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]"