Equipment Rental Services - California

The Situation
The related construction company was selecting new software for its construction operation and the equipment rental firm wanted to use the same software, if possible. However, the equipment rental capabilities of the sister company’s chosen software would have handled the cost and revenue but little else.

The Challenge
The equipment rental company needed a rental system more so than a construction equipment management system. Solution

BCG developed a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the rental firm and, through research using the Internet and other sources, was able to locate a number of companies that could potentially meet the needs. Interviews were conducted over the telephone and the vendor list was reduced to six. Through RFP responses, the list was narrowed to three vendors who were reviewed in demonstrations. BCG facilitated the demonstrations and reduced the number of vendors to two that were more thoroughly researched. A final vendor was selected and called back for another interview resulting in a contract for software and implementation services.

Result
The client selected and implemented a system that would provide true rental management with an architecture that was capable of linking into the corporate network. The users are on line with their new software as well as remaining on line with their sister company.

Lessons Learned

• If the needs of one division are sufficiently unique, specialized software may be the best solution.
• Software from different vendors can be effectively utilized on a common corporate network.