General description
This module is concerned with marketing, in its broadest sense, in the software industry. It covers the techniques used by the industry to identify and characterise its potential customers and the products and services that they require and the ways in which a software company sets about positioning itself in the market place. It also covers the procurement process, from the point of view both of the procurer and the supplier, and the nature of contracts for the supply of both packaged and bespoke software.

Aims
The aims of this module are to ensure that students understand the central role that commercial issues play in the software industry and to familiarise students with practical aspects of sales, marketing and procurement. The emphasis throughout is on company-to-company relationships rather than on company-to-consumer ones.

Learning outcomes
On successful completion of this module, students should be able to participate in:

• the production of invitations to tender for the supply of software and the evaluation of tenders received;

• the production of proposals in response to an invitation to tender;

• contract negotiations;

• planning of industry sector surveys and marketing initiatives.

They will also understand the legal and economic framework in which public procurement takes place and be familiar with the evolution of defence procurement strategies.

Syllabus
1. Marketing of software - 5 Lectures
Estimating the size of a market: sources of data. The marketing mix: retail marketing v. company-to-company marketing; marketing of goods v. marketing of services. The effects of business cycles with respect to sales of capital goods. Market positioning.

2. The tendering process for bespoke software - 6 Lectures
Invitations to tender; the tender list; preparation of proposals; evaluation of proposals. Costing and pricing. Single tender situations.

3. Public procurement - 6 Lectures
The legal framework; the EC directives. Procurement models used by various public bodies. The problems encountered with large public software procurements. The Downey Report and its successors; the reports of the National Audit Office. The NATO model. Experimental models. The CCTA Total Procurement Model.

4. Contracts - 5 Lectures
Fixed price, firm price, maximum price, cost plus, and target cost incentive fee. Appropriate situations for each type of contract. Substantive contents of contracts for hardware and software procurement and maintenance.