A technology requirements brief explains the work a system must support, the constraints it must respect and how the business will decide whether it is suitable. Write it before requesting quotes so providers respond to the same problem. Keep the initial brief short; attach technical detail where the requirement needs it.
Start with the business problem
Describe what is happening today and what must improve. ‘We need AI’ is a product category. ‘Our team spends two days reconciling information from three systems before sending a client update’ describes work that can be examined.
Identify the person accountable for the outcome. Include the current process, the people involved and the point where delay, rework or risk appears. Separate an observed problem from a proposed solution. The first provider demonstration should not quietly become your requirements document.
Record the facts that change the scope
- Users and locations: who needs the service, where they work and any planned changes.
- Existing systems: what must remain, what needs to connect and who controls access.
- Information: what data is involved, where it may be stored and which uses require approval.
- Service expectations: hours of operation, support needs, continuity arrangements and acceptable disruption.
- Commercial timing: target dates, existing commitments, budget assumptions and the person authorized to decide.
For connectivity, a complete service address can matter more than a broad coverage claim. For communications, distinguish individual calling needs from contact-center workflows. For AI, distinguish assistance with drafting from permission to change records or communicate externally. These are different scopes.
Choose acceptance criteria before the pilot
Agree what the business will observe during a test. Use your own baseline: completion time, review effort, error patterns or the quality of a defined output. Do not present an invented improvement percentage as a target that has already been achieved.
Our recommendation is to include a normal case, an incomplete-input case and a failure case. Assign a reviewer and describe the fallback. NIST’s AI Risk Management Framework offers a voluntary reference for examining AI risks; it does not decide whether a particular tool meets your requirements.
Compare the whole proposal
A useful comparison includes the recurring service, implementation work, dependencies, support responsibilities and exit arrangements. Ask providers to identify assumptions and exclusions. Keep optional work separate so a larger proposal is not mistaken for a better fit.
Document what remains unconfirmed. A coverage indication, indicative price or sales demonstration is a starting point for verification. Ask who will confirm availability, scope and final terms before you commit.
Turn the brief into a handoff
The final brief should let a colleague explain the decision without replaying every sales call. Record the owner, chosen option, unresolved questions, approvals and next milestone. If the scope changes, revise the brief and compare the proposals against the new requirement.
For the AI use case itself, read Before buying an AI tool, define the work it needs to do. For help organizing the broader initiative, explore Black Fortitude’s services.
Common question: should we name a provider first?
You can state a preference, but also state the requirement and the reason for that preference. The brief should make it possible to distinguish an essential constraint from a familiar brand.