Supplier Evaluation
Media supplier evaluation
Evaluate media suppliers by brief fit, delivery evidence, reporting, total cost and change terms before approving a booking.
Choose a media supplier by checking whether its proposed inventory fits the brief, whether its delivery claims can be assessed and whether its terms let you respond to a change. Record the reasons for the choice before approving a booking.
Media supplier evaluation workflow
- Set criteriaGive shortlisted suppliers the same campaign outcome, Australian market, audience, dates, spending ceiling and creative constraints.
- Check people and evidenceAsk for a comparable booking example, reporting period and explanation of material differences.
- Compare the payable offerPut proposals on the same stated AUD and GST basis and review change and remedy terms.
- Record the choiceRetain the selected proposal version, decision reasons and approval date.
Set the criteria before comparing suppliers
Give shortlisted suppliers the same campaign outcome, Australian market, audience, dates, spending ceiling and creative constraints. Identify essential conditions, then ask each supplier to state its assumptions and any departures from the brief.
Evaluate the offer you would buy. A supplier's total audience may be much broader than the proposed placement, and a forecast is not necessarily a delivery commitment. Check the actual proposal and booking terms.
| Decision area | Question to settle | Evidence to retain |
|---|---|---|
| Brief fit | Which audience, market and communication task does the placement serve? | Placement description and targeting assumptions |
| Commitment | Which quantity, dates and units are contracted, forecast or merely available? | Proposal and booking terms |
| Delivery confidence | What comparable commitment has the supplier handled? | An appropriately anonymised booking and delivery example |
| Visibility | Which placement, cost and delivery fields will the advertiser receive? | Sample report and field definitions |
| Change control | What can be cancelled, moved or made good, and at what cost? | Applicable terms and approval route |
Commitment terms in media proposals
- Contracted
- Quantity, dates and units agreed in the booking terms.
- Forecast
- An estimate of future delivery; not necessarily a delivery commitment.
- Available
- Inventory that may be offered; check whether it has been booked.
Check the people and evidence
Ask for an example resembling the proposed format and buying route. Look for the original commitment, what ran, the reporting period and an explanation of material differences. A favourable result slide without the booked inventory or counting method offers little evidence of delivery. A reference may help assess working practice, but cannot guarantee future delivery.
Identify who will set up the campaign, monitor it and resolve a missed placement. Ask for the approval route and response contact.
The ANA survey found that qualitative criteria carried more weight in agency performance evaluations than quantitative communications criteria or business metrics. It identified innovation, strategy, implementation and follow-through, fiscal stewardship, ideas, teamwork and meeting project objectives as commonly used criteria.
Use those dimensions as prompts when assessing a proposed team: ask for evidence of how it will implement the booking, work collaboratively and steward the campaign budget. These are assessment prompts, not a prescribed scoring method.
ANA criteria used in agency performance evaluations
- Innovation
- Strategy
- Implementation and follow-through
- Fiscal stewardship
- Ideas
- Teamwork
- Meeting project objectives
Compare the payable offer
Put proposals on the same stated AUD and GST basis. Identify media, service, technology, data, production and reporting charges where disclosed. Keep an all-in charge bundled if its parts are unavailable; compare its deliverable and total payable amount without inventing an inventory price.
Read the change and remedy terms before relying on a delivery promise. Replacement media may differ in timing or usefulness, and fees depend on the agreement. Ask who confirms any revised terms.
Record the choice
For each feasible supplier, note its strongest fit, material limitation and unanswered question. Reject an option that misses an essential condition. Retain the selected proposal version, decision reasons and approval date so later delivery can be compared with what was bought.
In this guide
- Comparing proposals against the same media briefPut media proposals on the same brief, delivery basis, cost boundary and reporting standard before choosing a supplier.
- Checking delivery evidence before choosing a supplierAsk for a comparable booking, delivery report and exception record to assess a media supplier's delivery claim.
- Reviewing cancellation and makegood termsCheck change cut-offs, cancellation charges, shortfall triggers, replacement inventory and fees before accepting a media deal.
- Asking for transparent placement reportingSpecify placement IDs, dates, delivery units, spend basis and omissions so supplier reports can be checked against the approved buy.
