Start with your requirements, not the demos
It is tempting to start a software search by watching demos, but the services that choose well start by writing down what they actually need. A clear requirements list turns a series of impressive presentations into a fair comparison.
For an addiction treatment service, the requirements that matter tend to cluster around a few areas: statutory reporting, outcomes, clinical safety and compliance, day-to-day usability, and the practicalities of moving from your current setup.
The requirements that actually matter
Against those areas, the questions worth weighting heavily include:
- NDTMS — does it generate validated datasets directly from records, and are specification updates included?
- Outcomes — does it capture TOPs and other measures and report distance travelled?
- Compliance — how does it handle clinical safety, medication (eMAR), and data protection?
- Usability — will keyworkers actually use it, or will it become a data-entry chore?
- Migration — how does your existing data move across, and who does the work?
Questions that separate suppliers
Most systems demo well. The differences show up in the questions suppliers would rather you didn't ask:
- Are NDTMS specification updates included, or charged as extra work each time?
- What is the real total cost — including add-ons, tiers, and per-user charges — over three years?
- Do you have a named clinical safety officer and a clinical safety case report?
- What does data migration actually involve, and what does it cost?
- What support is included, and is it from people who understand this sector?
Watch for the usual traps
A few recurring traps cost services dearly after signing. Punitive feature tiers that lock essential functionality behind higher prices; per-user pricing that penalises you for involving your whole team; NDTMS updates billed as change requests; and migration treated as your problem, not the supplier's.
None of these show up in a polished demo. They show up in the contract and the first year of use, which is why the questions above matter more than the slides.
Making a decision you can defend
A good procurement decision is one you can explain: here were our requirements, here is how each option scored, here is why we chose this one. That discipline protects you if the choice is ever questioned and, more importantly, makes it more likely to be right.
GreenShoots is built specifically for addiction treatment and supported housing, with NDTMS generation and specification updates included, unlimited users, outcomes reporting, and sector-based UK support. The best way to test any supplier, including us, is to bring your requirements list to the demo and ask the hard questions.