Vendor Selection

What the framework is

Vendor selection compares a shortlist of suppliers against the criteria that matter to you, each given a weight. The output is a ranked shortlist with a visible reason for the winner. That reason is what you'll need when someone asks, six months later, why this supplier was chosen.

What the result looks like

When it earns its place

Use it after proposals are in and you have three to six real candidates: software, agencies, venues, caterers, consultants. The template starts with five criteria; rename them to fit your purchase.

Two things usually go wrong. One person fills in the scoring sheet alone, so the people who'll use the product never get a say. Or the weights get adjusted after the scores are in, until the favourite wins.

How to run it with a group

1. Agree the criteria and their weights before anyone sees how the vendors score. Write them down.
2. Add the shortlisted vendors as the options.
3. Invite everyone the choice affects: budget holder, daily users, IT or operations, and whoever manages the contract.
4. Each person compares the vendors two at a time on each criterion. Participants do not need an account to respond.
5. Read the overall ranking, then the ranking per criterion. A vendor that wins overall but comes last on one criterion needs a conversation before you sign.

Answer a short example

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