A scorecard keeps the selection focused on agreed requirements and makes important tradeoffs visible to the decision team.
Download editable scorecard (.md) ↓Apply mandatory gates first
Identify conditions that cannot be traded away: coverage at essential locations, support for a critical platform, an acceptable access model, or necessary contract provisions. A provider that fails a gate should not win because its weighted total is high. Mark unresolved gates as pending until supported by evidence. Keep pass/fail requirements separate from preferences.
Use an anchored rating scale
Score each category from 0 to 5. Zero means missing or contradictory evidence; one is a broad claim; two is a documented but incomplete answer; three meets the requirement; four demonstrates stronger delivery with relevant evidence; five offers a material, verified advantage. Record the evidence and the reason for every rating. Do not award a five simply because a presentation is polished.
Choose weights before demonstrations
The table below is an editorial starting point, not an industry standard. Change the weights to reflect your organization, keeping the total at 100. Score independently before discussing differences as a group. For each category, weighted points equal rating divided by five, multiplied by the category weight. A rating of four in a 25-point category earns 20 points.
| Category | Weight | Evidence to request |
|---|---|---|
| Support operations | 25 | Scenario walkthrough and escalation report |
| Security ownership | 25 | Responsibility schedule and sample incident process |
| Technical and geographic fit | 15 | Named service coverage and platform experience |
| Onboarding and exit | 15 | Deliverables, access handover, acceptance plan |
| Commercial terms | 10 | Normalized costs and documented exclusions |
| References and account leadership | 10 | Comparable references and named roles |
Run the same scenarios with each finalist
Ask the proposed service team to explain how it would handle a payroll lockout, a lost laptop, an office connectivity failure, and an urgent employee departure. Request the intake steps, escalation, authority, update cadence, and expected evidence. Use sanitized hypothetical scenarios. Record where a response depends on work or licenses outside the quoted scope.
Investigate differences rather than averaging them away
If one reviewer scores security five and another scores it two, compare the evidence. They may be evaluating different services or mistaking monitoring for response. Ask the provider a specific follow-up question and retain the answer. If two finalists remain close, examine the categories where evidence is weak and the assumptions that could change your decision.
Write a decision memo with conditions
Document the selected provider, alternatives considered, cost assumptions, unresolved risks, and required contract changes. Assign owners and due dates to conditions that must be met before onboarding. Keep the scorecard as the starting point for the first service review: the capabilities that won the contract should be visible in delivery.
Working checklist
✓Business and cultural fit
✓Support and escalation
✓Security operations
✓Local and technical coverage
✓Onboarding plan
✓Pricing and contract
✓Comparable references
Published by Bay Area Managed IT. Examples are illustrative; they are not provider quotes, audited results, or local market survey findings. Read our editorial approach →
Bring these questions to your next provider conversation.
Use a common scope and keep the evidence beside each answer.
Prepare your RFP →