Adding value to satisficing decisions using TOPSIS in service provider selection problems

Selection processes of credible candidates in competitions are often flawed. The flaws may be deliberate when there is corruption. In other cases the flaws occur because of the decision makers’ inadequacies. Many competitors do their best in developing exceptional proposals, but unfairness of the decision makers undermines these efforts. Ideally, undeserving candidates should be disqualified, and deserving ones be allowed to contest. Systematic methods should be used in the proposal evaluation, and the process should be verifiable. This paper discusses scientific methods proposed for use to select a criterion-based worthy competitor in service provider selection problems. The method is a technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS). TOPSIS is a mathematically-derived statistical method useful to offset the biases in the selection process. Features that address both added value and reduced costs are incorporated in the TOPSIS selection process. A numerical example is included to demonstrate TOPSIS fortes