Vendor diligence

AI vendor red flags

The 25 patterns we have seen end procurement engagements badly. Each pattern is encoded in the rule engine; the methodology page lists every flag with sources.

Score a vendor in 5 min Read the methodology

Red flag families

The flag library breaks into seven families: technical credibility, pricing transparency, customer proof, IP protection, cost predictability, operational competence, and relationship trust. The wizard surfaces the families that triggered for your specific pitch.

The token cost trap

Per-token pricing combined with "your responsibility" infrastructure language is the single most expensive pattern in 2026. Cap it monthly, review it quarterly.

Sales-led with no proof

When the only person on the vendor side is a sales rep, the demo is generic, and the timeline is open-ended, you are paying for go-to-market overhead, not delivery.

Wrapper at premium price

Claims of a "proprietary model" combined with fixed-price retainer at six-figure budget often indicate a thin wrapper around a frontier model. Insist on model disclosure clauses.

Unclear IP

IP that is "unclear" or "not discussed" before contract signature reliably becomes a dispute later. Negotiate ownership, derivative works, and source-code escrow up front.

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Run the 12-question wizard

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Vendor diligence

Question 1 of 12 · 8%

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What kind of vendor are they?

Different archetypes carry different risk profiles. Boutique consultancies, agencies, SaaS vendors, freelancers, and staff-aug shops all fail in distinct ways - we adapt the rest of the questions to the archetype you pick.

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