SAAS SOURCING CHECKLIST AND DECISION PACK
Playbook Templates | Buyer-side planning resource | 2026-10-01
Guide: https://www.playbooktemplates.com/saas-sourcing-playbook-templates.html

PURPOSE
Record the evidence and decisions needed to select, contract for, implement,
operate, and eventually exit a SaaS service. Duplicate supplier and requirement
blocks as needed. Attach the source record rather than relying on a summary.

1. INTAKE AND GOVERNANCE
Business need / intended outcome:
Business owner / sourcing lead / budget owner:
Existing applications or non-purchase alternatives considered:
Users / geography / affiliates / data involved:
Required timing / funding / constraints:
Required technical, security, privacy, legal, and operational reviewers:
Selection method / approval rules / conflicts disclosed:

2. REQUIREMENT AND EVIDENCE REGISTER (repeat per requirement)
Requirement ID / description / owner:
Mandatory, preferred, or optional:
Verification method / demo scenario / acceptance evidence:
Supplier response and source:
Evidence status (verified / unverified / missing):
Clarification / owner / deadline:
Pass/fail or scored result under the approved evaluation method:
Exception decision and authorized approver:

3. SAAS CHECKLIST
[ ] Billable metric and sample reporting verified.
[ ] Required edition, modules, environments, and integrations priced.
[ ] Growth, reduction, overages, and minimum commitments defined.
[ ] Implementation responsibilities and acceptance criteria documented.
[ ] Buyer and third-party resource requirements identified.
[ ] Data handling, access, retention, and incident questions reviewed.
[ ] Security/privacy evidence assessed by the assigned reviewers.
[ ] Support coverage, service measures, exclusions, and remedies reviewed.
[ ] Renewal basis, price-change mechanism, and notice terms identified.
[ ] Export contents and usability tested by the receiving owner.
[ ] Transition assistance and deconversion charges evaluated.
[ ] Material risks resolved or explicitly accepted by authorized owners.
Incomplete items / decision impact / action owner / due date:

4. COMMERCIAL COMPARISON WORKSHEET (repeat per supplier)
Supplier / offer date / version:
Common comparison period / currency / tax treatment:
Billable metric / volume / edition / included scope:
Base, lower, and higher demand assumptions:
Recurring subscription charges:
Implementation / integration / training / buyer resources:
Support / storage / API / overage / other required costs:
Renewal pricing assumptions and reduction rights:
Exit / export / transition / parallel-running / stranded costs:
Total by scenario (keep recurring and one-time amounts separate):
Unknown or conditional charges:
Exclusions and dependencies:
Finance reviewer / date:

5. EVALUATION CONTROL
Criteria, scoring definitions, and weights approved before evaluation:
Mandatory requirement disposition:
Evaluator / independent score / source evidence:
Consensus score / reason for change / participants:
Scripted demo and reference results:
Unresolved evidence gaps and material risks:
Use the existing RFP and vendor evaluation workflows:
https://www.playbooktemplates.com/ai-rfp-playbook.html
https://www.playbooktemplates.com/ai-vendor-evaluation-playbook.html

6. CONTRACT AND IMPLEMENTATION HANDOFF
Selected supplier commitments mapped to agreement documents:
Implementation scope / milestones / responsibility matrix:
Dependencies and buyer resource approvals:
Service owner / escalation process:
Renewal and notice owner:
Export scope, format, test result, and receiving owner:
Transition assistance, duration, pricing, and replacement cooperation:
Qualified reviewers / unresolved issues / acceptance record:

7. FINAL DECISION LOG
Recommended supplier or other action:
Rationale against the approved decision rules:
Alternatives considered and reasons rejected:
Total commitment and assumptions:
Mandatory exceptions and accepted risks:
Required approvals / evidence / dates:
Authorized award or signature owner:
Implementation and exit-readiness owner:
Next review date:

USE NOTES
This resource supports sourcing and review; it does not certify compliance,
replace legal review, or authorize commitments. Use approved source material.
If AI assists, record sources and corrections and retain human scoring and
decision ownership. Template use is subject to
https://www.playbooktemplates.com/terms.html.