Vendor Reference Check Form Template

This vendor reference check form template asks a reference about work they experienced directly. Explore the engagement’s relevance, delivery, communication, and limitations before deciding which points need further verification.

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This vendor reference check form template asks a reference about work they experienced directly. Explore the engagement’s relevance, delivery, communication, and limitations before deciding which points need further verification.

A positive reference is more useful when you understand what the vendor actually did. This SurveyLegend form starts with the engagement context and asks for both strengths and constraints without requesting confidential contracts or commercial details.

When to use this survey

Use it with a reference who has agreed to discuss the vendor’s work. Describe your proposed engagement at a nonconfidential level so the reference can judge relevance. Send an email survey with a clear explanation of who will review the response and how it will support selection.

7 questions for your vendor reference check form

Answer only from your direct experience with the vendor named in the invitation and share only information you are authorized to disclose. All questions are optional. Do not include contracts, pricing, personal information or confidential project details.

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Explore this 7-question example at your own pace. Every question is optional.

SurveyLegend demo Question 1 of 7

Vendor Reference Check Form

01 At a nonconfidential level, what work did the vendor provide for your organization?

Share your answer, or skip this question.

02 When did you most recently work with this vendor?

Choose one answer, or skip this question.

03 How similar was that work to the proposed engagement described in the invitation?

Choose one answer, or skip this question.

04 How consistently did the vendor meet agreed delivery commitments?

Choose one answer, or skip this question.

05 How clear was the vendor’s communication when a problem or change occurred?

Choose one answer, or skip this question.

06 What did the vendor do particularly well in your experience?

Share your answer, or skip this question.

07 What limitation or condition should a prospective customer understand?

Share your answer, or skip this question.

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Customize your vendor reference check form

Keep the proposed engagement description consistent across references. Record how each reference was selected in the evaluation team’s separate notes. Ask for permission before contacting anyone and verify the person’s relevant role through an appropriate process. Do not turn this questionnaire into a request for confidential documents or public testimonial permission.

Printable vendor reference check form template

Use a blank copy as a structured interview guide or a form the reference can complete. Mark whether answers were written by the reference or recorded by an interviewer, and confirm the accuracy of interview notes. Keep the form in the approved vendor-evaluation process.

First page of the printable Vendor Reference Check Form Template with questions and answer spaces
Download Vendor Reference Check Form Template (PDF)

Create your vendor reference check form with AI

Copy this prompt into an AI assistant to draft the questions. Review the draft, then build and customize the survey in SurveyLegend before sharing.

Copy the prompt into an AI assistant to draft the questions, then build your survey in SurveyLegend.

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How to use the answers

Compare experiences with similar scope and recency before comparing opinions. Organize open-ended data into delivery, communication and limitations, preserving the conditions attached to each statement. A reference selected by the vendor is not a representative sample of every customer. Use it alongside other appropriate evaluation evidence.

Hada, Grewal and Lilien’s 2014 research studied “supplier-selected referrals” through three experiments. The vendor reference research examines how the supplier, referrer and prospective customer interact. It informs the practical decision to record reference context and selection, rather than treating every endorsement as equivalent. The research does not certify a vendor or validate this original form.

Frequently asked questions

Is one favorable reference enough to choose a vendor?

Treat it as one perspective. Consider whether the work is comparable and use other evidence appropriate to the selection decision.

Can answers be published as testimonials?

This form is for evaluation. Do not treat a reference response as permission to publish a quote or identify the customer.

Should a reference share contract details?

Ask only for information they are authorized to disclose. This template deliberately avoids contracts, prices and confidential records.