Stop Buying Tech Like It’s 1999: Why Your Procurement Process is Failing You

NRTG
May 14
2 min read

Let’s get one thing straight: the way most companies buy technology today is broken.

It’s overloaded with meetings, buried in paperwork, and driven by outdated RFPs that belong in a museum. More troubling, it’s often shaped by a fear of being wrong instead of a drive to get it right. In 2025, that kind of approach is not just inefficient, it’s risky.

You Don’t Need More Choices. You Need Less Noise.

The IT and CX tech market is flooded with shiny tools, AI promises, and vendors that all sound like they can deliver. Yet most procurement processes are still built on internal guesswork, cold vendor outreach, and endless committee debates.

What’s missing is clarity. You need real perspective and a clear connection from business problem to technology fit to successful vendor execution.

That’s where the old playbook falls apart.

The Old-School Procurement Playbook (Still in Use Today)

Here’s how many mid-size and enterprise companies still buy tech:

Step 1: An executive realizes something isn’t working—maybe the customer experience is suffering, IT is lagging, or tools are out of date
Step 2: Someone in operations gets asked to “look into options”
Step 3: RFPs go out to whoever replied first or showed up in the inbox
Step 4: The team sits through a parade of demos that all feel the same
Step 5: A committee scores each vendor using a matrix no one understands
Step 6: The deal goes to the vendor with the best logo or the cheapest price

Sound familiar?

This approach skips a real needs analysis. It lacks an impartial voice to ask the tough questions. There’s no effort to compare against the actual market landscape. And there’s rarely a roadmap for what happens after the deal is signed.

Tech Buying in 2025 Requires a Smarter Playbook

What you need is a procurement process that is streamlined, strategic, and focused on outcomes instead of features.

Here’s what that looks like:

Start with the purpose: What business outcome are you working toward? Forget what looks impressive in a demo
Identify the gaps: Where is your tech stack, process, or team slowing you down?
Bring in an outside view: A neutral advisor can reveal blind spots and help you focus your time on only the best-fit vendors
Evaluate like an investor: Think about traction, product direction, leadership team, and alignment with your business—not just price tags or brand names

Bottom Line: Tech is Moving Fast. You Can’t Afford to Fall Behind.

Your competitors are making moves. Your customers expect seamless, responsive experiences. And your team deserves systems that help them do their best work.

If your buying process still looks like it did in 1999, you are overdue for a better way. One that helps you make smarter decisions, move with confidence, and actually get the outcomes you’re aiming for.

We can help you get there.