UnityPeakVentures LLC

Resources

Practical procurement guides and checklists.

Educational materials to help you think through common procurement topics. General information only — not legal, tax, financial, or regulatory advice.
Guide

How to Build a Supplier Evaluation Scorecard

A scorecard turns supplier reviews from opinion into a repeatable comparison.

Checklist

Procurement Process Improvement: A Practical Checklist

Use these questions to find where purchasing slows down or loses visibility.

Explainer

RFI vs. RFQ vs. RFP: Understanding the Differences

Each request type serves a different stage of sourcing.

Guide

Supplier Risk Assessment Fundamentals

Understanding where you depend on suppliers is the first step to managing risk.

Checklist

Purchasing Policy Essentials

A short, clear policy usually works better than a long one nobody reads.

Guide

Procurement Spend Analysis for Small Businesses

You do not need special software to start understanding your spend.

Guide · Educational material

How to Build a Supplier Evaluation Scorecard

A scorecard turns supplier reviews from opinion into a repeatable comparison.

  1. 1.Choose four to six criteria that matter to your business, such as quality, delivery reliability, responsiveness, total cost, and compliance documentation.
  2. 2.Give each criterion a weight that reflects its importance, so the weights add up to 100%.
  3. 3.Define what a 1, 3, and 5 score look like for each criterion, so different reviewers score consistently.
  4. 4.Review key suppliers on a regular schedule and record the evidence behind each score.
  5. 5.Share results with suppliers and agree on improvement actions where scores fall short.
Checklist · Educational material

Procurement Process Improvement: A Practical Checklist

Use these questions to find where purchasing slows down or loses visibility.

  1. 1.Is there one clear way for staff to request a purchase?
  2. 2.Does everyone know who can approve which amounts?
  3. 3.Are purchase orders issued before goods or services are received?
  4. 4.Can you see total spend by supplier and category without manual work?
  5. 5.Are supplier contracts and renewal dates stored in one place?
  6. 6.Is there a regular review of your most important suppliers?
Explainer · Educational material

RFI vs. RFQ vs. RFP: Understanding the Differences

Each request type serves a different stage of sourcing.

  1. 1.RFI (Request for Information): used early to learn what suppliers offer and who could meet your needs.
  2. 2.RFQ (Request for Quotation): used when requirements are well defined and the main question is price and terms.
  3. 3.RFP (Request for Proposal): used when you want suppliers to propose a solution, and you will compare approach, capability, and price together.
  4. 4.Many sourcing projects move from RFI to RFP or RFQ as requirements become clearer.
Guide · Educational material

Supplier Risk Assessment Fundamentals

Understanding where you depend on suppliers is the first step to managing risk.

  1. 1.List suppliers you could not easily replace and what you buy from each.
  2. 2.Consider financial, operational, geographic, and compliance risks for each key supplier.
  3. 3.Rate each risk by how likely it is and how much it would affect your business.
  4. 4.Identify backup options or mitigation steps for the highest-rated risks.
  5. 5.Revisit the assessment when suppliers, products, or markets change.
Checklist · Educational material

Purchasing Policy Essentials

A short, clear policy usually works better than a long one nobody reads.

  1. 1.Purpose and scope: what purchases the policy covers.
  2. 2.Roles: who requests, who approves, and who places orders.
  3. 3.Approval thresholds by amount or category.
  4. 4.When competitive quotes are required.
  5. 5.How new suppliers are onboarded and reviewed.
  6. 6.Record-keeping and how exceptions are handled.
Guide · Educational material

Procurement Spend Analysis for Small Businesses

You do not need special software to start understanding your spend.

  1. 1.Export twelve months of payments from your accounting system.
  2. 2.Standardize supplier names so the same supplier is not listed several ways.
  3. 3.Group spend into a small number of categories that make sense for your business.
  4. 4.Sort by total spend to find the suppliers and categories that matter most.
  5. 5.Look for patterns: many small suppliers for the same need, rising prices, or unplanned purchases.

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