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AI vendor scorecard

Assess how a partner will deliver and maintain your process, beyond the quality of a demonstration. Use the same questions and trial case for every proposal.

By Stolen OrbitRevision

When to use it and what to produce

When comparing consultants, agencies or AI solutions before choosing an implementation and ongoing support partner.

An evidence-based comparison with explicit conditions and gaps to clarify before a decision.

Fill in the fields below and download your document. The website does not send or save answers: closing the page may lose them. Examples are illustrative and should be replaced with your process data.

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1. Align the scope

Proposals are not comparable when they cover different work. Share an identical brief and ask each supplier to state exclusions and dependencies.

See a worked example

Illustrative example: two proposals include an assistant, but one excludes source updates and maintenance. Request equivalent operating scope before comparing them.

List the process, integrations, users, materials and activities each proposal should cover.

Specify who prepares data, access, tests, training and operational approvals.

Record licences, custom work, environments and limits absent from the proposal.

2. Request relevant evidence

A reference and a trial on your own case answer different questions. Preserve verifiable evidence rather than inferring capabilities from logos or broad claims.

See a worked example

Illustrative example: ask for a case whose answer is absent from the sources. Check whether the system acknowledges this and how the team handles the exception.

Define representative cases, critical failures, review effort and access to detailed results.

Ask how versions, permissions, exceptions, monitoring and changes in dependencies are managed.

Record actual delivery roles, agreed coverage, escalation and who will help after release.

3. Compare cost and continuity

Use the same time horizon and volumes for costs. Treat ownership, exportability and supplier replacement as questions to settle in the applicable documents.

See a worked example

Illustrative example: choose a proposal after clarifying access ownership and change costs. A lower initial amount alone does not resolve these differences.

Separate implementation, licences, usage, support, changes and internal effort; identify estimates.

List what must remain accessible: data, configuration, agreed code and operating instructions.

Record assessment by criterion, evidence links, unresolved clarifications and the reason for the choice.

Pitfalls to avoid

  • Comparing price before making scope equivalent.
  • Accepting a selected demonstration as proof of reliability on your data.
  • Leaving support, access to materials and exit arrangements implicit.

Take the next step together.

Use this document to start a discussion about scope, evaluation and project ownership.

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