| name | 67-agency-vendor-brief-global |
| description | Use when briefing or managing an EXTERNAL agency, freelancer, or production vendor — scope of work, deliverable specs, revision rounds, approval process, USD payment milestones, IP assignment and confidentiality terms, communication rules, and a post-project vendor scorecard. Trigger on 'brief an agency', 'hire a freelancer', 'scope of work', 'the agency is not delivering', 'onboard a new vendor', 'we keep paying for work we have to redo'. Also use when the user is about to sign a supplier with nothing written down. Not for — briefing an internal team member, see `64-team-brief-global`; the campaign brief itself, see `02-campaign-brief-global`; the asset list the vendor produces, see `41-campaign-asset-list-global`. |
| metadata | {"version":"1.0.1","category":"operations"} |
| license | MIT |
| triggers | ["brief an agency","hire a freelancer","manage a vendor","scope of work","the agency is not delivering","onboard a new vendor","brief a production house","vendor scorecard"] |
| output | File .md — a brief complete enough that the agency delivers correctly without five meetings: scope, specs, timeline, payment, IP, evaluation |
| related | ["64-team-brief-global","02-campaign-brief-global","41-campaign-asset-list-global","61-budget-planning-global","47-design-review-global","62-marketing-review-global"] |
Agency and Vendor Brief (Global)
Agencies usually deliver the wrong thing not because they are bad, but because the brief was thin and expectations never matched. A good brief means fewer revisions, on time, on budget. Treat the vendor as a professional partner rather than hired hands: a clear brief plus clear feedback produces the best work.
Information gathering
Read the campaign brief (02-campaign-brief-global) and the asset list (41-campaign-asset-list-global) if available. If missing, ask up to 4 questions:
- What exactly are you hiring for? Video production, design, media buying, PR, creator booking, landing page development?
- Timeline and hard deadline? Start date and the date the final must exist.
- Approved budget in USD? Is tax included, and what are the payment terms (net 15, net 30, milestone-based)?
- What specific deliverables must you receive, and who is the single point of contact on your side?
Principles
- Always brief in writing. No matter how good the relationship, a verbal brief gives you nothing to point at in a dispute.
- Feedback comes from ONE person. Multiple simultaneous reviewers confuse the vendor and stretch revision cycles.
- Fix the number of included revision rounds. Unlimited revisions disrespects both sides' time.
- State what is NOT included. This is the only reliable way to stop scope creep.
- Pay by milestone. Never pay 100% before work starts.
- Score the vendor after every project. Build an internal database so the next selection is fast and correct.
Workflow
1. Prepare before sourcing
Lock four things: a measurable project objective, a budget ceiling, a hard deadline, and the minimum acceptable deliverable. If those four are not clear, you are not ready to brief an agency.
2. Write and send the brief
Use the template below. Send it with the brand guideline, the brand voice document, and 3-5 good references plus the references you do not want.
3. Collect quotes and lock scope
Compare quotes against the same scope, not on headline price. Confirm in writing: scope, number of revision rounds, timeline, payment milestones, and the contract terms in section 9.
4. Run the project
Keep one point of contact on each side. Give feedback within the window you committed to — if the agency slips because your feedback was late, that is on you. Feedback must be specific and actionable, never "make it better".
