Overview
Spend Matters has a reputation for creating the most in-depth, independent, data-driven and objective reviews of technology providers in the procurement and supply chain management realm. Spend Matters members wouldn’t have it any other way.
Integrity is the lifeblood of Spend Matters research and our company.
As such, please take note that:- Spend Matters is the only technology intelligence firm that not only encourages, but requires, full-length demonstrations of solutions.
- Vendors can freely request a review with Spend Matters analysts and enter the SolutionMap assessment process if the analysts determine that they fit required criteria.
- Spend Matters analysts validate the solution functionality of a vendor comparing underlying platform capabilities, solution-specific and differentiating elements against a standardized scoring scale. Scores and all supporting materials are submitted via Spend Matters proprietary scoring portal, dynamically collecting all entries in the master database.
- If a vendor chooses not to participate in the Spend Matters technology assessment RFI process but is deemed a relevant market player, analysts may score the vendor based on technology demos provided by a third party (e.g., an implementation organization) and other sources (i.e. public sources, investors, the press, case studies and social media). This is indicated clearly in any published materials.
- If a vendor’s self-score RFI inputs differ from capabilities displayed during the demonstration and other primary inputs (e.g., qualitative answers to RFI questions), Spend Matters reserves the right to adjust scores to match the scoring scale.
- Vendors cannot ever purchase favorable or unfavorable opinions, scores or rankings.
- Vendors can purchase membership as well as marketing and/or advisory services through the commercial team.
- Revenue streams are diversified and Spend Matters is not beholden to any one income stream, customer or set of customers to safeguard independence.
- The analysts’ reputations are built on producing independent, unbiased research and analysis.
- It’s in the best interest of Spend Matters to objectively report on procurement solutions of all colors to safeguard our credibility within the industry.
- RFI components, scoring scales and methodology are transparent and determined before issuing an RFI.
- Applied ‘market weightings’ are proprietary, based on multiple, data-driven factors and determined by the analyst team. Although weightings are not shared with the vendor community, the data points used to inform them are.
- Practitioner (end-user buyer) advisory clients may gain access to the weightings and create their own criteria to alter them in accordance with their technology buying needs (under analyst guidance only).
- Competitive benchmarking advisory that compares providers, products and/or capabilities are only carried out in aggregate for solution providers (i.e., never vendor-to-vendor, but rather vendor to aggregated data from a group of peers) or under NDA on behalf of practitioners, consultants/advisors advising practitioner organizations and in M&A due diligence work.
- Advisory work comparing providers, products and capabilities is confidential and only for a customer’s internal use and never for use in competitive strategy efforts.
- Spend Matters employees and contractors cannot engage in third-party activities in conflict with company interests. Summary analyst and customer scoring and ranking insights are available to Spend Matters (paying) members.
Contact us with any further questions. We strive for transparency and are happy to assist.