BRISK ATLAS / GUIDES
Vendor scorecard: running a quarterly vendor review
A vendor scorecard rates the vendors you already buy from on the same weighted criteria every period — typically delivery, quality, responsiveness, invoicing and price — so you can see who is slipping and act before the contract renews. Below is a complete quarterly review of three vendors, from the KPI data to the scores and the follow-up.
Vendor scorecard vs. selection scorecard
| Selection scorecard | Vendor (performance) scorecard | |
|---|---|---|
| When | Once, before awarding | Every period, for current vendors |
| Evidence | Quotes, samples, audits, references | Measured delivery, defects, invoices, replies |
| Must-haves | Certificates, capacity, terms | Documents that expire: insurance, code of conduct |
| Outcome | Who to award | Who needs a corrective action, who gets more volume |
The Q3 2026 review
A purchasing team reviews its corrugated and label vendors. The quarter’s data, from receiving, accounts payable and email:
| Vendor | OTIF | Defects | Median reply | Invoices matched | Price vs. contract |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harbor Supply | 203/212 = 95.8% | 31/48,000 = 646 PPM | 6 h | 58/58 | +1.2% |
| Northline Packaging | 148/150 = 98.7% | 14/36,500 = 384 PPM | 20 h | 49/51 | +2.5% |
| Quill Labels | 77/88 = 87.5% | 3/120,000 = 25 PPM | 5 h | 27/30 | -0.5% |
Each value becomes a 1–5 score through the bands in the metrics guide, and two compliance documents are must-haves:
| Criterion | Weight | Harbor Supply | Northline Packaging | Quill Labels |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| On-time in-full | 35% | 4 | 5 | 2 |
| Quality (defect PPM) | 30% | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Responsiveness | 15% | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| Invoice accuracy | 10% | 5 | 4 | 3 |
| Price vs. contract | 10% | 4 | 3 | 5 |
| Weighted score / 5 | 3.80 | 4.10 | 3.60 | |
| Must-have: Certificate of insurance current | Pass | Pass | Unknown | |
| Must-have: Supplier code of conduct signed | Pass | Pass | Pass | |
| Outcome | Rank 2 | Rank 1 | Needs review |
Northline Packaging leads with 4.10: 5 × 35% + 4 × 30% + 3 × 15% + 4 × 10% + 3 × 10% = 1.75 + 1.20 + 0.45 + 0.40 + 0.30 = 4.10. The lead is robust: the closest breakpoint is responsiveness at 35% (+20 points), far from the agreed weights.
From scores to actions
- Quill Labels has the best quality (25 PPM) and the lowest prices but the worst delivery: 87.5% OTIF scores 2. Its insurance certificate lapsed on 30 September and the renewal has been requested but not received, so the must-have is Unknown rather than Fail. The review asks for a delivery corrective-action plan and the renewed certificate before any new orders.
- Harbor Supply is solid except quality at 646 PPM (score 3); a defect review with its quality lead is the follow-up.
- Northline Packaging scores 3 on responsiveness (a 20-hour median reply) and on price; worth raising at the next business review, not an action.
Treating expiring documents as must-haves means a lapsed certificate shows up every quarter however good the vendor’s numbers are. A rule agreed in advance — for example, any criterion scored 1 or 2 triggers a corrective-action request — keeps the follow-up consistent from vendor to vendor.
Running it every quarter
Keep the criteria, weights and bands unchanged between quarters so the scores can be compared, and save each quarter separately (Export JSON in Brisk Atlas, or a copy of the Excel template). Share each vendor its own row and the evidence behind it; a vendor that can see how OTIF was counted can fix the cause rather than dispute the number.
Questions
Is a vendor scorecard the same as a supplier scorecard?
Yes, the terms are used interchangeably. What matters is whether it is used to select a new vendor or to review current ones, because the evidence differs.
How often should vendors be scored?
Often enough to have meaningful data: in this example a quarter gives 88 to 212 deliveries per vendor, enough for an OTIF percentage to mean something. For a vendor with a handful of deliveries a quarter, review twice a year.
Sources
Sources opened on 29 October 2026. All other figures are calculated on this page from the example scores.
More guides
- Supplier scorecard template (Excel, CSV and printable)Excel workbook with formulas, a blank CSV and a printable PDF.
- Supplier scorecard examples: three filled-in samplesPackaging, contract manufacturing and freight, scored and explained.
- Supplier scorecard metrics: formulas and 1–5 scoringOTIF, defect PPM, responsiveness, invoicing and price, with formulas.
- Supplier evaluation criteria: what to score and what to gateMust-haves versus weighted criteria, with a worked counter-example.
- Weighted scoring model: formula, example and ExcelThe formula, a project selection example and the Excel version.