vendor-onboarding

name	vendor-onboarding
description	Creates vendor onboarding checklists with documentation requirements, compliance checks, and setup procedures for smooth partnerships.
allowed-tools	Read Write Glob
metadata	{"author":"matthewhitcham","version":"1.0"}

Vendor Onboarding

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when you need to:

• Create a standardized process for onboarding new vendors, suppliers, or service providers
• Build documentation checklists to collect before engaging a new vendor
• Set up compliance and quality checks for vendor relationships
• Design a repeatable vendor evaluation and setup workflow

DO NOT use this skill for employee onboarding, customer onboarding, or vendor contract negotiation. This is for the operational setup process after a vendor has been selected.

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Core Principle

A VENDOR ONBOARDING PROCESS PREVENTS THE TWO BIGGEST PARTNERSHIP FAILURES — MISALIGNED EXPECTATIONS AND MISSING DOCUMENTATION THAT CREATES LIABILITY.

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Phase 1: Vendor Profile

Gather context about the vendor relationship before building the checklist.

Required Inputs

Input	What to Ask	Default
Vendor type	"What will this vendor provide? (software, physical goods, professional services, manufacturing)"	Professional services
Relationship scope	"One-time project or ongoing relationship?"	Ongoing
Payment terms	"How will you pay? (monthly retainer, per project, per unit)"	Monthly
Risk level	"Does this vendor handle sensitive data, customer interactions, or critical operations?"	Low-medium
Industry	"What industry are you in? (affects compliance requirements)"	General business

GATE: Confirm vendor profile before building the onboarding checklist.

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Phase 2: Build Checklist

Create a comprehensive onboarding checklist tailored to the vendor type.

Documentation Checklist

## Vendor Onboarding Checklist: [Vendor Name]

### Business Documentation
- [ ] W-9 or W-8BEN (tax identification)
- [ ] Certificate of insurance (if applicable)
- [ ] Business license or registration
- [ ] Contact information (primary + backup)
- [ ] Banking/payment details for invoicing

### Agreement Documents
- [ ] Signed contract or statement of work
- [ ] NDA (if handling confidential information)
- [ ] Service level agreement (if applicable)
- [ ] Data processing agreement (if handling personal data)
- [ ] Terms and conditions acknowledged

### Operational Setup
- [ ] Add to project management tool
- [ ] Create shared communication channel
- [ ] Grant necessary system/tool access
- [ ] Share brand guidelines or style guides
- [ ] Provide login credentials for relevant platforms
- [ ] Schedule kickoff meeting

### Compliance Checks
- [ ] Verify business registration
- [ ] Confirm insurance coverage meets requirements
- [ ] Review data handling practices (if applicable)
- [ ] Check references (for new relationships)

Vendor-Type Customization

Adjust the checklist based on vendor type:

• Software/SaaS: Add security review, data backup provisions, uptime SLA
• Physical goods: Add quality standards, shipping terms, return/defect policy
• Professional services: Add portfolio review, deliverable templates, revision process
• Manufacturing: Add quality inspection schedule, sample approval process, minimum order terms

GATE: Present checklist for user review and customization.

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Phase 3: Communication Setup

Define how the vendor relationship will operate day-to-day.

Kickoff Meeting Agenda

## Vendor Kickoff Meeting

**Duration:** 30-45 minutes
**Attendees:** [Your name], [Vendor contact]

1. Introductions and relationship overview (5 min)
2. Scope and deliverables review (10 min)
3. Communication norms — preferred channels, response times (5 min)
4. Reporting and check-in cadence (5 min)
5. Escalation process for issues (5 min)
6. Questions and next steps (5 min)

Communication Framework

## Communication Norms

**Primary channel:** [Email / Slack / Project tool]
**Response time expectation:** [Within X hours for standard, X hours for urgent]
**Regular check-ins:** [Weekly / Biweekly / Monthly]
**Invoice submission:** [Process and timeline]
**Issue escalation:** [Contact person and method]

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Phase 4: Performance Framework

Set up how vendor performance will be tracked.

Performance Metrics

Define 3-5 measurable KPIs based on vendor type:

## Vendor Performance Metrics

| Metric | Target | Review Frequency |
|--------|--------|-----------------|
| On-time delivery rate | 95%+ | Monthly |
| Quality score / error rate | Under 2% | Monthly |
| Response time to requests | Under 24 hours | Quarterly |
| Invoice accuracy | 100% | Per invoice |

30-60-90 Day Review Schedule

• 30 days: Check-in on initial deliverables, communication quality, any early issues
• 60 days: First performance review against KPIs
• 90 days: Full review — continue, adjust, or terminate the relationship

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Anti-Patterns

• Skipping the NDA — if a vendor sees any business data, an NDA is not optional.
• No written scope — verbal agreements lead to scope disputes. Everything in writing.
• Granting full system access — give vendors the minimum access they need, not admin rights to everything.
• No payment terms documentation — unclear payment terms are the #1 cause of vendor conflicts.
• Onboarding without a trial period — always define a probationary period with clear evaluation criteria.

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Recovery

• Vendor is unresponsive during onboarding: Set a 48-hour deadline for documentation. If missed, flag it as a reliability risk before the relationship deepens.
• Vendor pushes back on documentation: Explain it protects both parties. If they refuse basic documentation, reconsider the partnership.
• Missing insurance or compliance docs: Provide templates or links to resources. Set a hard deadline before any work begins.
• Vendor relationship already started without onboarding: Create a retroactive checklist and schedule a "reset" meeting to fill gaps.
• Multiple vendors to onboard at once: Prioritize by risk level — onboard vendors handling sensitive data or critical operations first.