Vendor Due Diligence Playbook is a practical template for product teams, procurement, and security leads who need a repeatable process to vet new vendors before onboarding. What’s inside this template is a compact, evidence-backed record you can share with stakeholders to make informed onboarding decisions.
What's inside
Vendor overview
Compliance & regulatory checks
Security & privacy assessment
Financial health & viability
References & risk signals
Evidence & documentation
Risk scoring
Decision log
Implementation plan
How to use this template
Gather basic vendor details and attach evidence in the sections provided.
Complete the Compliance, Security, and Financial sections with your notes and placeholder data.
Rate each risk area on a 1–5 scale and summarize key concerns in the Notes column.
Collect references and finalize the Decision Log with a clear go/no-go decision.
Share the record with relevant stakeholders and initiate onboarding or contract steps.
Why it works
How does the scoring work?
The template uses a simple 1–5 rating per critical area. A high aggregate score or any 4 or 5 in a red-flag area should trigger escalation and a request for remediation or hold on onboarding.
Can I adapt for regional regulatory requirements?
Yes. Add regional checklists to the Compliance section and adjust required documents to reflect local laws and data handling rules.
Is this suitable for renewals?
Absolutely. Clone the record for contract renewals, update references and evidence, and reassess risk before renewal decisions.