vendor-review
Evaluate a vendor — cost analysis, risk assessment, and recommendation. Use when reviewing a new vendor proposal, deciding whether to renew or replace a contract, comparing two vendors side-by-side, or building a TCO breakdown and negotiation points before procurement sign-off.
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Install
Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.
npx skills add https://github.com/anthropics/knowledge-work-plugins --skill vendor-review- 01
Install
Run the command in your project. The CLI asks which agents to install for.
- 02
Describe the task
Ask your agent for something this skill covers. It loads vendor-review automatically when relevant.
- 03
Review the result
The agent follows the SKILL.md steps, scripts and references bundled with the skill.
SKILL.md
The instructions your agent reads when the skill is triggered.
/vendor-review
If you see unfamiliar placeholders or need to check which tools are connected, see CONNECTORS.md.
Evaluate a vendor with structured analysis covering cost, risk, performance, and fit.
Usage
/vendor-review $ARGUMENTS
What I Need From You
- Vendor name: Who are you evaluating?
- Context: New vendor evaluation, renewal decision, or comparison?
- Details: Contract terms, pricing, proposal document, or current performance data
Evaluation Framework
Cost Analysis (Total Cost of Ownership)
- Total cost of ownership (not just license fees)
- Implementation and migration costs
- Training and onboarding costs
- Ongoing support and maintenance
- Exit costs (data migration, contract termination)
Risk Assessment
- Vendor financial stability
- Security and compliance posture
- Concentration risk (single vendor dependency)
- Contract lock-in and exit terms
- Business continuity and disaster recovery
Performance Metrics
- SLA compliance
- Support response times
- Uptime and reliability
- Feature delivery cadence
- Customer satisfaction
Comparison Matrix
When comparing vendors, produce a side-by-side matrix covering: pricing, features, integrations, security, support, contract terms, and references.
Output
## Vendor Review: [Vendor Name]
**Date:** [Date] | **Type:** [New / Renewal / Comparison]
### Summary
[2-3 sentence recommendation]
### Cost Analysis
| Component | Annual Cost | Notes |
|-----------|-------------|-------|
| License/subscription | $[X] | [Per seat, flat, usage-based] |
| Implementation | $[X] | [One-time] |
| Support/maintenance | $[X] | [Included or add-on] |
| **Total Year 1** | **$[X]** | |
| **Total 3-Year** | **$[X]** | |
### Risk Assessment
| Risk | Likelihood | Impact | Mitigation |
|------|-----------|--------|------------|
| [Risk] | High/Med/Low | High/Med/Low | [Mitigation] |
### Strengths
- [Strength 1]
- [Strength 2]
### Concerns
- [Concern 1]
- [Concern 2]
### Recommendation
[Proceed / Negotiate / Pass] — [Reasoning]
### Negotiation Points
- [Leverage point 1]
- [Leverage point 2]
If Connectors Available
If ~~knowledge base is connected:
- Search for existing vendor evaluations, contracts, and performance reviews
- Pull procurement policies and approval thresholds
If ~~procurement is connected:
- Pull current contract terms, spend history, and renewal dates
- Compare pricing against existing vendor agreements
Tips
- Upload the proposal — I can extract pricing, terms, and SLAs from vendor documents.
- Compare vendors — "Compare Vendor A vs Vendor B" gets you a side-by-side analysis.
- Include current spend — For renewals, knowing what you pay now helps evaluate price changes.
FAQ
What does the vendor-review skill do?
Evaluate a vendor — cost analysis, risk assessment, and recommendation. Use when reviewing a new vendor proposal, deciding whether to renew or replace a contract, comparing two vendors side-by-side, or building a TCO breakdown and negotiation points before procurement sign-off.
How do I install vendor-review?
Run npx skills add https://github.com/anthropics/knowledge-work-plugins --skill vendor-review in your project. The skills CLI detects the agents you use and copies the skill into the right folder. For Claude Code you can also place the skill folder at ~/.claude/skills/vendor-review/ (personal) or .claude/skills/vendor-review/ (project).
Which AI agents can use vendor-review?
Any agent that supports the open Agent Skills format (a folder with a SKILL.md file), including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, Cline, OpenCode and more.
Is vendor-review safe to install?
No partner security audit is available yet. Skills can run commands and scripts, so read the SKILL.md and any bundled files before installing.
Who maintains vendor-review?
It is published by anthropics in anthropics/knowledge-work-plugins, and it is an official skill from the maker of the technology it covers. It has 2,838 recorded installs.
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