THREE DEFINED ENGAGEMENTS
Advisory structured around
where you are in the process
Each engagement addresses a specific phase of technology procurement. You may engage us at one stage, at two, or at all three. The choice is yours, and the scope is defined before we begin.
← Return to homepageHow we approach every engagement
Each engagement begins with a written scope. We agree, before commencing work, on what the deliverable will be, how long the engagement will run, what access we will need, and what the fee will be. There are no verbal arrangements and no scope changes without written agreement.
Our method, across all three engagements, is to ask structured questions and record the answers carefully. The quality of the advice we provide is a function of the quality of the information we gather — from you, from your stakeholders, and from our knowledge of the vendor landscape. We do not compress this stage to arrive at a recommendation faster.
Every engagement concludes with a written document. Briefs, evaluation reports, and negotiation handbooks are the deliverables. Presentations, where they occur, are in support of the document, not a substitute for it.
Stage 1 — Brief
Define what you are buying, in language that is yours.
Stage 2 — Evaluation
Identify and assess the right candidates against that brief.
Stage 3 — Negotiation
Prepare your team to hold their position at the table.
Each stage is complete in itself. You may engage us at any one, two, or all three.
Vendor Brief Conversation
RM 870 per engagement
A short advisory engagement that produces a clear, vendor-neutral brief for the technology you intend to buy. We interview the people who will use the technology, the people who will operate it, and the leadership who must approve it. We write the brief on your behalf, in language that is exacting without being adversarial.
The output is a written brief your organisation may issue to a shortlist of candidates. It is suited for organisations whose previous procurements have drifted into vendor-led specifications — where the brief reads as though it was written by the vendor who will win the contract.
What is included
- Initial scoping call to understand the procurement context
- Structured interviews with up to six stakeholders (users, operators, approvers)
- Written brief in vendor-neutral language, ready for issue
- One revision cycle following your review
- Guidance on shortlist candidate identification (without endorsement)
The process
- 01.Scoping call — understand the procurement and agree the stakeholder list
- 02.Stakeholder interviews — structured sessions with each stakeholder group
- 03.Draft brief — written, shared for your review
- 04.Revision and final brief — issued to you for use
Best suited for:
Organisations approaching their first significant technology procurement, or those who have previously found that vendor demonstrations began before the brief was adequately defined. Also appropriate for organisations where different internal stakeholders hold substantially different views of what the technology should do.
Shortlist and Evaluation Advisory
RM 2,820 per engagement
A longer engagement that takes a vendor brief through to a recommended candidate. We assemble a shortlist of three to five candidates appropriate to the Malaysian market, design and conduct structured evaluation sessions, score the candidates against the brief, and write a measured evaluation report.
We do not accept fees, referrals or hospitality from any candidate vendor during the engagement. The recommendation we make is reached by applying the scoring framework to the evidence gathered — not by inclination.
What is included
- Shortlist of three to five vendors appropriate to the brief and the Malaysian market
- Evaluation framework agreed with your committee before any vendor is approached
- Structured evaluation sessions with each shortlisted vendor
- Scored evaluation with documented rationale
- Written evaluation report with recommendation
The process
- 01.Brief review — confirm or develop the brief together
- 02.Shortlist development — identify and qualify candidates
- 03.Evaluation framework — agree scoring criteria with your committee
- 04.Evaluation sessions — structured, scored, documented
- 05.Report — written evaluation with recommendation
Best suited for:
Organisations preparing for a meaningful technology purchase and who want the evaluation process to produce a defensible, documented recommendation. Particularly relevant where governance requirements mean the procurement decision will be reviewed by a board, audit committee, or procurement authority.
Contract Negotiation Workshop
RM 1,290 per workshop
A two-day workshop that prepares the client team to conduct their own negotiation with a chosen vendor. We rehearse the conversations, examine the contract clauses worth pressing on, the commercial levers available, and the small protections that earn their place in a multi-year arrangement.
The workshop closes with a written negotiation handbook tailored to the specific arrangement under discussion. It is suited for legal, procurement and the relevant business owners working together.
What is included
- Pre-workshop review of the contract and commercial terms
- Day one — clause review, commercial positions, priorities and constraints
- Day two — rehearsal of negotiation conversations, handling concessions
- Written negotiation handbook tailored to your arrangement
- Facilitated for up to six participants from legal, procurement, and business
The process
- 01.Pre-workshop materials review — we review contract and terms in advance
- 02.Day one — substantive clause and commercial analysis with the team
- 03.Day two — rehearsal, handling objections, closing positions
- 04.Handbook delivery — written, structured for use at the negotiation table
Best suited for:
Legal, procurement and business teams who have selected a vendor and are approaching the contract negotiation. Particularly valuable for multi-year arrangements, where the terms negotiated at the outset will govern the relationship for five years or more, and for organisations who have previously found themselves accepting standard vendor terms without adequate scrutiny.
Which engagement fits your situation
| Vendor Brief | Shortlist & Eval | Negotiation Workshop | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stakeholder interviews | |||
| Written brief produced | |||
| Vendor shortlist assembled | |||
| Evaluation sessions conducted | |||
| Written evaluation report | |||
| Contract clause analysis | |||
| Negotiation handbook produced | |||
| Fee | RM 870 | RM 2,820 | RM 1,290 |
The standards applied across all engagements
Conflict-free working
No fee, referral, or hospitality from any vendor during the engagement. Conflict screening before acceptance.
Written engagement letters
Scope, timeline, deliverable, and fee agreed in writing before work begins. No verbal arrangements.
Confidentiality as standard
All engagements under NDA. Client procurement strategy is not discussed outside the engagement.
Senior advisor delivery
Named advisors do the work. Client-facing responsibilities are not delegated to junior staff.
No implementation services
We do not implement, configure, or project-manage the technology we advise on. The advisory boundary is firm.
Secure data handling
Client documents on encrypted systems. Engagement files retained per Malaysian legal requirements, then deleted.
Transparent, fixed engagement fees
Each fee is set against the defined scope of that engagement. No retainers, no hidden costs, no subsequent fee increases.
Engagement One
Vendor Brief Conversation
RM 870
- Stakeholder interviews
- Written vendor-neutral brief
- One revision cycle
- Completed in 2–3 weeks
Engagement Two
Shortlist & Evaluation
RM 2,820
- Full brief review or development
- 3–5 vendor shortlist
- Structured evaluation sessions
- Written evaluation report
Engagement Three
Negotiation Workshop
RM 1,290
- Two-day workshop
- Clause and commercial analysis
- Rehearsal of conversations
- Written negotiation handbook
An initial conversation at no charge
Tell us where you are in the procurement and which engagement might be relevant. If there is a useful fit, we will propose the engagement clearly.
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