Build an RFP around evidence you can evaluate

Start with the buying decision you need to make. Choose a retail media, search, personalisation or price-intelligence checklist, then adapt the requirements to your operation. Keep the vendor’s response, its supporting evidence and your acceptance test beside each requirement.

## Choose the scope of your evaluation Use the retail media checklist for inventory, campaign operations, advertiser workflows and measurement. Use the search checklist for retrieval, ranking, merchandising and integration. Use the personalisation checklist for recommendation decisions across shopper journeys. Use the Price Beat checklist for competitor data and a controlled price-response workflow.

## Turn a requirement into a test A feature name is a starting point. Describe the user, the input and the expected behaviour. Request the current documentation, an example from the proposed product tier and a demonstration using representative data. Record dependencies such as a partner service, custom development or an additional contract.

## Keep delivery status visible The PA checklist distinguishes current capability, partner delivery, roadmap and requirements not stated as supported. Treat those as different responses. A planned feature is not delivered functionality, and a partner-dependent requirement needs its own scope and ownership. The retail media builder includes requirements across these statuses.

## Compare evidence before scoring Agree which requirements are mandatory and which are weighted preferences. Use a common evidence standard for every vendor. A strong response shows how the requirement works, where it is documented and how you will verify it in the proposed deployment. Export the completed brief so procurement, engineering and the commercial owner review the same version.

Frequently asked questions

Does every requirement describe a current PA feature?

No. The checklists also contain partner-dependent, roadmap and requirements not stated as supported. Preserve the status for each record and ask for evidence for the exact product scope under evaluation.

How should mandatory requirements be scored?

Define a pass condition before reviewing vendor responses. A mandatory requirement should have a documented test and an accountable reviewer. Treat a dependency or planned delivery date as a condition to resolve, not as an automatic pass.

Can we adapt the checklist?

Yes. Add your workflows, remove irrelevant questions and retain a record of the changes. Use the same adapted version for every vendor so responses remain comparable.