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Software Outsourcing Vendor Scorecard
FREE SOFTWARE VENDOR ASSESSMENT TOOL

Choose the Right Software Development Partner with Confidence

Evaluate Software Development Companies Before Signing a Contract

Evaluate technical capability, communication, security, delivery process, pricing transparency and long-term support. Get an instant weighted score, risk rating and decision recommendation.

Created by Kiaan Technology for founders, startups, SMEs and enterprises comparing software agencies, offshore teams and technology partners.

Vendor & Project Information

Technical Capability 20%

Proven experience with the required technology stack?

Rate the evidence supplied by the vendor, not verbal assurances alone.

Delivered projects with similar complexity?

Rate the evidence supplied by the vendor, not verbal assurances alone.

Can explain the proposed architecture clearly?

Rate the evidence supplied by the vendor, not verbal assurances alone.

Follows coding standards and code-review practices?

Rate the evidence supplied by the vendor, not verbal assurances alone.

Can handle APIs, integrations, cloud infrastructure and scalability?

Rate the evidence supplied by the vendor, not verbal assurances alone.

Has qualified developers, architects and QA engineers?

Rate the evidence supplied by the vendor, not verbal assurances alone.

Relevant Industry Experience 10%

Worked in the client’s industry?

Rate the evidence supplied by the vendor, not verbal assurances alone.

Understands relevant business workflows?

Rate the evidence supplied by the vendor, not verbal assurances alone.

Can show relevant case studies?

Rate the evidence supplied by the vendor, not verbal assurances alone.

Understands industry-specific risks or regulations?

Rate the evidence supplied by the vendor, not verbal assurances alone.

References from similar projects can be verified?

Rate the evidence supplied by the vendor, not verbal assurances alone.

Project Discovery and Requirements 10%

Asks detailed business and technical questions?

Rate the evidence supplied by the vendor, not verbal assurances alone.

Has a structured discovery process?

Rate the evidence supplied by the vendor, not verbal assurances alone.

Documents scope, assumptions and exclusions?

Rate the evidence supplied by the vendor, not verbal assurances alone.

Clearly defines user roles, workflows and acceptance criteria?

Rate the evidence supplied by the vendor, not verbal assurances alone.

Identifies risks before development begins?

Rate the evidence supplied by the vendor, not verbal assurances alone.

Delivery Process and Project Management 15%

Clearly explains the development methodology?

Rate the evidence supplied by the vendor, not verbal assurances alone.

Documents milestones, sprints and deliverables?

Rate the evidence supplied by the vendor, not verbal assurances alone.

Provides regular demos and progress updates?

Rate the evidence supplied by the vendor, not verbal assurances alone.

Has a clear process for scope changes?

Rate the evidence supplied by the vendor, not verbal assurances alone.

Uses project-management tools transparently?

Rate the evidence supplied by the vendor, not verbal assurances alone.

Defines testing, deployment and approval stages?

Rate the evidence supplied by the vendor, not verbal assurances alone.

Communication and Collaboration 10%

Responsive during sales and discovery?

Rate the evidence supplied by the vendor, not verbal assurances alone.

Defines channels and meeting schedules?

Rate the evidence supplied by the vendor, not verbal assurances alone.

Provides a dedicated project manager or contact?

Rate the evidence supplied by the vendor, not verbal assurances alone.

Explains technical issues in business language?

Rate the evidence supplied by the vendor, not verbal assurances alone.

Time-zone and language differences are manageable?

Rate the evidence supplied by the vendor, not verbal assurances alone.

Defines escalation handling?

Rate the evidence supplied by the vendor, not verbal assurances alone.

Quality Assurance and Testing 10%

Has a documented QA process?

Rate the evidence supplied by the vendor, not verbal assurances alone.

Performs functional and regression testing?

Rate the evidence supplied by the vendor, not verbal assurances alone.

Includes security, performance and compatibility tests?

Rate the evidence supplied by the vendor, not verbal assurances alone.

Shares test cases and bug reports?

Rate the evidence supplied by the vendor, not verbal assurances alone.

Supports user acceptance testing?

Rate the evidence supplied by the vendor, not verbal assurances alone.

Clearly defines release criteria?

Rate the evidence supplied by the vendor, not verbal assurances alone.

