問4
頻出度★★☆
図の手順でソフトウェアを調達するとき，①に該当する項目として，最も適切なものはどれか。ここで，ア～エは，①～④のいずれかに該当するものとする。
| （ユーザ） | （ベンダ） |
|---|---|
| 要件仕様書作成 | |
| ↓ | |
| RFP作成 | |
| ↓ | |
| ① | |
| ↓ | |
| 調達先候補の選定 | |
| ↓ | |
| ② | → ③ |
| ④ | ← ③ |
| ↓ | |
| 調達先選定 | |
| ↓ | |
| 契約締結（ユーザ・ベンダ両者にまたがる） |
平成23年度 特別試験 ITパスポート試験 問4
ストラテジ系システム企画 › 調達計画・実施
This question's explanation and your answers so far.
解説
問 4
Incorrectア
“RFP (Request For Proposal) briefing” corresponds to ② in the figure. Although ② is a box on the user side, an arrow goes from it toward ③ on the vendor side, so the figure shows that it is an action taken by the user toward the vendor. In practice as well, after the candidate suppliers are selected, those candidate companies are gathered together and the contents of the RFP (Request For Proposal) are explained to them: the purpose of the procurement, an overview of the system, the requirements, the format and submission deadline of the proposal, the contract conditions, and so on, and questions are answered. Only after this briefing can the vendors write their proposals. Position ① comes before “Select candidate suppliers”, so the parties to be briefed have not been decided yet, and this item cannot go in ①.
- イ
正解 The correct answer is イ. The figure shows the standard flow of software procurement, split into two columns: the user side and the vendor side. Position ① is a user-side task that comes right after “Create RFP (Request For Proposal)” and right before “Select candidate suppliers”, so what belongs here is “Creating supplier selection criteria”. First, look at the direction of the arrows; the other three boxes can be fixed first. ② is a user-side box with an arrow going out to ③ on the vendor side, so it is the “RFP (Request For Proposal) briefing” (ア), in which the RFP contents are explained to the candidate suppliers. ③ is the only box on the vendor side, and it is “Preparing the proposal” (ウ), which the vendor does after receiving the briefing. ④ is the user-side box that receives the arrow from ③, and it is “Evaluating the proposal” (エ), in which the submitted proposals are examined; this also fits with “Select supplier” coming immediately afterwards. Therefore the remaining ① is “Creating supplier selection criteria” (イ). Beyond elimination, the order itself is meaningful. Selection criteria means deciding in advance the evaluation items, such as price, delivery time, how well the functions are covered, technical ability, maintenance and support structure, and financial stability of the company, together with their weightings and scoring method. By preparing this before selecting candidates or evaluating proposals, you prevent the criteria from being conveniently rewritten after seeing the proposals, and you achieve fair, objective, and transparent procurement. The RFP states the items you want the suppliers to answer, so right after the RFP is written the points to be evaluated are already organized, and turning them directly into selection criteria is a natural flow. For these reasons, the item that corresponds to ① is イ.
Incorrectウ
“Preparing the proposal” corresponds to ③ in the figure. ③ is not on the user side; it is the only box placed in the vendor column, receiving an arrow from ② and sending an arrow to ④. A proposal is a document that the vendor submits after receiving the user's RFP and briefing, putting together its own solution, system configuration, development structure, schedule, quoted price, and so on, so the party that prepares it is the vendor. Since ① is a box in the user column, there is no room for preparing the proposal, which is the vendor's task, to go there.
Incorrectエ
“Evaluating the proposal” corresponds to ④ in the figure. ④ is a user-side box that receives a leftward arrow from ③ on the vendor side, so the figure makes it clear that this is work done after the submitted proposals have been received. Moreover, “Select supplier” comes immediately after ④, which also matches the order in which the supplier is decided as a result of the evaluation. Position ① is at a stage where no proposal exists yet, that is, before the candidates are chosen, so the evaluation work cannot be placed there. Incidentally, what serves as the yardstick for this evaluation is exactly the selection criteria created at ①; the two stand in the relationship of the step that creates the criteria and the step that applies them.
ここがポイント
- The standard flow of software procurement — it proceeds in this order: create the requirements specification → create the RFP → create the supplier selection criteria → select candidate suppliers → RFP briefing → (the vendor) prepares the proposal → evaluate the proposals → select the supplier → conclude the contract. As related documents, an RFP (Request For Proposal) is a document that asks for a concrete system proposal and a quotation, while an RFI (Request For Information) is used at an earlier stage to collect information about the technologies and products a vendor can provide.
- Create the criteria before the evaluation — supplier selection criteria set out the evaluation items such as price, delivery time, functions, technical ability, and maintenance and support structure, together with their weightings. Drawing them up before looking at the proposals removes arbitrary judgement and secures fair, objective, and transparent procurement. When reading this kind of figure, the standard approach is to identify who performs each task by using the direction of the arrows (whether it starts from the user or from the vendor) and which column the box sits in as clues.
用語