IT Vendor Management
IT vendors cost a lot. Often deliver little.
We take over the steering with clear contracts, defined KPIs and the knowledge of how IT vendors actually work.
Book a free introductory call30 minutes. We get to know each other. You decide if it fits.
Current state
You might recognise this.
Day rates high, results thin.
Invoices arrive on time, deliveries less so. What was promised in the pitch isn't in the sprint. You pay for senior profiles and get junior work. The discussion runs the same way every quarter.
Contract is in place, but escalation goes nowhere.
When something goes wrong, you find out quickly: the contract protects the vendor better than you. Scope is vague, change clauses are open, escalation paths end with the same account manager. Pushing back becomes a burden on your own team.
Reports shine, value contribution stays unclear.
Monthly steering committees, red-amber-green status, KPIs in the green. But no one can honestly say whether the vendor actually delivers what the investment justifies. Steering becomes choreography.
IT vendors are a significant cost block in mid-sized companies and enterprises. Without active steering, you often finance a model that sells hours instead of delivering value contribution. Steering doesn't start with the status report. It starts with the contract and the question of how the vendor actually understands your business.
Our approach
Three steps. Pragmatic. As equals.
Listen first, then sort. Vendor management is contract work and relationship work at the same time.
Understand
We get to know your current contract and vendor landscape. Contracts, SLAs, escalations, relationship dynamics. Where there's friction, where things work, where what isn't working gets tolerated because changing is considered too expensive.
Day 1 to Week 3
Sort and set up anew
We design the steering structure that can carry you. Clear KPIs, honest escalation paths, contract changes where needed. We sort the portfolio: which vendors stay strategic, which need to be replaced, which we renegotiate.
Week 3 to 8
Steer and hand over
We take over operational steering in the first months, or we coach your team building the steering function internally. Over time we step back, because you can run it yourself.
From Week 8, as long as you need
You notice that vendor invoices no longer match the value contribution.
Spend 30 minutes with someone who knows this from both sides of the table.
Areas of focus
Where we focus.
Sourcing strategy and multi-vendor coordination
Which topics do you outsource, which stay internal? Which vendors are strategic, which are interchangeable? We bring order into the vendor portfolio before the next RFP repeats the old pattern.
RFP, comparison and selection
Requirements, RFP, scoring matrix, comparison. We design tenders so you can compare vendors against each other, not just marketing slides. Selection on substance, not pitch quality.
Contract design and SLA management
Contracts are the conditions of your later negotiation position. We design scope, change clauses, SLAs, escalation and exit paths so you stay able to act in two years' time, when delivery tips.
Ongoing performance control and escalation
Steering isn't reading status reports. We build control mechanisms that measure real value contribution and escalation paths that actually work, without burning out your own team.
Budget monitoring and cost optimisation
Day rate times consumption isn't value contribution. We bring transparency to ongoing costs, identify savings without quality loss, and design contracts so cost drivers become visible.
Exit and transition management
End of contract, vendor switch, insourcing or outsourcing to a new provider. We plan the transition so that knowledge, data and accountability don't stay trapped with the old vendor.
Why DRICH.CONSULTING
Both sides of the table. From own practice.
Vendor management rarely works with standard templates and friendly communication. It needs depth in contract questions, experience in escalations and the knowledge of how the other side calculates. I've hired IT vendors and I've worked for IT vendors. From that double experience I know where quotes have room and where contracts are typically weak.
Both sides from own practice: client and vendor
I've worked as a developer, architect, IT project lead and Chief Data Officer. I've hired IT vendors and I've worked for IT vendors. That double experience changes the sparring depth: I know how quotes are actually calculated, where contracts are typically weak, and which escalations actually land.
KPIs that deliver, not just report
Many SLAs are formally met without the client being satisfied. We design KPIs to measure what you actually need: delivery quality, response time, value contribution. Reports become a steering basis, not reassurance.
Spot contract gaps before they cost you
From practice I know the typical spots in IT services contracts where the vendor has room and you have costs: vague scope definitions, weak change clauses, one-sided escalation paths, missing exit routes. We close those gaps before they become negotiation territory.
100 percent independent
No commissions, no vendor partnerships, no implementation follow-on business. Particularly important in vendor management, because otherwise the same person who advises you wants to sell you the implementation later.
20+
years of IT experience
client and vendor side
50+
contracts and engagements
supported
100%
independent, no
vendor commissions
2
sides of the table
from own practice
Frequently asked
What decision-makers ask us.
Procurement consultancies often optimise the day rate. We steer delivery quality and value contribution, because a cheap day rate is worth nothing if the result doesn't fit. Plus we come from IT practice, not from procurement, which makes a big difference in IT services.
Both functions often work with standard templates and avoid conflict. We bring IT depth and the knowledge of where contracts are typically weak, plus the willingness to carry difficult escalations. If your internal setup already covers this, we say so honestly.
Yes, that's often the first step. We identify the points where you have leverage, and the points where you should renegotiate. Specific legal advice you get from a lawyer. We find the strategic and operational gaps.
No, and we don't pretend otherwise. 30 minutes are enough to roughly understand your situation and to tell you honestly whether we're the right partner. If we're not, we say so. If we are, we suggest a sensible next step, which isn't automatically a paid engagement.
We hold no commission agreements with IT vendors, no vendor partnerships and no implementation business behind the scenes. Particularly important in vendor management, because otherwise it directly affects the result. You can verify that at any time.
Yes, as an interim service or per mandate. We can run ongoing steering for a defined period while you build the team internally. Permanent placement isn't our model, operational handover on time works.
Introductory call
Free introductory call
Tell us your situation. We listen, ask questions and tell you honestly whether we're the right partner. If we aren't, that's fine too.
- 30 minutes. No pitch, no presentation.
- You describe the problem. We listen first.
- You get an initial read, with no sales intent.
- No commitment afterwards.
Slots are offered on weekdays between 9am and 6pm (CET).
Vendor costs a lot, delivers little?
Book a free introductory call