Staffing Vendor Scorecard

How to use this vendor scorecard template

Most vendor scorecard templates are built for suppliers of parts and freight: on time delivery, defect rate, invoice accuracy. None of that tells you whether an IT staffing firm will send you an engineer who can do the work. This one asks eight questions a buyer can answer after one or two calls, grouped into four areas: speed and honesty, candidate quality, commercial terms, and compliance and risk.

Pick an answer for each question. Yes means you saw it or got it in writing. Partly means you got some of it, or only for one type of engagement. No means they said no or dodged. Don't know means you have not asked yet, which is the most useful answer on the card, because it tells you what to ask next.

What the score means

Each Yes is worth one point and each Partly half a point, so the total runs from 0 to 8. Each area has two questions, and the word beside it follows the average: Strong at full marks, Mostly strong at three quarters, Partial at half, Thin below that. The readout picks the area with the lowest average and hands you the exact question to put to the vendor.

Add a second firm to put both on the same chart. Where the shapes differ is where your decision lives. If both firms are thin in the same place, the question is about your market, not the vendor.

The limits

The weights are equal on purpose. Your situation may not be. If you are hiring contractors in a regulated industry, compliance and risk probably matters more than speed, and you should read the chart that way. The card also cannot check anything for you. A Yes you typed is only as good as the document behind it, so get the guarantee, the fee and the employer of record into the signed agreement.

For the full buying process, from the first call to the contract, read our guide on how to choose an IT staffing agency. It covers the red flags this card cannot capture.