Vendor demos are optimized to look good, not to reflect your day-to-day usage. A scorecard forces the comparison back onto your requirements.

The five weighted categories

  1. Fit to core workflow (35%) — can it handle your three most complex use cases without a workaround?
  2. Total cost of ownership (25%) — license, implementation, and the migration cost when you eventually leave.
  3. Integration surface (20%) — does it have a real API, or a CSV export you'll be scripting around?
  4. Support & SLA (10%) — response time commitments, not marketing copy.
  5. Vendor stability (10%) — funding status, customer base size, release cadence.

How to use it

Score each vendor 1–5 per category, multiply by weight, and total. The highest score wins the shortlist spot — not the loudest sales team. We use a version of this scorecard on every Technology Vendor Evaluation engagement.