A self-described ìDigital Yenta,î Christine Harmel has harmoniously matched many a Web vendor and business client. The one-time owner of an e-commerce company and former director of business development for W3 (now owned by USWeb), Harmel has an extensive background in building and launching Web sites. In January 1998, she launched The Interactive Resource to concentrate on online business development for companies like Kaiser Permanente, MGM Studios, Fox Interactive, Kaplan, The State of New Jersey, and GeoCities. Harmel has interviewed more than 300 Web vendors/developers across the U.S. She takes notes on what they do, what their price points are, what kinds of clients they work for, and the styles in which they work. Then, acting as the middleman or ìYenta,î she introduces three or four candidates from her network of vendors she feels best suit the wants and needs of her clients. From there, she works closely with the clients to narrow down the selection, ask the right questions, and get the best match possible. (Harmel: 212.529.1096, www.interactiveresource.com)

The typical way is by asking colleagues. I would suggest calling a few developers that have done a similar Web site to what youíre hoping for and asking them if theyíve done any intranets. Then take a look at the Web developerís own site and see if you like the caliber of work theyíve done for other people. If you see good work for many clients on one developerís site, then itís likely theyíve done some intranets as well. Finding someone whoís an intermediary and has worked with developers can also help. It helps to have someone with inside experience because intranets are not the easiest things to envision or plan and build. People finally understand promotional Web sitesóit looks like this, it does this, you can buy stuff on it, and search. But a lot of peopleódevelopers includedódonít know what an intranet is supposed to do or what the possibilities are. 

Whatís the first question people ask of potential Web vendors?

How much is it going to cost me? And thatís what the developer on the other end asks tooóhow much do they have to spend? And this is where I come in because I say, ìClient person, you need to tell me how much you honestly have to spend.î Iím not going to tell the developer, but you canít be talking to a Tier 1 developer if you only have enough money to hire a Tier 3 developer. Everybody calls AGENCY.COM or USWeb, and they donít do $50,000 sitesóthey do $3 million sites. 

How many vendor prospects should companies seek out for every project?

If youíre looking at the correct prospects, comparing apples to applesónot sending an RFP (request for proposal) to Joeís Web Shop, one to a middle-size Web developing firm, and then another to a huge, expensive Web developeróif youíre at least looking in the same caliber, then Iíd say not more than four. When I bring clients on agency reviews, I try not to make it too complicated. I have the insight that Iíve narrowed it down mentally from 50 to four; but once you have more than four choices, you have more than four proposals to read. Sure you can keep searching forever a find lots of good shops, and there are a lot of them. But realistically, you just need to narrow it down to a couple look-and-feel choices. And, maybe price and personality are factors, but basically who youíre going to be looking at is in the same price range. If you hit it off in the chemistry meeting, then you know you like them and can work with them. 

So that introductoryóor chemistryó meeting is essential.

Absolutely. The client needs to talk with developer prospects about what they want. Then the developers will say, ìWell you should think about this. . . . Weíve done things just like that.î And then the client can start molding the image of exactly what it is theyíre looking for. Because, when a client starts to sit down and write an RFP, they donít know what to ask and they feel like if they donít word things correctly, theyíll get the wrong responses to what they want. But when youíre having a conversation, all these neat and creative ideas come out and they can ask the developer across the table, ìHow much does a chat room cost? Or, do you think we should even do a chat room?î 

What are some of the questions companies must ask developers?

Obviously, first when you call make sure theyíve done work on intranets. Ask to see some samples of such work that theyíve done. Ask what are some of the neatest features theyíve ever built into an intranet. 

Is it a stereotype that all the talented developers are based either in Silicon Valley or in New York?

Iíve met developers from great companies in the Midwest, Canada, and Floridaóand they have some pretty good clients. You look at their clients and theyíre major corporations. They may have just been able to find them by chance or through a colleague. The Canadian companies can do work for 3 percent less than the American ones can, and theyíve done major sitesóGM, utility companies. And since theyíre in Canada, they have an edge with price because the dollar is so strong in the exchange rate. 

Is it a case of supply and demand with Web sites and intranets?

Itís not because there are a lot people building them; itís because the technology is becoming more and more functional and specific. There are features that are on any sort of Web or intranet that a few years ago were sort of pricey because they werenít off the shelf yet or they were new. Now when you look at a Web site, you expect those things to be a given. Especially now with personalization features and with e-commerce sites where people sort of expect that you have accommodating functions on your site. The price only goes up because you need better and more quality features on your site. 

What should influence our decision to select a particular vendor? 

Having seen their work and having had a good impression of them personality wise. Youíre going to be working closely with these people after allóso a lot of it is your gut instinct. It also has to be in conjunction with appreciating their work, liking their style, understanding their ideas, and feeling comfortable with them. They should also understand how your organization works when it comes to decision making. You might be interviewing them and then theyíre going to be answering to your boss. 

How does the cost of intranets compare to that of external Web sites?

I would say theyíre about the same price. 

How can smaller organizations get the most for their money? 

There are some neat things coming about with Web-based applications. For example, I have a six-person company and we need an intranet, but we donít want to build an intranet. So thereís this site called HotOffice, and basically they host the intranet and you pay $12 a person for access to it. They have the calendar, the contact databaseóall the different features that any other actual intranet might have, but itís outsourced. Kokopelli New Media also has a Web-based solution. So there are some alternatives out there. 

How can organizations put a cap on project hours that run up the final bill much higher than the vendorís original estimate?

It depends if youíre getting a quote based on time and materials or a project-based quote. You can tell them up front, ìThis is the way we work. We really need to cap it at this price.î So if youíre doing time and materials, then carefully spec out how many hours it will take, because what tends to happen is clients start adding things to the scope and not wanting to pay extra for it. As they become more interested in the process, they say, ìOh, we should add this in!î A developer will do it, but theyíre going to add it to the budget, of course. So keep close track with each other on the estimate. A lot of developers estimate it and they say plus or minus 10 percentólike theyíll only go over the budget by that much based on the original estimate. And if they spec it out wrong, then theyíll eat it. 

So should companies ask for that estimate to be a project-based quote?

Well, some developers only work one way or the other. Then again, a lot of them will do it whichever way you prefer. But, youíre sort of taking a gamble with time and materials because if it takes longer, then you just keep paying until itís finished. On the other hand, with a project-based quote, you know what the price is. And especially if you have a limited budget, you should do it that way. 

Whatís the biggest mistake companies make when choosing Web vendors?

Mismatched expectations. I think the expectations have to be laid out carefully upfront. Thatís really one of the major aspects of my job as the intermediary is basically, ìAre both parties going in to this with the same expectations?î For example, if we launch an e-commerce site, ìWeíre going to make millions of dollars selling widgets!î Thatís not how it works. Understanding enough about your projects and having goals is so important. If you have the goals laid out, the developer has something to compare at the end of the project. Did they meet those goals or not?