40-Point Systems Integration Evaluation Checklist
Score vendors objectively on team quality, support commitments, and pricing transparency. Avoid $150K overruns with proven evaluation framework.
Scoring Framework
Score each criterion 1–5 (5 = excellent, 3 = acceptable, 1 = red flag). Multiply by weight percentage. Vendors scoring below 3.5 overall typically have major delivery problems.
Evaluation Criteria
Implementation Team Quality and Continuity
30% weightEvaluates the actual people who will work on your project, their experience levels, availability commitments, and team stability during implementation.
Sample Questions
- Can you meet the specific project manager and lead consultant who will run your implementation?
- How many similar implementations has your proposed team lead completed in the last 18 months?
- What's your team retention rate during 6-month projects, and who are the backup resources if someone leaves?
- Will any of the people in this sales process be hands-on during implementation?
- Show me LinkedIn profiles and certifications for your proposed implementation team members
Technical Capabilities and Platform Expertise
25% weightAssesses deep platform knowledge, current version expertise, integration capabilities, and ability to handle complex technical requirements beyond basic configuration.
Sample Questions
- Demo live problem-solving by modifying a workflow during our meeting – don't use rehearsed scripts
- What platform version do you implement and can you show me a feature released in the last 6 months?
- Walk through your integration monitoring setup and show me failure alerting mechanisms
- How do you handle data migration validation and what's your accuracy guarantee process?
- Show me technical documentation from a recent custom development project
Support and Post-Launch Commitment
20% weightMeasures their dedication to your success after go-live, including response times, resolution metrics, ongoing support quality, and user adoption assistance.
Sample Questions
- What's your average P1 issue response time in the 90 days post-go-live with actual metrics?
- How do you measure user adoption success and what's your remediation process for low adoption?
- Show me your support ticket resolution statistics from the last 5 implementations
- What level of support is included versus what requires additional consulting fees?
- Do you provide a dedicated support team for the first 90 days after go-live?
Pricing Transparency and Contract Terms
15% weightEvaluates honest pricing practices, change order fairness, scope definition clarity, and contract terms that protect your budget from predatory overruns.
Sample Questions
- Break down your 'standard configuration' hours task by task – what exactly gets done?
- What percentage of users typically need advanced licenses and show me the feature comparison?
- Give me 3 specific examples of what would trigger change order charges in your contract
- What training is included in base pricing versus what costs extra at daily consulting rates?
- How do you handle scope changes and what are your hourly rates for additional work?
Track Record and Reference Quality
10% weightAssesses recent implementation success, client satisfaction, honest discussion of failures, and willingness to provide fresh references from similar projects.
Sample Questions
- Provide 3 client references from implementations completed in the last 6 months – not case studies
- Walk me through your worst implementation failure and what you learned from it
- What's your average project timeline versus original estimates for companies our size?
- Can you show me before/after metrics from recent implementations demonstrating ROI achieved?
- How many clients in our industry and size range have you implemented in the past year?
Get the IT / Systems Integration evaluation framework
Scoring criteria, weight benchmarks, and sample questions for your vendor evaluation — sent to your inbox.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Get a complete RFP with these criteria built in — plus requirements, vendor questionnaire, and professional formatting.
Related Resources
Buying Something Else Too?
Generate Your Evaluation with AI
Get a complete RFP with these criteria built in — plus requirements, vendor questionnaire, and professional formatting.