LearnGrokUse this workflow to turn supplier evidence into one renewal scorecard, one recommendation and a list of decisions still needed. It is for operations managers preparing a supplier review before a contract renewal, extension or re-tender.
The output is a decision record, not just a summary. It should show where each conclusion came from, what is unverified and who must decide the open points.
1. Set up the review file
Create a folder named [Supplier] renewal review [YYYY-MM]. Add these files before asking the model to compare anything:
- The current signed contract, amendments and statement of work.
- The service level agreement and the latest service report.
- Monthly performance reports for the review period.
- The incident log, including severity, date opened, date resolved and business impact.
- Invoices, credits, disputed charges and approved price changes.
- Stakeholder feedback from service users, procurement, finance, security and the contract owner.
- The previous scorecard and any actions agreed at the last supplier review.
Create a spreadsheet called Renewal scorecard working. Add these columns:
| Area | Evidence source | Finding | Score | Weight | Weighted score | Owner | Open question |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service performance | Monthly reports | ||||||
| Contract compliance | Contract and amendments | ||||||
| Commercial position | Invoices and pricing schedule | ||||||
| Service issues | Incident log | ||||||
| Stakeholder feedback | Feedback record | ||||||
| Supplier capability | Review meeting notes |
Use a fixed scoring scale. For example, use 1 for unacceptable, 2 for below expectation, 3 for meets expectation, 4 for exceeds expectation and 5 for consistently strong. Write the meaning of each score at the top of the sheet.
Key point
Keep evidence separate from judgement
A score without a named report, contract clause, incident or feedback record is an opinion. Mark it as such or remove it.
2. Extract the contract baseline
Read the contract first. Do not begin with stakeholder sentiment or the latest supplier presentation.
Make a document called Contract baseline. Record the exact wording, section reference and source document for:
- Contract start and end dates, notice requirements and extension options.
- Scope of service, exclusions and customer responsibilities.
- Service levels, reporting duties, remedies and service credits.
- Price schedule, indexation, volume assumptions and change-control terms.
- Exit support, data return, transition support and any dependencies.
- Governance meetings, escalation route and named roles.
Ask the model to produce a structured extraction, then check every clause reference against the signed document. Use a prompt such as:
Extract the renewal-relevant obligations from this contract. For each item, give the clause reference, exact obligation, evidence needed to test it, and any wording that is unclear. Do not infer obligations that are not stated.
If the model is processing documents through an API or a workspace, confirm the current document handling and feature behaviour in the xAI documentation overview. These details are version-dependent.
Watch out
Do not treat a summary as the contract
Amendments, order forms and change notices may alter the original terms. Compare them before recording a compliance finding.
3. Build an evidence ledger
Create a tab called Evidence ledger. Give every item an ID, such as PERF-01 or INC-07. Record the source, reporting period, relevant contract clause and a short factual statement.
For service performance, calculate results from the underlying reports where possible. Record both the reported result and the target. For incidents, separate recurring low-severity issues from isolated serious failures. For commercial data, distinguish agreed charges from disputed charges and one-off credits.
Use the model to normalise different report formats. Ask it to return a table only, with these fields:
- Evidence ID
- Date or period
- Metric or issue
- Target or contractual requirement
- Actual result
- Source filename and page or section
- Missing information
Do not ask it for a recommendation yet. At this stage, you are building an auditable record.
Check
The ledger is ready when every material claim can be traced
Select five findings at random. You should be able to open the source file and find the supporting figure, date or clause quickly.
4. Gather stakeholder feedback consistently
Send the same questions to each stakeholder group. Put their unedited answers in Stakeholder feedback raw, then create a separate Stakeholder feedback summary.
Ask:
- Which supplier service has helped your team meet its objectives?
- Which issue has caused the most operational impact?
- What has changed since the last review?
- What must improve if the supplier is renewed?
- Would you support renewal, conditional renewal, market testing or replacement? Why?
Label feedback as factual, experience-based or preference. A complaint about a missed delivery date is factual if the date is evidenced. A view that the supplier is difficult to work with is experience-based. Keep both, but do not score them as if they carry the same kind of proof.
5. Score each area and write the recommendation
Complete the working sheet with the evidence in front of you. Apply weights only after agreeing them with the contract owner. A critical service area may deserve more weight than a minor administrative measure, but record why.
Ask the model to draft three distinct sections from your completed sheet:
- Performance summary: key results, trend and material failures.
- Recommendation: renew, renew with conditions, extend while re-tendering, or do not renew.
- Open questions: missing evidence, decisions required and owners.
Use this instruction:
Draft a renewal scorecard from the supplied evidence ledger and stakeholder summary. Cite evidence IDs for every material statement. Separate facts, assumptions and stakeholder views. State the strongest case against the recommendation. Do not make legal conclusions.
A conditional renewal must name the conditions, owner, due date and consequence if the supplier does not meet them. Avoid vague wording such as improve communication.
6. Check for wrong or misleading output
The most convincing draft can still be wrong. Check numbers, dates, clause references and the direction of any trend against the source files. Look especially for a model merging two reporting periods, treating a supplier assertion as evidence, or missing an amendment that changed a target.
| If you see this | Check this | Do this next |
|---|---|---|
| A high score with repeated incidents | Incident severity and business impact | Reassess the service issue score and explain the trade-off |
| A claimed breach | Signed clause and amendment history | Ask the contract owner or qualified reviewer to confirm the interpretation |
| Positive feedback but poor metrics | Whether the metric measures the service users value | Keep both findings and state the conflict |
| A missing result | Report period and data owner | List it as an open question, not a pass |
Stop
Do not let the model decide contractual meaning
Use it to organise clauses and draft questions. A qualified reviewer must decide whether conduct creates a breach, remedy or notice requirement.
7. Hold the decision meeting and hand over
Send the scorecard at least with the evidence ledger and a one-page decision summary. In the meeting, confirm the recommendation, score changes, conditions and owners. Record dissent rather than smoothing it away.
After the meeting, issue Renewal scorecard final and an Action log. The action log needs the action, owner, due date, evidence of completion and review date. Save the final scorecard, signed decision record and source documents in the supplier folder.
If the output is incomplete, do not ask for a more confident recommendation. Return to the missing source, assign an owner and mark the score as provisional. If stakeholders disagree, show the disagreement, the evidence on each side and the decision needed from the contract owner.