Security, Privacy and Compliance 10%

Follows secure development practices?

Rate the evidence supplied by the vendor, not verbal assurances alone.

Manages access controls and permissions securely?

Rate the evidence supplied by the vendor, not verbal assurances alone.

Protects client data during development and testing?

Rate the evidence supplied by the vendor, not verbal assurances alone.

Provides NDAs and confidentiality terms?

Rate the evidence supplied by the vendor, not verbal assurances alone.

Understands applicable privacy and compliance requirements?

Rate the evidence supplied by the vendor, not verbal assurances alone.

Defines backups, incident response and security reporting?

Rate the evidence supplied by the vendor, not verbal assurances alone.

Pricing and Commercial Transparency 5%

Proposal is itemised and understandable?

Rate the evidence supplied by the vendor, not verbal assurances alone.

Inclusions and exclusions are documented?

Rate the evidence supplied by the vendor, not verbal assurances alone.

Payment milestones link to deliverables?

Rate the evidence supplied by the vendor, not verbal assurances alone.

Third-party, hosting and maintenance costs are disclosed?

Rate the evidence supplied by the vendor, not verbal assurances alone.

Change-request pricing is clear?

Rate the evidence supplied by the vendor, not verbal assurances alone.

No hidden charges or unclear assumptions?

Rate the evidence supplied by the vendor, not verbal assurances alone.

Ownership, Documentation and Exit Protection 5%

Client owns source code and deliverables after payment?

Rate the evidence supplied by the vendor, not verbal assurances alone.

Client controls repository, cloud and important accounts?

Rate the evidence supplied by the vendor, not verbal assurances alone.

Technical documentation is included?

Rate the evidence supplied by the vendor, not verbal assurances alone.

A clear handover process exists?

Rate the evidence supplied by the vendor, not verbal assurances alone.

Another team can continue the project?

Rate the evidence supplied by the vendor, not verbal assurances alone.

Vendor-lock-in risks are addressed?

Rate the evidence supplied by the vendor, not verbal assurances alone.

Post-Launch Support and Long-Term Fit 5%

Warranty or bug-fix period is included?

Rate the evidence supplied by the vendor, not verbal assurances alone.

Support response times are defined?

Rate the evidence supplied by the vendor, not verbal assurances alone.

Maintenance and enhancement options are available?

Rate the evidence supplied by the vendor, not verbal assurances alone.

Team can support future growth and scaling?

Rate the evidence supplied by the vendor, not verbal assurances alone.

Monitoring, backup and incident procedures exist?

Rate the evidence supplied by the vendor, not verbal assurances alone.

Vendor demonstrates long-term business stability?

Rate the evidence supplied by the vendor, not verbal assurances alone.

Critical Red Flags

This scorecard is a structured evaluation guide. Final selection should also include reference checks, legal review, technical due diligence and contract assessment.

Why Vendor Evaluation Matters

Reduce Delivery Risk

Verify capability, process and evidence before making a major project commitment.

Protect Ownership

Clarify source code, repository, hosting and account control before signing.

Compare Consistently

Use the same weighted criteria and red flags across every shortlisted vendor.

How the Weighted Score Works

Rate Evidence

Rate each question from 1 to 5, or choose Not Assessed when evidence is unavailable.

Apply Category Weights

Technical capability, delivery, security and other areas contribute according to their business impact.

Normalise Fairly

Partially completed assessments use only assessed category weights and clearly flag unanswered questions.

Frequently Asked Questions

How should I score a software vendor?

Score only the evidence you can verify. Use Not Assessed when information is unavailable rather than guessing.

What is considered a good vendor score?

A score of 75 or higher indicates a strong candidate, but references, contracts and technical due diligence remain essential.

Can I compare multiple vendors?

Yes. After unlocking a report you can temporarily compare up to three vendors in the current browser session.

What are the most serious outsourcing red flags?

Source-code ownership issues, withheld repository access, insecure credential handling, unclear scope, full upfront payment and missing QA or recovery plans are serious concerns.

Does the scorecard replace legal or technical due diligence?

No. It is a structured evaluation guide and does not replace legal advice, reference checks, architecture review or contract assessment.

Need Help Selecting a Software Partner?

Kiaan Technology can help with technical due diligence, project planning and software delivery.

Book a Free Software Consultation

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