A company wanting to partner with a vendor on a program should keep this goal in mind when the company begins identifying the requirements for this program.

Since a successful partnership begins with a common understanding of what it takes to create a successful partnership, your selection criteria must include those "success" elements your company has defined for the partnership.

As Neil Rackham discusses in his book, "Getting Partnering Right", there are three elements that must be present to have a successful partnership: Vision, Impact, and Intimacy.