What to Include in an IT Support Supplier Brief

Why an IT Support Supplier Brief Matters

An IT support supplier brief helps suppliers understand what your organisation needs before they prepare a proposal.

It reduces guesswork.

It also helps your business compare suppliers more fairly because each provider is working from the same information.

A clear supplier brief can help you:

• explain your current IT environment
• define your support expectations
• identify known risks or recurring issues
• clarify user numbers and locations
• document existing suppliers and systems
• describe cyber security requirements
• set reporting expectations
• reduce hidden assumptions
• make supplier proposals easier to compare

Without a clear brief, one supplier may assume you need basic help desk support, while another may assume you need a fully managed service. This can lead to proposals that look very different, even though each supplier is trying to respond to the same opportunity.

1. Start with a Short Business Overview

Begin the supplier brief with a simple overview of your organisation.

This does not need to be a long company history. The aim is to help the supplier understand your operating model and business context.

Include:

• company name
• sector
• approximate number of employees
• number of sites
• main working locations
• remote or hybrid working arrangements
• core operating hours
• any seasonal or peak business periods
• whether you have internal IT resource
• whether you are replacing an existing supplier

You should also explain why you are reviewing IT support.

For example, you may be:

• replacing a supplier
• reviewing costs
• improving cyber security
• reducing downtime
• supporting business growth
• moving away from reactive support
• preparing for a contract renewal
• improving reporting and accountability

This helps suppliers understand whether the priority is service improvement, cost control, risk reduction, growth support or a mixture of all four.

2. Describe Your Current IT Environment

Suppliers need to understand what they would be supporting.

Include a simple summary of your current technology environment. This does not need to be perfect, but the more accurate it is, the more useful the supplier response will be.

Cover areas such as:

• number of users
• number of laptops and desktops
• servers
• Microsoft 365 environment
• cloud platforms
• backup systems
• endpoint protection
• firewalls
• networking
• Wi-Fi
• VoIP or telephony
• remote access tools
• line-of-business applications
• printers or print management
• mobile devices
• third-party software suppliers

Also include any known ageing systems, unsupported software, recurring faults or areas where documentation is weak.

A supplier does not need every technical detail at the first stage, but they do need enough information to understand the size, complexity and risk profile of the environment.

3. Define the Type of Support You Need

Your supplier brief should explain what type of support model you are looking for.

Some businesses only need occasional reactive assistance. Others need structured ongoing support, monitoring, maintenance, cyber security oversight and regular service reviews.

If your organisation needs proactive support rather than occasional break-fix help, make it clear that you are reviewing Managed IT Services and expect suppliers to explain how they would support users, systems, security and long-term technology planning.

You may want suppliers to cover:

• help desk support
• onsite support
• remote support
• device management
• Microsoft 365 administration
• user onboarding and offboarding
• patch management
• backup monitoring
• cyber security oversight
• network support
• supplier liaison
• IT documentation
• service reporting
• regular account reviews
• strategic IT guidance

Be specific about what matters most.

For example, if cyber security, reporting or response times are important, say so in the brief. This helps suppliers shape their response around your actual priorities.

4. List Known Issues and Pain Points

A good supplier brief should be honest about current IT problems.

This does not weaken your position. It helps suppliers understand what needs improving.

List recurring issues such as:

• slow response times
• repeated user problems
• poor communication
• weak documentation
• unclear escalation
• unreliable Wi-Fi
• slow devices
• Microsoft 365 issues
• backup uncertainty
• patching concerns
• cyber security gaps
• poor reporting
• lack of account management
• supplier handover concerns

Also explain the business impact.

For example:

• users are losing time
• managers lack visibility
• recurring issues are not being resolved
• internal teams are spending too much time chasing support
• cyber security risks are not being reviewed
• there is no clear technology roadmap

Suppliers should be able to explain how they would address these issues, not just promise better support.

5. Explain Your User and Site Requirements

User and site information is important because it affects support scope, service design and pricing.

Include:

• total number of users
• number of full-time users
• number of part-time or temporary users
• number of remote workers
• number of office-based users
• number of sites
• site locations
• whether any sites need onsite support
• whether users work outside standard hours
• whether VIP or senior users need priority handling

Also explain whether your users have different support needs.

For example, finance, operations, sales, warehouse, senior leadership or field teams may rely on different systems. A supplier should understand which teams are most business-critical.

This helps prevent a generic support model that does not reflect how your organisation actually works.

6. Include Cyber Security Expectations

Cyber security should be part of the supplier brief, even if you are not buying a separate cyber security service.

Any IT support supplier may have access to user accounts, admin controls, cloud platforms, devices, networks and sensitive data. Their approach to security matters.

Ask suppliers to explain how they would support:

• multi-factor authentication
• privileged access management
• endpoint protection
• patching
• Microsoft 365 security
• backup monitoring
• email security
• password and credential handling
• security incident escalation
• user awareness
• vulnerability reduction
• cyber insurance requirements
• security reporting

You should also ask how they protect their own access to customer systems.

A supplier with weak internal security can become a risk to your business.

The brief does not need to prescribe every tool or process, but it should make clear that cyber security oversight is part of the supplier evaluation.

7. Set Reporting and Review Expectations

A supplier brief should explain what visibility you expect once the service begins.

Reporting is important because it helps your business understand whether support is improving the environment or simply reacting to tickets.

