After you have identified the tasks and set the milestones as well as determined task dependency, your next step is to decide whether to develop the system in-house or buy a standard system from the market, also called off-the-shelf. Although the EHR systems, like the other IT systems used to be built and still can be built in-house, they are now mostly acquired from the EHR vendors, like EPIC, Cerner, Allscripts, etc. Your manger advised you to proceed with the RFI (Request for Information), RFP (Request for Proposal), and vendor selection criteria as well as contract negotiation points to be listed as clauses in the contract (e.g., after sale service to maintain the system, provide updates, and undertake training) to initiate the project.
He also referred you to the following resources.
Health Information Management: Concepts, Principles and Practice. 5th Ed: Chapter 27 – Project Management; pgs. 898-902.
What Is the Difference Between RFIP and RFI? https://www.reference.com/business-finance/difference-between-rfp-rfi-ecabff43762373d2
and
How do I select a vendor? https://www.healthit.gov/faq/how-do-i-select-vendor
EHR Vendor Selection: The 5-Step Guide https://www.himss.org/news/ehr-vendor-selection-5-step-guide
