How to Evaluate a Research Partner Vendor

Last updated: May 9, 2025

Each project will have different needs, so evaluation criteria will differ. This list offers a jumping off point. You may only need a vendor to help recruit participants. You may need a vendor to recruit participants, conduct research, and pay participants.

Below are considerations that have been put together by the Colorado Digital Service design team. These considerations can be used in a modular fashion based on a project’s needs.

For assistance crafting procurement criteria or assessing a pool of vendors, contact oit_coloradodigitalservice@state.co.us

---

Vendor should be able to recruit from a diverse pool of participants and maintain community trust

• Have a recruiting process that is transparent and inclusive
• Have a pool of participants with people from different backgrounds, needs, abilities, languages, etc.
• Be able to find specific people depending on the needs of the project (e.g. conduct usability testing with people using assistive devices)
• Securely maintain a database of potential participants which includes demographics data
• Manage consent forms (i.e. signed, documented, and archived)
• Practice a trauma-informed way of working (e.g. communicate with participants around what to expect, provide assistance to participants as needed before and after engagement)

Vendor should be able to schedule participants in a timely manner and communicate well with the participants and research lead

• Schedule participants within a week of receiving requirements
• Be responsible for participants showing up on time and ready to participate (e.g. able to use the meeting platform, digital whiteboard, etc.)
• Communicate with research lead who has been scheduled, including participant details

Vendor should be able to create a research plan that meets the group’s objectives, has expertise with the research method(s), and synthesizes research into actionable deliverables

• Have experience with a range of research methods (e.g. contextual inquiry, survey, focus group, interviews)
• Have experience crafting research plans
• Demonstrate ability to turn research findings into actionable insights (i.e. research synthesis)
• Have experience creating and presenting research deliverables (e.g. personas, archetypes, journey maps, service blueprints)
• Have experience helping clients prioritize next steps
• Provide translation support/services for engagements in languages other than English (if applicable)
• Have experience working with vulnerable populations (if applicable)

Vendor should be able to pay research participants in a way that works for the participants

• Provide participant compensation/incentives (on behalf of funding org) in a way that works for participants (e.g. digital or physical gift card)
• Provide necessary documentation or records of compensation/incentives to the state agency

Vendor costs are within the budget and compatible with the organization’s procurement process

• Able to easily work with organization from a procurement standpoint
• Costs are within outlined budget