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SmartyDevs
Advisory · 12

Vendor selection without kickbacks.

Independent evaluation of vendors for material technology purchases — observability, data platforms, AI infrastructure, security tooling. No referral fees, no preferred-partner bias.

§ 01The problem

The problem we solve

Vendor selection is usually run by a procurement spreadsheet and the loudest sales engineer. Material multi-year commitments are made without a real evaluation. We bring senior engineering rigour: realistic POCs, calibrated scoring, written recommendation. Independent — we don't take referral fees from vendors.

§ 02Capabilities

What we do

  • 01Requirements scoping with your team
  • 02Vendor longlist and shortlist
  • 03Realistic POCs against your real use cases
  • 04Reference customer interviews
  • 05Pricing analysis at realistic scale
  • 06Lock-in and exit-cost analysis
  • 07Negotiation support
  • 08Final written recommendation defensible to the board
§ 03Deliverables

What you receive

  • Vendor scoring matrix with weighted criteria
  • POC results from realistic exercises
  • Negotiation strategy and BATNA
  • Written final recommendation
§ 04Stack

Categories we evaluate

Observability platforms
Data & analytics platforms
AI / ML infrastructure
Security & compliance tooling
Authentication & authorization
Billing & payments
Customer data platforms
Internal developer platforms
§ 05Ideal for

Ideal for

  • Companies considering a multi-year, six-figure technology purchase
  • Procurement teams wanting senior engineering input
  • Boards demanding independent evaluation of vendor choices
  • CTOs negotiating renewals with material commitment
§ 06Process

How an engagement runs

  1. 01

    Requirements

    Working sessions with your team to define what you actually need — frequently different from the RFP.

  2. 02

    Evaluate

    Longlist to shortlist, then realistic POCs against your real use cases.

  3. 03

    Score

    Calibrated scoring with weighted criteria. References checked.

  4. 04

    Recommend

    Written recommendation with rationale, negotiation strategy and BATNA.

§ 07Engagement

How to engage

01

Focused Selection

3 — 5 weeks

Single vendor decision worked end-to-end.

02

Multi-Vendor Strategy

6 — 10 weeks

Several related decisions evaluated together (platform-wide).

§ 08Common questions

Frequently asked.

01Do you take referral fees from vendors?

No. We refuse them. Our recommendation is what we'd give if we were spending your money — because we essentially are.

Have a problem worth solving well?

Tell us the outcome you want. We'll tell you what it takes — honestly, within a week, in writing.

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