27/06/13 22:24Port Strategy - Hard questions need a common language

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Solvo LtdSOLVO automation for OdessaCulture clash

Hard questions need a common language19 Jun 2013You may think you know what you want from a TOS, but alot comes down to negotiation to avoid unneccesary add-ons and to benefit from a vendor's knowledge.

“The worst thing you can do is combine everything in onetender and then stand back, saying: ‘you’re selling me thesystem, so you’re the expert’,” says Nico Berx of NB Solutions.

He adds that there’s always going to be a bit of tension whentendering for a TOS, but the vendor brings another layer ofexpertise to the table. So, although it may be uncomfortableit’s probably the right point to ask some hard questions aboutthe existing processes actual contribution to the profitability ofthe terminal.

However, this level of communication needs a commonlanguage, metaphorically and literally, between vendor andclient. Mr Berx says: “You need a cultural match: obviously ifthe vendor’s team leader is the only person speaking thesame language as the client it just isn’t going to work out well.But this match goes beyond the obvious; it also helps if the customer understands and is comfortable with the longterm strategy of the vendor too.”

Lastly, Mr Berx says that although it might be tempting to think you can develop your own system and avoid allthis, DIY jobs are no answer. Costs rocket, and while all the features and functionality may be there it just takes a newmachine or another organisation to interface with and suddenly the fit is not there anymore. “You can’t do as good ajob as if you buy one in which the interfaces are business ready,” says Mr Berx.

Constantine Sokolov of Solvo adds: “Building a programme in the 21st century from scratch is akin to inventingWindows or the IPhone anew.”

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