Guide 04 of 10 · Governance and Ethics
Buy the substance, not the demo.
A practical way for Canadian organizations to evaluate AI vendors and platforms: the criteria, questions, test and contract terms that compare offers on what matters.
AI Vendor and Platform Evaluation
Written for
Procurement, IT, legal, privacy and security leads, and the business owners who sponsor AI purchases.
You leave with
Weighted evaluation criteria, a vendor question set, a proof-of-value plan, contract terms, a contract register and a 30-day plan.
The working tools
- Tool A: AI vendor evaluation criteria
- Tool B: Vendor question set
- Tool C: Proof-of-value plan
- Tool D: Contract terms checklist
- Worksheet E: AI contract register
$7.11M
the average cost of a data breach in Canada in 2026, in Canadian dollars, a record. Supply chain compromise added more to the bill than any other factor.
Source: IBM, Cost of a Data Breach, Canada, July 202629 pages · PDF · October 2026 edition
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