How do we evaluate vendor performance fairly?
Inconsistent supplier assessmentUse agreed outcomes, evidence, and context, including client-caused dependencies. Separate delivery, quality, communication, and commercial performance rather than compressing everything into one subjective score.
What to do now
- Agree relevant performance measures
- Collect evidence consistently
- Discuss causes and improvement actions
- Review results through the contract governance process
When to escalate
Repeated material failures require an authorized commercial decision.
The authorized procurement or commercial owner
Example
A review distinguishes late delivery caused by supplier rework from a delay caused by missing client access.
Mistake to avoid
Rating vendors only by relationship quality or price.
Prevent a repeat
Compare supplier evidence with agreed obligations; refer contract interpretation and remedies to qualified owners.
Suggested ApprovedFlow setup
- Vendors
- Documents
- Tasks
- Approvals
Keep supplier commitments and evidence linked to the project, assign follow-up work, and route commercial decisions to authorized owners. See the platform
Related cases
- The vendor refuses to share progress evidence. What should we do?Unverifiable supplier delivery
- The supplier changes its team after contract award. What should we check?Supplier capability substitution
- How do we evaluate a pilot's benefit honestly?Pilot attribution limits
- How should we recognize team contributions fairly?Recognition misalignment