Eileen Kiley

When considering a move to a new publishing services partnership, what are the critical things to think about before you start? While the RFP process is underway? After the contract is signed and your new partnership is kicking off? Society representatives who have completed a recent RFP process will share their best practices and lessons learned at different stages of the process, including: strategic and tactical activities that take place before the publisher RFP process begins, and how those activities inform the RFP process (and potentially improve subsequent offers); structural and project management approaches that can be used during the RFP process to enable clear, effective, and targeted communication of requirements and priorities—and that ensure decision-making based on targeted priorities—from RFP dissemination to candidate publisher presentations to contract negotiation; and key performance indicators, best practices, and expectations-setting to guide the society–publisher relationship after the contract has been signed.