I initially attended IOF in 2007. NFU Mutual (NFUM) was my client at the time and they were embarking their market test of IT infrastructure and other IT Services. Once NFUM decided to embark on an IT outsourcing programme, we jointly attended the IOF.

There were a couple of capable organisations we met at IOF which were included on our shortlist, one of which was Mindtree with whom NFUM formed a long term relationship. Initially the contract was to outsource Testing Services; subsequently this has been extended to include a new development programme of work in relation to NFUM’s agency business.

I met Mindtree for the first time at IOF in Singapore. Previously, we were more familiar with the larger suppliers such as Wipro, TCS, Cognizant and others, but through IOF there was an opportunity to deal with smaller vendors. In the initial meeting Mindtree presented their capabilities very well. To be honest, I probably wouldn’t have looked at them otherwise.

Well, the type of clients that I work with (insurance companies – such as Aon, NFUM, RLA etc) have a certain cultural needs and look for a cultural match with vendors who can be flexible. With Mindtree, the cultural aspects were very important; they are very approachable which makes them ideal for an outsourcing company such as NFUM who were just starting their outsourcing journey.
The second factor was that they were very flexible and had a depth of IT services which could be called upon in the future. 
The third one was really about the individuals we met at IOF. They were very open and we could really believe that they could deliver. The client references they presented during that discussion were very relevant as well.
So, in summary, the top three things were culture, flexibility and the people factor.

Yes, I met with others including Perot in IOF Singapore. The other company I met with in IOF Prague was Cognizant; I knew they had a presence in the market but I had never dealt with them directly. Again, the people we met with from Cognizant made a great impression.

Besides the 30 minutes meeting session, I was able to spend quite a lot of time with them during the other networking opportunities including having breakfast together the next day! On the second day we had the opportunity to spend more time together, and then a week later in the UK they came over with their delivery team. By the time we finished the event we had already booked our next session!

We had an interim contract 6 months after the event and then the main contract 10 months after the IOF event. NFUM signed the framework agreement for 10 years and then added extra scope incorporating the agency development 2 years later.

The decision process was part of agreed project governance involving all the key holders from NFUM.

They provided 2 services; one was testing and the other was application development for an agency programme.

The most efficient meetings were those in which the suppliers had aligned themselves to the needs of the buyers when selecting the meetings. Also, buyers should ensure that their profiles are up to the minute.  For example, when we went to IOF 2009 in Barcelona, initially we had highlighted ‘IT needs’ but later refreshed it to ‘BPO’ as that was a new area which I, and a colleague I had brought with me, needed to explore. We went on to meet two new BPO suppliers at IOF who were very relevant and we are still talking with them now. There’s no point in talking if there is no need or capability match in the first place.