The challenge

Wolters Kluwer was considering implementing a new global HR information system. They already had SuccessFactors in place, but it was too narrowly focused on talent management, and they had no real core HR solution.

The project team wanted to run a competition between Workday and SuccessFactors. They asked Change Associates to help design a process that was informed and objective.

What we did

Our consultants started with a research exercise on both vendors, identifying their strengths and weaknesses, so we knew where to push them during the selection process.

Working alongside a core team from Wolters Kluwer, including HR, procurement, IT and finance professionals, we refined the business case and prepared it for presentation and approval by the Executive Committee

Change Associates experts supported the procurement activities, from RFP design, running demo events, and developing scoring solutions, to establishing the negotiation strategy and advising the team on getting the best deal from the vendors.

We also helped the core team to identify and plan for the operating model changes that would be needed once they embarked on a systems-enabled transformation programme.

The result

• The implementation of our negotiation strategy resulted in the selected system being secured for 40% less than the vendor’s initial bid.
• The cost of the implementation ended up 30% less than the initial bid.
• This successful piece of work led to a long-term partnership between Wolters Kluwer and Change Associates that continues to this day.

Image (c) Shutterstock | Mark Agnor