The selection path, end to end

1. Step 1 · Week 1

   Define

   Decide what you are buying, your situation and your budget before any vendor talks to you.

   • Write down why you are buying: the situation, the surfaces in scope and what must be true after six and twelve months.
   • Cost the in-house alternative with your own salary bands, so you know what a vendor must beat.
   • Agree who decides, who scores and who signs, before any vendor is contacted.
   • Choose the criteria weights for your situation and freeze them.

   Output: A one-page brief, a cost baseline and agreed weights.

   Cost model

2. Step 2 · Weeks 1 to 2

   Request

   Send one RFP so every vendor answers the same questions in the same format.

   • Send one RFP to a short list, with the same questions, timeline and response template for every vendor.
   • Publish the evaluation criteria and their weights in the RFP.
   • Answer clarification questions in writing to all vendors at once.

   Output: An issued RFP and a response template every vendor fills the same way.

   RFP generator

3. Step 3 · Weeks 2 to 4

   Question

   Ask the questions that make vendors show how they actually work, and read proposals for red flags.

   • Send the questionnaire for the themes you will score, and keep the buyer's guide for your evaluators.
   • Read every proposal for red flags and send the follow-up questions.
   • Meet the named team, not only the sales lead.
   • If the decision is close, run a short paid pilot with written success criteria.

   Output: Answers to the same questions from every vendor, and a list of follow-ups.

   Vendor questionnaire · Proposal red-flag checker

4. Step 4 · Week 4

   Score

   Score every shortlisted vendor against the same weighted criteria.

   • Each evaluator scores alone against the scoring guide, then the group discusses differences.
   • Compare total cost over 12 and 24 months, including onboarding, management time and exit, separately from quality.
   • Record the reason for each final score.

   Output: A weighted scorecard and a cost comparison, with reasons.

   Scoring template

5. Step 5 · Weeks 4 to 5

   Verify

   Check what the proposal claims: entity, certifications, insurance, references.

   • Verify the legal entity, sanctions and debarment status, insurance and certifications with their scope.
   • Call at least two references per finalist, including a former client.
   • Read the SOC 2 report or check the ISO 27001 certificate with the issuing body.

   Output: A completed due-diligence checklist with evidence on file.

   Due-diligence checklist · Reference-call script

6. Step 6 · Weeks 5 to 6

   Contract

   Put ownership, service levels, staffing and exit into the contract.

   • Put code and test ownership, staff replacement, key persons, service levels with remedies and exit assistance into the contract.
   • Agree data processing terms and subcontractor approval.
   • Attach the named team, the onboarding plan and the service level definitions as schedules.

   Output: A signed contract with the clauses on the checklist marked agreed.

   Contract clauses

Situations change the weights and the order of the tools. See situations, or start with the RFP.