01

Describe one useful task

Choose a real activity with a clear starting point and output. Record the information used, the person responsible and the unusual cases that make the task difficult. A proposal to automate invoice preparation is easier to assess when it explains how missing references or conflicting amounts are handled. Keep that process description separate from a preferred tool.

02

Ask for a testable delivery

Request a demonstration using an agreed, permitted set of representative examples. Define the result your team will check, the conditions for rejecting an output and the person who approves release. Explore how the proposed system behaves when information is incomplete. A polished demonstration of the usual case should start a conversation about exceptions, not close it.

03

Understand the information path

Ask providers to explain the proposed model services, connected applications and information flow in plain language. Your own data and security owners should determine what processing is permitted. Include those constraints in the brief so each provider prices the same boundaries. Keep sensitive production records out of initial public enquiries.

04

Compare implementation with ongoing care

Ask who maintains integrations, updates instructions and investigates a poor result after launch. Distinguish implementation charges from recurring service and usage costs. Decide what useful assessment findings should look like if feasibility is still uncertain. BlueBlocks can help source that assessment as its own project, with a decision about implementation made afterwards.

Turn the guidance into your brief.

Record the outcome, scope, assumptions and outstanding decisions in a shared requirement. Ask every invited provider to respond to the same version, and keep missing information visible rather than treating silence as agreement.

BlueBlocks helps structure that conversation. Specialist discovery that requires substantial work can be quoted as its own project before implementation is commissioned.

Take these questions into the conversation.

  • Which actions need human approval?
  • What will our team use to accept or reject the result?
  • Who maintains the workflow when systems change?

Explore the work behind this question.

When the next step needs specialist expertise, start with a focused requirement. Explore the service, then talk to BlueBlocks about what fits your organisation.

Research & references Reviewed 2 November 2026

These primary sources inform the context and questions on this page. Procurement recommendations are BlueBlocks editorial guidance. A cited organisation does not endorse BlueBlocks; applicability depends on your systems and obligations.