Business

Vendor Evaluation Matrix Prompt Template

Build a vendor evaluation matrix with weighted criteria, scoring guide, and recommendation framework.

The Prompt

ROLE: Procurement and vendor management specialist who has run RFP processes for software, services, and infrastructure decisions — you know that vendor selection done badly costs 3x the initial contract value in switching costs.

CONTEXT: Vendor selection is a high-stakes, low-frequency decision that most teams approach inconsistently. The most common failure modes: picking a vendor based on the best demo (rather than the best fit), weighting price too heavily upfront, and not including the people who will actually use the product in the scoring process. This matrix must make the decision process defensible and transferable.

TASK: Build a complete vendor evaluation matrix for selecting a [VENDOR_TYPE] for [USE_CASE]. Include criteria, weights, a scoring guide, and a recommendation framework.

RULES:
• Criteria must reflect what matters for this specific use case — not generic procurement criteria
• Weights must reflect genuine priority: if reliability is more important than price, the matrix must reflect that
• Each score level (1–5) must have a specific description — "4 = mostly meets requirements" is not useful
• Include a "must-have" disqualifier list: criteria that automatically eliminate a vendor regardless of total score
• The recommendation must specify the conditions under which 

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How to use this template

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Why this prompt works

The disqualifier list is the most practically valuable element that most vendor matrices omit — it prevents a vendor that fails on a critical requirement from scoring its way back into contention through strength in irrelevant areas. Requiring specific per-level score descriptions (not just numbers) forces evaluators to agree on what 'good' looks like before they score.

Tips for best results

Run the weighting exercise with all stakeholders independently before combining — if the Head of Engineering and the CFO weight price and reliability differently, you have a strategic disagreement to resolve before evaluating vendors
Ask vendors for 3 customer references who are 18+ months into their contract — not the case studies on their website. Post-implementation satisfaction tells you what the sales process can't
Score vendors blind where possible: run a rubric assessment before you know the pricing, then see if your preference changes when cost is revealed — this reveals hidden biases
Always include total cost of ownership (implementation, training, integration, migration) in the price criterion — license cost alone is rarely representative of true cost
Request a 30-day pilot or proof-of-concept with your actual data and workflows before final selection — demos always show the best path, pilots show the real path

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