Questions to answer in your technical approach

Architecture

1. What are the specifications for the system architecture?
2. What are the specifications for the network architecture?
3. What are the specifications for the hardware architecture?
4. What are the specifications for the software architecture?
5. What is the information model?
6. What are the specifications for the database architecture?
7. What are the benefits to the customer of your architectures?
8. How do you architectural plans account for future needs?
9. What standards do your architectural plans comply with?

Supply Chain

1. What kind of relationships do you have with your suppliers?
2. How will you manage your supply chain?
3. What will you keep in inventory?
4. How will you stock it?
5. Where will you warehouse the inventory?

Support

1. How will you provide support?
2. What capacity will it have?
3. How will you track issues?
4. What is your response time for problems?
5. How will you manage issue escalation?
6. Will you provide a call center?
7. Will you provide a self-service facility?
8. What support will you provide on-site?
9. What support will you provide off-site?
10. How will you determine whether to fix or replace a defective component?

Knowledge Management and Data Warehousing

1. What data will be collected for knowledge management and data warehousing?
2. How will data be collected?
3. What formats will data be collected and stored in?
4. Will data/records conversion be required?
5. What types of analysis will be performed?
6. How will you identify best practice documents?
7. How will you disseminate best practice knowledge?
8. What is your plan for records management?
9. How will records be defined, identified, or received?
10. How will records be disposed of after they are digitized?
11. What is your archival plan for digital records?
12. What is your disposition plan for digital records?
13. Who is responsible for knowledge/records management?
14. How will the customer benefit from your knowledge management/data warehousing approach?
15. How will your approach enable you to better leverage lessons learned?
16. How will your knowledge management approach promote organizational learning and understanding?
17. How will your knowledge management approach lower training costs?
18. How will your knowledge management approach provide access to newer and better information?
19. How will your knowledge management approach contribute to faster/better decision making?

Tools

1. How will the customer benefit from the tools that you will use?
2. What tools will you use for development?
3. What tools will you use for computer aided design?
4. What tools will you use for workflow?
5. What tools will you use for configuration management?
6. What tools will you use for process automation/management?
7. What tools will you use for program management?
8. What tools will you use for collaboration?
9. What tools will you use for budgeting?
10. What tools will you use for record keeping/Time keeping?
11. What tools will you use for tracking systems
12. What tools will you use for customer relationship management?
13. What tools will you use for document/knowledge management?

Techniques

1. What formal methodologies will you employ?
2. What documented processes/procedures will you follow?
3. Will you perform any process re-engineering?
4. Will you perform any reverse engineering?
5. Will you use any design aids/techniques such as Unified Modeling Language (UML)?
6. Will you use any documentation aids/techniques such as psuedo-code?
7. Will you use any job aids?
8. How will you maintain process documentation?
9. How will you maintain configuration management?

Standards and Certifications

1. Are you ISO 9000 certified?
2. Are you certified at any Capability Maturity Model (CMM) levels?
3. Does your company have any other certifications to cite?
4. Does the staff being bid have any relevant certifications to cite?
5. Will you use any specific Application Program Interfaces?
6. What published standards will you comply with?
7. Does the customer have any documented standards or procedures to comply with?

Safety

1. What safety precautions may be required on this project?
2. What is the process for reporting an accident?
3. How will you recognize safety hazards and respond?
4. Will you provide safety training?
5. What safety records will you keep?
6. How will be responsible for ensuring safety?
7. How will the customer benefit from your approach to managing safety issues?

Capacity issues

1. What types of capacities are important to this project?
2. How did you arrive at the projected capacities?
3. How do you measure capacity requirements?
4. How will you model performance metrics?
5. How will you forecast workload requirements?
6. What is your plan for handling the projected capacities?
7. What is your plan for handling peak and valley work load requirements?
8. How will you achieve the necessary scalability?
9. How will you anticipate and accommodate for changes in capacities?

Deliverables

1. What deliverables will you produce? (provide a table)
2. What is the benefit to the customer for each deliverable?
3. Is the scope of each deliverable sufficiently defined?
4. Are the completion points for each deliverable clear?
5. Can you provide samples of deliverables?
6. Does the format of the deliverables fit their intended purposes?
7. How will you manage the production of deliverables?
8. Are there any specific requirements that deliverables must comply with?
9. What media should be used for deliverables?
10. Are there any compatibility requirements for data deliverables?
11. What standards will be used to evaluate the quality of deliverables?
12. What is the review/acceptance process for each deliverable?
13. How will you maintain deliverables after initial production?