What should a team ask software vendor references?

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• 5th August 2026 at 4:11 pm #3312

  NNick Oscar

  A friendly reference can confirm that a product was purchased without showing whether it worked in a similar environment. Which questions would produce useful evidence?

  5th August 2026 at 4:11 pm #3313

  NNick Oscar

  Accepted editorial answer

  First confirm relevance: organization size, use case, user count, integrations, data sensitivity, implementation date, and the reference person’s role. Then ask for specific examples of delays, workarounds, support incidents, adoption problems, and results.

  Separate the supplier’s performance from the product’s fit. Ask what changed after the contract was signed, which customer resources were required, what the reference would plan differently, and whether the product is still used for its original purpose. Record facts and context instead of turning the call into an unqualified score.

  AFARS evaluation guidance notes that reference information should be considered in context and for relevance. FAR 15.305 likewise considers the source, context, and trends in past performance information.

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