Buying guide
How to compare strategy, performance and project platforms
A guide you can use with any vendor, us included: the criteria that decide whether a platform holds the link from objective to evidence, one scenario to ask every vendor to show, and the questions for the procurement file.
Compare on one scenario, not on feature lists
Most platforms list the same modules: strategy, KPIs, projects, readiness. What separates them is whether the link between those modules holds. So give every vendor the same scenario from your own entity: one strategic objective, its KPI, a project that serves it, and the evidence for one condition. Ask each to trace it on screen from end to end and back, then compare what you saw, criterion by criterion, rather than what you were told.
What to check, and where to see it in EASPM
| Criterion | What to check with any vendor | Where to see it in EASPM |
|---|---|---|
| Objective to KPI to project | Each project names the KPI and objective it serves, and a slip shows on the KPI and then on the objective. Ask the vendor to remove a link and see whether the platform notices. | Every item carries its place in the chain, and a broken link is shown. Platform |
| KPI ownership and cycle | Every KPI has an owner, a formula, a frequency, a data source, a target and a baseline, and entry, review and approval run on dates with alerts. | KPI definitions, targets and baselines, and monitoring cycles. Performance |
| Evidence and readiness | Framework conditions are records with owners, and evidence is linked to the condition with its date and source. If a tool shows a predicted score, ask how it is calculated and who stands behind it. | A conditions register and an evidence vault, and no predicted score. Frameworks and readiness |
| Arabic interface | Built right to left or translated: look at tables, charts, timelines, approval chains and reports in Arabic, on real screens rather than slides. | Built in Arabic from the ground up; reports in Arabic and English. Home |
| Hosting | Where the data and its backups are hosted, and whether each entity has a separate environment. Ask for the answer in writing. | Inside the Kingdom, with a separate environment per entity. Security and hosting |
| Permissions | Row-level and field-level permissions, single sign-on with your directory, and a way to review what each role sees. | All three, with a record of every change. Security and hosting |
| Integration | Which of your systems connect, through what, and with which keys and permissions. Ask which integrations are in scope and in the price. | APIs for HR, finance, the entity's directory and other source systems, with dedicated keys and limited permissions. Platform |
| Security claims | Ask for every certificate with its date and reference. A claim without an issued certificate is a plan, not a fact. | No certification is claimed unless it has been issued. What we do not claim |
| Implementation | Whether you can start at limited scope with your own data, who configures your methodology, and whether knowledge is transferred to your team. | A pilot environment on one sector or one portfolio, then expansion in stages. How to buy |
| Support | Published severity levels, response targets, availability, backup and recovery, rather than a promise of good service. | A published service level agreement. Service level agreement |
| Cost structure | The licence separated from implementation and training, and a clear statement of what support the licence includes. Ask what the subscription is sized by, and what it leaves out. | An annual subscription per entity, sized by scope, with support under the service level agreement; services quoted separately. Pricing and quotes |
One scenario to ask every vendor for
- 01
Your objective
The same strategic objective from your plan for every vendor, with its owner.
- 02
Its KPI
The KPI that measures it, with target, baseline, latest reading and measurement cycle.
- 03
A project that serves it
One project linked to the KPI. Ask the vendor to make it slip, and show where the slip appears.
- 04
The evidence
One condition from a framework you are measured by, with the evidence that satisfies it, its date and its source.
- 05
And back
Start from the evidence and trace back to the objective. Then remove a link and see what the platform shows.
Ask for it in Arabic, on screen, on your own data or fictional data of your entity type. In an EASPM demo session this chain is shown on screen with fictional data of your entity type. A worked example of the chain
Questions for the procurement file
- Ownership
- Who owns the product, and who can change the code when a requirement changes?
- Hosting
- Where are the data and its backups hosted, and is each entity's environment separate?
- Certificates
- Which certificates has the platform actually been issued, with dates and references?
- Cost
- What is the subscription sized by, and what do implementation, training and knowledge transfer cost separately?
- Service levels
- What does the service level agreement commit to: severity levels, response targets, availability, backup and recovery?
- Starting scope
- Can you start with a pilot at limited scope, and what does expansion look like?
- Contracting
- Can you buy directly or through a partner, and who provides second-line support either way?
- Documents
- Which documents will the vendor provide for the internal procurement file?
Put EASPM through the same scenario
Tell us in the demo request which objective matters to you; we show the chain on screen with fictional data of your entity type.