vendor-evaluation

Vendor Evaluation Skill

Produces a structured vendor evaluation framework — from defining criteria through to a scored comparison and recommendation.

Required Inputs

• What you are procuring
• Vendors being evaluated (minimum 2)
• Key decision criteria (if known)
• Decision makers
• Budget range
• Timeline to decide

Output Structure

1. Evaluation Criteria and Weights

| Category | Weight | Rationale |

|---|---|---|

| Functional fit | [%] | Does it do what we need? |

| Commercial terms | [%] | Price, flexibility, payment |

| Implementation | [%] | How hard to get started? |

| Support and SLA | [%] | What happens when things go wrong? |

| Security and compliance | [%] | Meets regulatory requirements? |

| Vendor stability | [%] | Will this company exist in 3 years? |

| References | [%] | Who else uses this? |

Weights must total 100%.

2. Scoring Rubric

• 5: Exceeds requirements — clear best-in-class
• 4: Meets requirements — fully satisfies with minor gaps
• 3: Partially meets — notable gaps requiring workarounds
• 2: Significant gaps — would require workarounds
• 1: Does not meet — cannot satisfy requirement

3. Vendor Scorecard

| Criterion | Weight | [Vendor A] | Weighted | [Vendor B] | Weighted | [Vendor C] | Weighted |

|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|

| Functional fit | [%] | /5 | | /5 | | /5 | |

| [Continue...] | | | | | | | |

| Total | 100% | | /5 | | /5 | | /5 |

4. Key Questions for Every Vendor

Functional: Walk through [most critical use case]. What can your product not do that customers ask for?

Commercial: What is included vs add-ons? Contract minimum term and notice period? Price protection at renewal?

Implementation: Typical implementation for our size? What do you need from our team?

Support: SLA for critical issues? Support included vs charged extra?

Security: ISO 27001 / SOC 2 certified? Where is data stored? Breach notification process?

5. Reference Check Questions

• How long using [vendor]? Implementation surprises? Support responsiveness? One thing you wish you had known? Would you choose them again?

6. Recommendation

Recommended vendor: [Name] | Score: [X/5]

Rationale: [Specific strengths that matter for this decision]

Key risks: [Risk and mitigation]

Conditions: [Contract terms to negotiate before signing]

Runner-up: [Vendor and why they lost]

Quality Checks

• [ ] Evaluation criteria weights total 100%
• [ ] Scoring rubric is defined before scoring vendors (not post-hoc)
• [ ] Reference check questions are included
• [ ] Recommendation includes risks and conditions, not just a winner
• [ ] Runner-up rationale explains why they lost (enables future conversations)
• [ ] Contract terms to negotiate are specified

Anti-Patterns

• [ ] Do not weight all evaluation criteria equally — the scorecard must reflect the relative importance of each criterion
• [ ] Do not evaluate vendors only on features — security, support, contract terms, and financial stability matter too
• [ ] Do not produce a recommendation without explaining why the runner-up lost — this enables future vendor conversations
• [ ] Do not skip contract terms to negotiate — identifying leverage points is part of the procurement decision
• [ ] Do not recommend a vendor without stating the conditions under which the recommendation would change

Example Trigger Phrases

• "Help me evaluate vendors for [procurement]"
• "Create a vendor scorecard for [software/service]"
• "Compare [Vendor A] vs [Vendor B] for [use case]"