QA vendor RFP checklist for retail systems

1. State the systems in scope and the moments that matter.List POS (point of sale: the till software and hardware that rings up store sales, takes card payments and prints receipts.), OMS (order management system: software that routes, splits and tracks customer orders across stores, warehouses and carriers.), WMS (warehouse management system: software that runs receiving, storage, picking and shipping inside a distribution center.), ecommerce platform, apps, payments and loyalty, plus peak dates and planned migrations.
2. Ask for one published case per system in scope.Request the URL on the vendor's domain so the case can be reopened and checked later.
3. Ask which clients will take a reference call.A reference per case lets you confirm metrics that the vendor alone publishes.
4. Ask for certificate numbers and the certificate body.ISO 27001, ISO 9001 or SOC 2 claims carry weight only with a number that the issuing body lists.
5. Ask for the PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard: the security rules for any business that stores, processes or transmits card data.) and data handling scope in writing.Payment flows and customer data need a written description of how test data is created and protected.
6. Ask for links to review platform profiles.A profile on Clutch, G2 or GoodFirms shows how many clients reviewed the vendor and how recently.
7. Ask for pilot, SLA (service level agreement: written commitments on response time, availability or turnaround that a vendor accepts in its contract.) and exit terms.Written terms on a pilot, response times and notice periods make the engagement comparable across vendors.
8. Ask for the named delivery lead and the team shape.The people who will test your systems matter more than the vendor's total headcount.
9. Score answers against the same rubric for every vendor.A shared rubric, such as the eight dimensions on this site, keeps the comparison on evidence.

Published by the editor of retailqavendors.com. Last reviewed 2026-11-03.