Ask suppliers to explain how they report on:

• ticket volumes
• response times
• resolution trends
• recurring issues
• escalation trends
• patching status
• backup checks
• endpoint protection status
• security alerts
• device lifecycle risks
• upcoming renewals
• service recommendations

Also ask how often service reviews take place.

A service review should cover performance, risks, improvements and future planning. It should not simply be a sales meeting.

If reporting and reviews matter to your business, include that expectation in the brief from the start.

8. Define SLA and Escalation Requirements

Your supplier brief should explain what you expect around response times, escalation and priority handling.

You do not need to write the supplier’s SLA for them, but you should ask each provider to explain how their process works.

Ask suppliers to define:

• support hours
• priority levels
• response targets
• resolution expectations
• escalation process
• communication frequency
• out-of-hours process
• major incident handling
• customer responsibilities
• supplier responsibilities

This is especially important if your business has systems that cannot tolerate long periods of downtime.

A supplier should be able to explain how urgent issues are prioritised and who takes ownership when problems escalate.

9. Contract, SLA and Commercial Expectations

The brief should ask suppliers to be clear about contract structure and commercial terms.

This avoids surprises later.

Ask for information on:

• contract length
• notice period
• renewal terms
• included services
• excluded services
• project work charges
• onboarding costs
• onsite visit charges
• out-of-hours charges
• response targets
• escalation routes
• reporting commitments
• termination process
• handover support

Before signing any agreement, use an IT support contract checklist to review the final contract, SLA, exclusions, renewal terms and supplier responsibilities carefully.

The proposal may describe the service positively, but the contract defines what the supplier is actually committed to delivering.

10. Include Onboarding and Handover Requirements

The start of the supplier relationship is one of the highest-risk stages.

A poor handover can create confusion, missing documentation, access issues and user frustration.

Ask suppliers to explain their onboarding process, including:

• discovery process
• documentation collection
• admin access review
• Microsoft 365 review
• device review
• backup review
• cyber security review
• existing supplier handover
• user communication
• support contact setup
• first 30-day priorities
• first service review

Also ask what information they need from your business before the service starts.

A supplier with a mature onboarding process should be able to explain the transition clearly.

11. Ask Suppliers to Explain Their Approach

The supplier brief should not only ask for a price.

It should ask providers to explain how they would support your business.

Useful questions include:

• How would you take over support?
• What would you review first?
• How would you identify urgent risks?
• How would you support our users?
• How would you manage recurring issues?
• How would you handle escalation?
• How would you report service performance?
• How would you support cyber security?
• How would you help us plan long-term improvements?
• What would the first 90 days look like?

These questions help separate suppliers that simply quote a service from those that understand how to deliver one.

12. Provide a Clear Response Format

If you want to compare suppliers properly, ask them to respond in a consistent format.

This makes proposals easier to review.

You may ask each supplier to include:

• company overview
• proposed support model
• included services
• excluded services
• SLA summary
• onboarding plan
• cyber security approach
• reporting approach
• account management structure
• pricing structure
• contract terms
• assumptions
• recommendations
• next steps

This does not need to be overly rigid, but it helps prevent proposals that are impossible to compare.

It also encourages suppliers to explain their assumptions instead of hiding important detail in small print.

Example IT Support Supplier Brief Structure

You can structure your brief like this:

1. Business overview

Explain who you are, what you do, how many users and sites you have, and why you are reviewing IT support.

2. Current IT environment

Summarise users, devices, cloud platforms, servers, applications, security tools, backup systems and key suppliers.

3. Current challenges

List recurring issues, service concerns, security worries, documentation gaps or operational risks.

4. Required support scope

Explain the support services you expect suppliers to include.

5. Cyber security requirements

Ask suppliers to explain how they manage security, access, patching, endpoint protection, backup checks and incident escalation.

6. SLA and escalation expectations

Ask for support hours, response targets, priority definitions and escalation routes.

7. Reporting and service reviews

Ask what reporting is provided and how regularly service reviews take place.

8. Onboarding and transition

Ask how the supplier will take over support and what the first 30 to 90 days will involve.

9. Commercial information

Ask for contract length, notice period, exclusions, project rates, onboarding charges and renewal terms.

10. Supplier response format

Explain how you want suppliers to present their proposal.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

When creating an IT support supplier brief, avoid:

• asking only for price
• giving suppliers too little information
• failing to mention known issues
• not defining support expectations
• ignoring cyber security
• leaving out user numbers
• failing to explain site requirements
• not asking about onboarding
• ignoring reporting and service reviews
• not asking about exclusions
• assuming all suppliers include the same services
• allowing each supplier to make different assumptions

A brief does not need to be perfect, but it should give suppliers a fair and consistent starting point.

The clearer your brief is, the easier it becomes to compare the quality of each response.

Questions to Include in Your Supplier Brief

Consider including these questions:

• What support model do you recommend and why?
• What services are included?
• What services are excluded?
• How do users contact support?
• How are tickets prioritised?
• What are your response targets?
• How does escalation work?
• How do you support Microsoft 365?
• How do you manage patching?
• How do you monitor backups?
• How do you support cyber security?
• What reporting is included?
• How often are service reviews held?
• How do you manage onboarding?
• What does the first 90 days look like?
• What work is chargeable outside the agreement?
• What contract term do you recommend?
• What happens if we leave?
• What assumptions have you made?

These questions help reveal how each supplier thinks, operates and manages risk.