There is no easy answer, but I will offer some insight.
If you are a public entity, you probably have a purchasing bylaw which requires you to tender goods and services based on a variety of criteria, such as size of contract and frequency, if more than $10,000 and at least every three years.
At the very least, most business should conduct a Request for Proposals at least every five years, but there are exceptions which I will address.
Here are some things you should address first:
– How well am I being served now?
– Has pricing changed much since our last RFP?
– Does my provider investigate alternatives frequently?
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