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Vendor Evaluation

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Command

arckit evaluate "<project ID or category>"

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Description

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Arguments

• Project ID or category: Project identifier or evaluation category (e.g., ‘001’, ‘CRM platforms’)

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When to Use

• Before receiving vendor proposals (create framework)
• After receiving proposals (score vendors)
• For comparing multiple vendors
• To ensure objective vendor selection
• For audit trail requirements

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Required Context

• Requirements (ARC--REQ-.md) - MANDATORY
• Architecture Principles (ARC-000-PRIN-*.md) - MANDATORY
• SOW (Statement of Work) - Recommended
• DOS (DOS Requirements) - Recommended
• G-Cloud Search (ARC--GCLD-.md) - Recommended

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Task Modes

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Mode A: Create Evaluation Framework

• Required certifications (PCI-DSS, ISO 27001, SOC 2)
• Minimum experience requirements
• Financial stability
• Reference requirements

• Technical Approach (35 points): Solution design, architecture alignment
• Project Approach (20 points): Methodology, risk management, QA
• Team Qualifications (25 points): Experience, composition, certifications
• Company Experience (10 points): References, industry expertise
• Pricing (10 points): Cost competitiveness, value for money

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Mode B: Score a Vendor

1. Validates mandatory qualifications
2. Scores each category with justification
3. References specific requirement IDs
4. Documents strengths and weaknesses
5. Provides recommendation

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Mode C: Compare Multiple Vendors

1. Side-by-side scoring comparison
2. Strengths/weaknesses matrix
3. Risk comparison
4. Cost comparison
5. Final recommendation with rationale

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Output

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Example Usage

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Create Framework

arckit evaluate "Payment gateway project"

• Mandatory quals: PCI-DSS certified, 5+ years experience
• Scoring criteria weighted by requirement priorities
• Evaluation process and timeline

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Score Vendor

arckit evaluate "Score Acme Payment Solutions for project 001"

• Technical: 28/35 (strong PCI-DSS, limited cloud)
• Team: 20/25 (good references)
• Total: 76/100
• Recommendation: APPROVED WITH CONDITIONS

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Compare Vendors

arckit evaluate "Compare all vendors for payment gateway"

• Acme (76), BestPay (82), CloudPayments (71)
• Recommendation: BestPay - highest score, best cloud experience

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Scoring Requirements

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Objective Scoring

• All scores require specific justification
• No arbitrary numbers
• Reference requirement IDs (e.g., “Meets NFR-S-001”)
• Document any assumptions

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Mandatory Qualifications

• Pass/fail criteria
• Missing any = disqualified
• Security and compliance violations typically blocking

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Transparency

• Document conflicts of interest
• Record dissenting views
• Maintain audit trail
• Keep vendor proposals confidential

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Related Commands

• arckit sow - Generate SOW with evaluation criteria
• arckit dos - Create DOS with evaluation approach
• arckit gcloud-clarify - Analyze G-Cloud service gaps
• arckit requirements - Source requirements for evaluation

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Next Steps

1. Review scores with stakeholders
2. Validate scoring consistency
3. Conduct vendor demos/interviews
4. Check references
5. Make final selection
6. Document decision rationale
7. Award contract