A structured comparison of vendor options across weighted criteria, showing scores, evidence per cell and an aggregate result. A good vendor matrix separates dealbreakers from weighted criteria and makes every score traceable to a source.

The default vendor matrix is a spreadsheet with columns for vendors, rows for criteria and a weight per row. Done well, this compresses a complex decision into a single readable view. Done badly, it smuggles in unverifiable claims and invites backsolving toward a preferred vendor.

A defensible vendor matrix has four properties: explicit weights that sum to a fixed total, evidence per score that links to a source document or interview note, dealbreakers stored separately as binary filters, and sensitivity analysis that shows how robust the ranking is to weight changes.

The matrix is the analytical core of a decision memo. In regulated scopes (DORA Art. 28, NIS2 Art. 21), the matrix is the evidence that the vendor-selection process was structured rather than opportunistic.

Vendor matrix

Related terms