Guidance on conducting reference checks

 

Validating a vendor’s past performance is a key part of the procurement process, ensuring due diligence before selecting a new system or technology. The following guidance is designed to support a comprehensive and meaningful vendor reference check.

1. Review relevant references

Request a complete list of the vendor's past and present clients. It is important to focus on references from similar-sized organisations in the healthcare sector. This ensures the feedback from previous clients is applicable.

Important reminder

• Avoid vendor bias by asking for a complete list of clients they have worked with over the past 3–5 years, rather than relying on the vendor’s recommendations alone. This helps gain broader perspectives.
• Only conduct reference checks on preferred vendors that have been shortlisted by the evaluation committee.

2. Create a questionnaire

A focused questionnaire helps to gather meaningful and actionable insights about a vendor’s performance. Questions should touch on key areas such as implementation support, communication, issue resolution, ongoing innovations & enhancements and the overall experience of working with the vendor.

A sample questionnaire is included in the next section and can be adjusted based on the evaluation committee’s priorities and goals. The same questionnaire will need to be used across all vendors to ensure accurate comparison across the board.

3. Conduct the reference check

The reference checks can be performed face-to-face or virtually. Make sure to use open-ended questions, similar to the sample questionnaire provided. Organise the documentation of the feedback to facilitate ease of review and comparison.

4. Consolidate Feedback

Review all information sourced from the references. Analyse the positive responses as well as areas of concerns to gain a holistic understanding of the vendor’s performance history. This comprehensive analysis will provide valuable insights to help the evaluation committee determine the most suitable vendor for selection.

Vendor reference check sample questionnaire

This section provides a set of sample questions divided into three categories to guide the vendor reference check process. These questions are intended to gather meaningful insights into the vendor’s performance.

The evaluation committee should customise the sample topics and questions to ensure it is relevant to the vendor assessment being performed.

1. Vendor and client engagement

1. How long have you been working with the vendor?
2. What systems and/or technologies did the vendor provide to your organisation?

2. Implementation assessment

1. How would you rate the overall experience working with the vendor? (1 – lowest and 5 – highest)
2. During the product implementation, did the vendor’s product integrate into your existing system with no issues?
3. Did the vendor play a role in supporting the implementation? If so, how?
4. How much time was required to ensure all staff members were fully trained to use the system/technology?
5. What was the general user feedback on the system/technology?
6. Have you encountered any technical issues with the software, such as bugs or performance problems?
7. Does the vendor have a structured approach to improvements, upgrades and enhancement to the system/technology?

3. Communication and issue resolution

1. How would you rate the quality of communication and updates provided by the vendor? (1 – lowest and 5 – highest)
2. How timely and effective is the vendor in responding to your inquiries and addressing issues? Are you satisfied with the vendor response?
3. Does the vendor have a structured process for tracking and managing issues or defects?
4. How long did it take for issues like software defects or integration issues to be resolved?
5. Has the vendor consistently met your requirements and expectations? If not, please provide details.
6. Based on your experience, would you choose this vendor again or recommend their services to others?