A successful RFI (Request for Information) consists of 5 elements

1. The breadth and depth of the proposed solution.  What modules?  What functionality?  If the vendor bundles a General Ledger with their Billing product, is that a plus?
2. The product road map.  The application will be in use for five, ten or fifteen years.  Where has it come from?  Where is it going?  What is the strength of the research and development team?
3. Our environment.  How does it fit in with our plans and expectations?  If we plan to run everything on Linux two years from now, where does this application fit?
4. Other users.  Who else uses this software?  What is their experience?  Is there an energetic user group?
5. How much?  An RFI should only elicit indicative pricing, but at least pricing models (eg. license fees based on revenue or per user or per site) should be provided by the vendor