Define criteria

The skill and its purpose

A supplier review should answer a specific question about capability, evidence or an agreed service. A broad score can hide the criteria, sample and limitations behind it. Separating the reviewed scope from unrelated services makes the result useful to the buyer and fair to the provider. Funding, listing status and a relationship with the reviewer should not silently change the evidence standard.

Work through the decision

Describe the service, locations, process and period the review covers. Identify the criteria and source of each requirement, distinguishing the buyer’s actual needs from general observations. Decide what evidence or observation can support each criterion and who is competent to assess it. Mark exclusions and unknowns. Retain the agreed scope before collecting results so later readers can understand what was and was not reviewed.

Practical exercise — fictional

A fictional buyer wants to assess a producer’s ability to supply a measured indoor rollout. Draft criteria for specification handling, version control and attributable delivery records. Exclude unrelated outdoor structures and other product families unless they are deliberately added. Explain why a finding about one process cannot become a general quality guarantee for every service.

Take it to the next job

• State service, application, locations and period.
• Define criteria before reviewing results.
• Match each criterion to actual evidence.
• Keep exclusions and uncertainty explicit.