Unlimited free vendor reference form builder

Free AI Vendor Reference Check Form Generator

Describe the vendor, purchase category, and evidence you need. Makeform builds a structured vendor reference check form with comparable ratings, follow-up questions, and contact permission.

Unlimited free
Editable before publish
Comparable rating scales
Conditional follow-up questions

Explore form features

31129+ makers build faster

Used by tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity & Claude

Route reference responses to email, Slack, Google Sheets, and Zapier.

Sample prompts for the builder

Choose a procurement scenario, adapt the prompt, and send it to the Makeform builder.

Prompt ready4 formats

Sample prompt

Create a software vendor reference form. Collect the respondent's company, role, contract dates, product, and deployment size. Add 1-to-5 ratings for implementation, reliability, support, account management, pricing clarity, and renewal. Require context for ratings of 2 or lower, then ask what went well, what they would change, whether they would choose the vendor again, and whether we may follow up.

Audience

References for a shortlisted software vendor

Format

Scored questionnaire with conditional detail

Prompt size

403 chars

Brief qualitySends to builder

Example form structure

Scored questionnaire with conditional detail

Prompt exampleEditable in builder

Respondent, company, and role

Short answerFirst ask

Contract period and deployment scope

Short answer

Rate delivery, support, and value

Rating scale

Explain any rating of 2 or lower

Long answer

May we contact you for follow-up?

Yes / no

Suggested routing tags

Suggested

Reference complete

Follow-up needed

Risk flagged

Ask for the contract period, scope, and respondent role before requesting ratings so you can judge relevance.

Step 1

Context

relationship, scope, dates, and respondent role

Step 2

Score

consistent criteria on one rating scale

Step 3

Explain

examples behind strengths and risk flags

Step 4

Compare

reference evidence ready for vendor review

Better reference evidence

Turn friendly introductions into decision-ready feedback.

Give every reference the same core questions and room for specific examples.

Comparable questions

Use one rating scale and shared criteria, plus category-specific questions.

Follow up on weak scores

Request context after a low rating, incident, or non-renewal.

Traceable context

Record who responded, what they bought, and when the relationship occurred.

Four procurement scenarios

Adapt the check to what the vendor must deliver.

Start with the closest purchase scenario, then edit the criteria.

Software and platforms

Implementation, reliability, support, adoption, account management, pricing changes, and renewal experience.

Operational services

Schedule adherence, staff consistency, work quality, escalation, invoice accuracy, and urgent response.

Consulting and agencies

Expertise, communication, staffing continuity, change control, budget management, and deliverable quality.

Manufacturing and distribution

Quality consistency, order accuracy, lead times, shortage communication, returns, and corrective action.

Reference-check workflow

Build a fair check before contacting past clients.

Define the evidence, generate the form, and send consistent core questions.

Explore form features

Describe the purchase and risks

Name the category, scope, contract model, locations, and risks references should address.

Edit questions and scoring

Define scale endpoints, add category questions, and allow a not-observed response.

Send a consistent request

Share the form link, explain its purpose, and request contact permission.

Review ratings with context

Compare responses and note differences in engagement size, recency, and scope.

Form, email, or call

Choose a method that preserves comparable evidence.

Use the form for shared facts and follow-up calls for clarification.

Approach

What you collect

Best use

ApproachUnstructured phone call

What you collectRich conversation, but wording and notes vary by interviewer.

Best useClarifying a specific concern after structured feedback.

ApproachQuestions sent by email

What you collectWritten answers, often mixed into a long message and hard to compare.

Best useA small number of targeted follow-up questions.

Approach

Generated online form

What you collectShared context fields, defined rating scales, conditional detail, and one response per reference.

Best useRunning a repeatable reference stage for a shortlist.

Field guide

What a vendor reference check form should include.

Combine relevant relationship context, defined ratings, and concrete examples.

Respondent context

Know who observed the work.

Capture the respondent's responsibility and direct exposure before asking for opinions.

Name, organization, title, and contact.
Relationship to the vendor.
Follow-up permission and preference.

Relationship profile

Test whether the reference is comparable.

Record the period, scope, scale, and locations to judge relevance.

Dates and current status.
Products, locations, and scale.
Contract model and ending reason.

Performance scores

Define one scale for core criteria.

Define both endpoints and provide a not-observed option instead of forcing a guess.

Quality, timeliness, and scope.
Communication and responsiveness.
Invoicing, support, and resolution.

Examples and exceptions

Ask what sits behind the rating.

Require an example for a weak rating or reported disruption.

One strength or outcome.
A delay, defect, or surprise.
Response and corrective action.

Risk and change

Surface what changed over time.

Ask neutrally about performance changes and recurring problems.

Staffing, quality, or lead-time changes.
Recurring issues and corrective action.
Dependencies a new customer should plan for.

Overall assessment

Close with a decision-oriented summary.

Invite a summary that procurement can weigh with other evaluation evidence.

Would the client choose the vendor again?
What should a new customer clarify?
Additional context and contact permission.

Related tools

Support the rest of your vendor review workflow.

Collect supplier applications, evaluation scores, registration data, and onboarding details.

Explore all AI tools

AI Supplier Evaluation and Feedback Form Generator

Score suppliers on delivery, quality, service, and relationships.

Open tool

AI Vendor Application Form Generator

Collect initial company, capability, category, and contact information from prospective vendors.

Open tool

AI Vendor Registration Form Generator

Structure the operational details needed to register a selected vendor.

Open tool

AI New Vendor Onboarding Checklist Generator

Organize ownership and tasks after selection moves into onboarding.

Open tool

Vendor Onboarding Form AI Generator

Gather contacts, setup information, and handoff details for a new supplier relationship.

Open tool

AI Vendor or Supplier Inquiry Form Generator

Route questions from vendors and suppliers to the appropriate internal owner.

Open tool

FAQ

Vendor reference check form questions

Practical answers for procurement teams gathering feedback from a vendor's past or current clients.

What is a vendor reference check form?

It is a structured questionnaire for a vendor's past or current clients. It captures relationship context, comparable performance ratings, examples, renewal history, and follow-up permission as evaluation evidence.

What questions should I ask a vendor reference?

Ask about the respondent's role, service period, scope, and scale. Rate quality, timeliness, communication, commercial management, support, and issue resolution. Request examples, renewal context, willingness to choose the vendor again, and advice for a future customer.

How many vendor references should receive the form?

Set a consistent requirement for your process. Prioritize recent, comparable engagements and respondents who observed performance directly. Note differences in size, region, product, and contract model before comparing ratings.

How do I make reference ratings comparable?

Use the same core criteria, define both scale endpoints, and include a not-observed option. Separate category questions, and review scope, recency, and examples alongside the ratings.

Can the form ask follow-up questions after a low rating?

Yes. Show a detail field after a low score, missed obligation, unresolved issue, or non-renewal. Ask what occurred, its impact, the vendor's response, and whether it repeated. Keep wording neutral.

Should I replace reference calls with a form?

Use the form for consistent baseline facts and ratings, then call to clarify a risk or unusual score. Ask for contact permission and document the conversation separately from the submitted response.

Is the vendor reference check form generator free?

Yes. Makeform is unlimited free for generating, editing, publishing, and collecting responses. The paid tier removes the Makeform badge. Edit the questions and scales before sharing the form.

How should procurement review conflicting references?

Check for differences in product, period, region, scale, or contract model. Read the supporting examples and follow up on material conflicts. Record uncertainty instead of averaging unlike experiences.

Build a repeatable reference stage.

Generate a vendor reference check form for evidence you can compare.

Unlimited freeFour complete prompt examplesStructured scores with follow-up detail

Browse templates