Issue Encountered with the State of Utah Purchasing Department

Ran in to an issue with the State of Utah purchasing department that needs to be shared to help prevent this happening in the future (and may be useful to other public sector purchasing agents).

I was contacted to provide a bid for the State of Utah specific to a Microsoft Dynamics RMS lapsed maintenance agreement. Microsoft's policy is that only the Partner of Record can provide this type of information so I provided the State of Utah with a Microsoft Dynamics RMS Change of partner form so I would be their Partner of Record and I could provide pricing to renew the RMS maintenance.

The contact at the State of Utah replied that they would not provide this information and are soliciting bids/quotes. If I was unwilling to provide a bid/quote based on this information, then I would be considered a "no bid".

Obviously I can't provide a bid/quote without the Change of Partner form so the State of Utah was creating a situation where no one could bid except their current Dynamics RMS Partner.

This really doesn't make any sense - why waste a vendors time? Much easier to just note that this is a sole source opportunity or that the State of Utah wishes to renew the Microsoft Dynamics RMS maintenance agreement with their current Dynamics RMS Partner.

I'm hoping that there is nothing fishy going on with the bid processes with the State of Utah. Hopefully they just didn't understand how Microsoft assigns a Partner of Record who is the only entity allowed to access maintenance renewal costs.

Because this involves tax payer money, I'm also posting this in case other vendors have had similar experiences that should be shared as well as for media and government watch group use.

Contact me at 208-340-5632 or kevinantosh@gmail.com with any questions.

Budget for a POS System but Don't Focus on Price

One thing that irks me is when someone focuses solely on price and ignores value. While it is important to budget for a POS system, ignoring value and focusing solely on price is the wrong way to approach investing in a POS system for your business or organization.  Things to avoid:

• Attempting to save $100 by finding the lowest hardware price from different vendors. For the sake of setup and ongoing support, it is much better to purchase everything from one source.
• Comparing costs of completely different systems. POS programs have different features and functions - a nominal difference in upfront or monthly costs is minor when compared to finding a POS program that does what you need it to do for your business or organization.

Are you  in the US and in need of no cost retail point of sale advice?  I'm happy to help and can be reached on my cell at 208-340-5632 (I am on Mountain Time) or via email at kevinantosh@gmail.com. There is also a contact form to the right that can be used to reach me.

Point of Sale Buying Tip: Buying Online or Buying Locally

It took until the late 1990's for point of sale systems to become user friendly enough that online purchasing became an option.  Now with of easy to use point of sale systems designed for mobile devices like smartphones and tablets, nearly anyone searching for a point of sale solution needs to decide whether they want to buy from a local company or an online or out of the local area company.

I've had the opportunity in the past to provide point of sale systems to both local customers and customers 3000 miles away.  My personal preference is to always try and find a local company that can provide you with a point of sale system. After all, your business likely relies on local customers so you should also support local businesses as well (don't be a hypocrite or word will get out and your business will suffer). That being said, here are some factors that may cause you to choose not to purchase a point of sale system from a local company:

• No local company in your area or the local companies don't offer point of sale solutions for your type of business
• You are comfortable with remote support and training
• Local point of sale company has a poor reputation
• You have only basic technology needs
• You have the time and commitment (and technical knowledge) to do some of the setup work yourself
• You have 'in house' IT staff

Why you would want to work with a local point of sale company:

• Are in need of a complex solution
• Want in person training, setup, and ongoing support
• Have high technology needs
• No 'in house' IT staff and no interest in being an IT person
• Like the idea of working with someone 'face to face'

Note that price really isn't a factor as, over the course of 5-7 years, the costs are going to be the same whether you buy locally or non-locally.

The above are just some basic thoughts. There are also times were we have traveled onsite to get the system up and running or even outsourced a local IT person and guided them through the setup process (it pays to be creative).

Please visit my contact page for information on how to reach me.

Milestones and Expansion

As this blog site surpasses 20,000 in unique visitors, I am thinking about expanding to include a real web site as well as the various social media site. I have been getting several calls and emails each week from folks searching for help related to point of sale systems so it appears that online resources related to point of sale solutions are few and far between.

I’m thinking of calling the site Pondering Point of Sale with a tagline of “Strange Name – Free Advice”.

