Shortlists are easy now. The six months after signing are not.

Missed install dates, vendors who go quiet, scope that shifts a little at a time. That gap is where I work. I qualify the project, build a real shortlist including which providers to avoid, negotiate the pricing and terms, and set the escalation contacts before anyone starts.

Then I stay on it through delivery, catching a slip the week it happens instead of the month it turns into a crisis.

The vendor is never the expensive part of a technology project. Your time is.

A project that's running late, a renewal coming up you haven't looked at, or a shortlist you don't fully trust. Any of those is a good place to start.

Costs you nothing either way. The suppliers pay me.