Artifact: Vendor Dossier
This records and ties all of the vendor data that represents a single instance of vendor information into a logical unit.
Domains: Requirements
Purpose

The purpose of the Vendor Dossier is to capture all of the information regarding a single vendor who sells or supports a COTS package. The Vendor Dossier provides an index that identifies and locates all of the information that represents the identification and description of a vendor. This information is produced and stored in different formats. Some of it (for example, contact information for the vendor)might be physically stored as part of the Vendor Dossier. Other information might be indexed by the Vendor Dossier but stored elsewhere. For example, vendor demographics might be at a web site or contained in vendor survey reports.

The Vendor Dossier artifact accumulates and organizes information sufficient to:

  • Record the history of contacts with the vendor regarding a COTS package(s) they sell or support
  • Record raw (unfiltered) information about a vendor gathered directly from the vendor and from third parties (for example, correspondence and reviews by other users, trade journal articles, business/financial analysis, etc.)
  • Record processed (filtered) vendor data obtained during due diligence including vendor financial/ business strengths and weaknesses
  • Prescribe the development and managing of the relationship with a vendor

A Vendor Dossier is a living document that represents the state of knowledge about a vendor during the time the vendor's COTS package(s) is considered for, used in, and maintained in the Executing System.

Relationships
Tailoring
Representation Options
  • You might need additional appendices to explain certain aspects, such as the rationale of certain critical choices or to define acronyms or abbreviations.
  • The order of the sections may vary, depending on the stakeholders and their focus or interest.