Decision Prep · Free · No account
A supplier selection worksheet for Excel, before you ask for quotes.
The supplier setup has four options, including an online service, and two must-haves: Chartered and insured, and Can file by 31 January. Criteria are annual fee, response time, sector experience and software used. Facts known is set to Low, which says key facts are missing.
- Excel 2016 and later
- Calculations checked in LibreOffice and Google Sheets
- Name the decisionWrite the choice with a date if there is one. Add the background, when it needs deciding, whether it can be undone and how many of the facts you already have.
- List options and factorsEnter the options, then the must-haves, the important criteria and the nice-to-haves, one per line. A readiness check marks what is missing as you type.
- Download and workDownload the workbook. Mark each option Yes, No or Not known yet against the must-haves on the Options sheet, then fill in the Criteria and Questions sheets.
Build your workbook
Preview: Supplier selection. Change the selected dates, categories or layout to update the preview.
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What you get
What is different in this setup
Owners of small firms choosing an accountant, printer or software provider, who want the requirements written down before anyone sends a quote.
- Facts known starts at Low: key facts are missing, shown on the Brief.
- Two people involved, the director and the office manager, recorded on the Brief.
- The decision is marked easy to undo, since a supplier can be changed later.
Sheets included (6)
- Start HereHow the workbook works, what each sheet is for and the settings used.
- Decision BriefThe decision, its background and limits, the people involved and the readiness result. Every white cell can be edited.
- OptionsEach option, checked against the must-haves. An option that fails a must-have is ruled out before scoring.
- CriteriaEvery factor sorted into must-have, important or nice to have, with what good looks like and how it will be checked.
- QuestionsWhat still needs to be found out, who can answer and by when.
- ListsEdit the white lists to change dropdown choices. Shaded lists are fixed because formulas use those names.
File details
- Made for
- Excel 2016 and laterThe download is an .xlsx workbook.
- LibreOffice
- No calculation errors in our testLibreOffice recalculated every formula in the workbook with no error values, such as #VALUE! or #N/A.
- Google Sheets
- Calculations matched Excel in our testGoogle Sheets removes sheet protection and repeated print headings.
- Apple Numbers
- Every calculation matched ExcelNumbers converts list-based dropdowns to plain cells and removes colour markers, sheet protection, frozen headings and number and date validation.
- Calculations
- The Start Here sheet explains what each sheet works out. Results update from the entries you add.
- Builder privacy
- The builder runs in your browser. The entries used to make the workbook stay on your device. How the utilities work
Questions
Are my builder entries sent to Due Form?
No. The builder uses them in your browser to make the workbook on your device.
Information is sent to Due Form when you submit a form or use another service described on the How it works page.
Should I write the must-haves before asking for quotes?
Yes. Writing them first means each supplier is checked against the same requirements, and any that fail one are ruled out before you compare prices.
Where do I record which supplier told me what?
The Options sheet has a Source column for the quote, website or person, and a ‘Why, or what failed’ column that records the reason next to each Yes or No.
Related Due Form edition
The Decision File
Compare viable options, record the reasoning and set a review date.
To weight, score and compare the options
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