservation Authority
5 Shoreham Drive
Downsview, Ontario M3N 1S4
(416) 661-6600 ext. 5272
fax:  (416) 661-6898
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