The idea would be that the site would continue to offer basic news, information, reviews and buying tips related to point of sale systems for retail stores and museums. Unlike some other resource sites, this site would not just exist to sell your information to other point of sale companies. As now, everything would be free – even my general advice (more in depth advice/consulting would involve an hourly fee). I will keep everyone updated if I decide to take the next step and expand.

I'm also testing the water to see if I can help retailers of all sizes select the best point of sale solution for their business. This is something that I would need to charge an hourly fee for if more than one hour of my time is required.

Confused? Perplexed? Have Comments/Feedback?

You can always email me at kevinantosh@gmail.com or call me at 208-340-5632 (I am on Mountain Time)

POS Comparison Guide - Updated

Update November 9th, 2014. I can confirm that Bindo, Clover, and Silver have now added the following:

Bindo POS: basic invoicing and quoting functions

First Data Clover (still restricted to using First Data for merchant services): Item attributes, modifiers and barcode label printing.

NCR Silver: Barcode label printing and QuickBooks Accounting interface.

Note that some of the added features may require paying an additional fee and/or using third party software.

As I try to stay on top of the more popular solutions on the market, here is an updated overview and chart showing the more popular retail point of sale solutions for computers and mobile devices like tablets and smartphones. This is a great 'snapshot' but be sure to contact me directly at kevinantosh@gmail.com or 208-340-5632 for more detailed information/questions (no charge for advice/help) or if you spot an error.

Retail Solution Comparison

Cash Registers – variety of models from $500 to $2000. Optional programming, training and installation services. Designed for retail stores and restaurants of any gross sales volume.

NCR Silver – iOS Based (iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch) point of sale system for single location retail stores and restaurants. $29-$79/month plus hardware costs. Designed for businesses that need minimal inventory tracking (ie. Kiosks, 2^nd hand stores, thrift stores).

Microsoft RMS Store Operations - $6000+ for a complete point of sale system (includes software, hardware, computer, hardware, installation, training, and ongoing support). Designed for single to multi-location retailers with only basic technology needs (no built-in email marketing, no integrated online shopping cart, no smart phone/tablet needs). Designed for gross annual sales of $400,000+.

NCR CounterPoint - $9000+ for a complete point of sale system (includes software, hardware, computer, training, installations, and on-going support). Designed for single to multi-location retail stores with high technology needs (integrated email marketing, integrated online shopping cart, use on a smart phone/tablet computer, automated email or texts on store activity). Best for retail stores generating $750,000+ annually per location.

Bindo POS - iOS Based (iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch) point of sale sale system for single and multiple location retail stores. $79-$149/month plus hardware costs (free hardware offer – contact me for details). Designed for specialty retail stores who want a full functioning tablet based point of sale system.

Clover – Android tablet based point of sale system for single and multiple location retail stores and restaurants. Unknown pricing at this time due to product acquisition by First Data. Clover is designed for retail stores and restaurants who only need basic sales tracking information but would rather have a tablet system versus a cash register.

Retail Pro Prism- $7K-$9K Browser based Modular POS Application. Deploy on iOS, Windows, Android or even mini-devices. Market first Mobile 2.0 Solution, Real-Time, Scalable to tie to back end RPRO or an ERP solution. Lower demands on hardware. Database Neutral – Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, and MySQL. Fully customizable User Interface (UI). Automated email reporting for store. Best for retail stores generating $750,000+ annually per location.

Retail Pro v9- $9000+ for a complete turnkey point of sale solution (includes software, hardware, computer, training, installation, and refundable support). Scalable single to multi-location retail stores with high technology needs (Near Real time communication, Customizable Screens and documents throughout, integrated online shopping cart, automated email reporting, Franchise capable, Mobile POS options iPhone, iPod touch, Prism POS ). Best for retail stores generating $750,000+ annually per location.

Tabby from Samsung – Unique solution that runs on any device with a web browser (PC, Mac, tablet, smartphone, computers, etc.). Purchased, installed, and supported by Samsung dealers. Designed for retail stores and restaurants. More information coming soon.

Update June 2044 - Clover now has a barcode label printing app which has a monthly cost of $5 to use
No – Not Available
Yes – Available and Included
Third Party – Available through third party and additional charges may apply
n/a – Not Applicable
Some Models – Only available in some models
Available – Available and additional charges may apply-Kevin Antosh: kevinantosh@gmail.com or 208-340-5632