Choosing a technology vendor is one of the highest-stakes decisions a growing business makes. The contract lasts years. The migration cost if you get it wrong is significant. And the vendor’s job is to make their product look like the obvious choice — not to help you compare it fairly against the alternatives.

This scorecard is the tool we use internally when we’re advising clients on vendor selection. It’s not complicated — that’s the point. One page, eight criteria, a score out of 40. Fill it in for each vendor you’re evaluating and the comparison becomes objective.

The eight criteria

Each is scored 1–5 (1 = poor, 5 = strong). Total out of 40.

1. Total cost of ownership Not the sticker price — the real five-year cost including implementation, training, ongoing licensing, and the cost to exit. Vendors are incentivised to show you year-one cost. Push for year three and five.

2. Feature fit How well does it actually cover your requirements — not the full feature list, your specific requirements. Score against a written list of must-haves, not against a demo that shows you the best bits.

3. Integration with your existing tools Does it connect cleanly to what you already run, or does it create a new silo? Every point of manual data transfer is a risk and a cost.

4. Vendor stability & track record How long have they been operating? What’s the support reputation like? Is the product actively developed or in maintenance mode? A cheap tool from a vendor that folds in two years isn’t cheap.

5. Contract terms & lock-in What’s the minimum term? What are the exit costs? Who owns your data and how do you get it out? The contract is what matters when the relationship goes wrong — read it before you sign.

6. Support quality What do you actually get when something breaks? Phone, email, ticket? What are the response time commitments? Is support included or is it a paid add-on? Test it before you commit — call their support line.

7. Implementation & onboarding How long does it realistically take to be up and running? Who does the work — the vendor, a partner, or you? What training is included? A six-month implementation is a six-month disruption to your business.

8. References & independent reviews Can they provide references from businesses similar to yours in size and sector? What does G2, Capterra, or independent review sites say? Discount vendor-curated case studies — look for unfiltered feedback.

How to use it

Run each vendor you’re seriously considering through all eight criteria. Be consistent — score each criterion against the same standard across all vendors. Where you can’t get a clear answer from the vendor, that in itself is information worth noting.

A significant gap in total score (more than 5–6 points) usually points clearly to the better choice. A close result means the decision comes down to the criteria you’ve weighted most heavily — which is fine, as long as that’s a deliberate call and not a default.

Download the scorecard

Download the Vendor Evaluation Scorecard (PDF) → (coming soon — contact us and we’ll send it through)

If you’d rather have us run the evaluation for you, that’s exactly the kind of work we do. Get in touch and we’ll scope it out.