The life cycle begins with planning and design. The very first step is to clearly define the project scope:
business requirements, capacity, availability targets, compliance standards, and budget. Without scope definition, design validation or vendor selection would be premature.
* Vendor selection (A) happens much later during procurement.
* Validation (B) occurs after conceptual and detailed designs are prepared.
* Freezing design (D) is the final stage before implementation.
Therefore, defining the project scope is the correct initial step.
References: ANSI/TIA-942-B Annex F (Lifecycle), ISO/IEC 30182 (Smart City & DC Lifecycle), PMI PMBOK (Scope Definition).