Start with the processes you need to address
Bring together administration, purchasing, management and project leads. Ask each team to describe a task that currently forces them to duplicate information or search across several tools. Turn these situations into specific requirements: what information comes in, who validates it and what result is needed.
Separate essential requirements from useful extras
Divide requirements into three groups: necessary to operate, important for improvement and desirable at a later stage. For example, allocating purchases to a project may be essential; an advanced visualisation can wait. This classification stops an attractive demonstration from replacing a proper needs assessment.
Test a complete workflow with sample data
Ask the demonstration to follow an operation from start to finish: estimate, purchase order, delivery note, invoice and project allocation. Include an exception, such as a partial delivery or a change of cost item. Notice which steps require entering the same information again and who can correct an error.
Assess implementation as well as the tool
The proposal should explain which data will be migrated, who prepares it, which integrations are included and how the team will be trained. Also request a description of support and recurring costs. A written scope makes it possible to compare proposals that initially appear equivalent.
Validate before rolling the system out
Choose a pilot project and define acceptance criteria. Check that users can complete their tasks and that reports reconcile with source records. Document issues and decide which ones must be resolved before bringing in more projects.