Essential Work Samples for Evaluating AI Vendor Selection Skills

The ability to effectively evaluate and select AI vendors has become a critical skill in today's technology-driven business landscape. As organizations increasingly rely on artificial intelligence to drive innovation and efficiency, the stakes for choosing the right AI partners have never been higher. A poor vendor selection can lead to wasted resources, failed implementations, and missed opportunities for competitive advantage.

Assessing a candidate's ability to navigate the complex AI vendor landscape requires more than just reviewing their resume or asking theoretical questions. Practical work samples provide a window into how candidates approach vendor evaluation in real-world scenarios, revealing their analytical thinking, technical understanding, and business acumen. These exercises demonstrate whether candidates can balance technical requirements with business objectives while considering factors like scalability, integration capabilities, and total cost of ownership.

The following work samples are designed to simulate the actual challenges professionals face when evaluating AI vendors. They test a candidate's ability to systematically assess vendor capabilities, define clear requirements, critically analyze vendor claims, and negotiate favorable terms while managing risks. By observing candidates work through these exercises, hiring managers can gain valuable insights into their decision-making process and expertise.

Implementing these work samples in your hiring process will help identify candidates who not only understand AI technology but can also make strategic vendor selections that align with organizational goals. The right talent in this area can significantly impact your organization's AI adoption success, ensuring investments deliver meaningful business value while minimizing risks.

Activity #1: AI Vendor Evaluation Matrix

This exercise tests a candidate's ability to create a structured framework for comparing multiple AI vendors against key criteria. It demonstrates their analytical thinking, attention to detail, and ability to prioritize factors that matter most for successful AI implementations. The exercise reveals whether candidates take a comprehensive approach to vendor evaluation or focus too narrowly on certain aspects while neglecting others.

Directions for the Company:

• Provide the candidate with basic information about a fictional company seeking an AI solution (e.g., a mid-sized financial services firm looking for a document processing AI solution).
• Supply profiles of three fictional AI vendors with varying strengths and weaknesses. Include information about their technology capabilities, pricing models, implementation timelines, support options, and client references.
• Allow 45-60 minutes for this exercise.
• Provide access to a spreadsheet tool or template for creating the evaluation matrix.
• Consider including some ambiguity in the vendor information to see how candidates handle uncertainty.

Directions for the Candidate:

• Create a comprehensive evaluation matrix to compare the three AI vendors.
• Identify and define 8-10 key evaluation criteria that would be most relevant for the company's needs.
• Assign appropriate weightings to each criterion based on their relative importance.
• Rate each vendor against the criteria using a consistent scoring system.
• Calculate weighted scores and provide a final recommendation with clear justification.
• Include notes on what additional information you would request from each vendor to make a more informed decision.

Feedback Mechanism:

• The interviewer should provide feedback on the comprehensiveness of the evaluation criteria and the logic behind the weightings.
• For improvement feedback, suggest one important criterion the candidate may have overlooked or a potential bias in their weighting system.
• Allow the candidate 10 minutes to revise their matrix based on the feedback, observing how they incorporate the new perspective.

Activity #2: AI Solution Requirements Planning

This exercise assesses a candidate's ability to translate business needs into clear technical requirements for an AI solution. It reveals their understanding of AI capabilities and limitations, as well as their skill in aligning technology with business objectives. The activity demonstrates whether candidates can think strategically about implementation considerations and potential challenges.

Directions for the Company:

• Provide a detailed business case for an AI implementation (e.g., implementing a customer service chatbot, predictive maintenance system, or fraud detection solution).
• Include information about the company's current systems, data environment, and business goals.
• Supply a requirements document template or outline to guide the candidate.
• Allow 45-60 minutes for this exercise.
• Be prepared to answer clarifying questions about the business case if needed.

Directions for the Candidate:

• Develop a comprehensive requirements document for the AI solution described in the business case.
• Include both functional requirements (what the system should do) and non-functional requirements (performance, security, scalability, etc.).
• Specify data requirements, including what data will be needed, where it will come from, and any data quality considerations.
• Outline integration requirements with existing systems.
• Identify potential implementation challenges and how they might be addressed.
• Define success metrics for evaluating vendor solutions against these requirements.

Feedback Mechanism:

• Provide positive feedback on the thoroughness of the requirements or the candidate's insight into potential implementation challenges.
• For improvement feedback, highlight an area where the requirements could be more specific or a critical consideration that was overlooked.
• Give the candidate 10 minutes to enhance the requirements document based on the feedback, noting how they incorporate the suggestions.

Activity #3: AI Vendor Presentation Analysis

This role play tests a candidate's ability to critically evaluate vendor claims and ask probing questions during presentations. It demonstrates their technical knowledge, critical thinking skills, and ability to identify potential gaps between vendor promises and actual capabilities. The exercise reveals whether candidates can see beyond marketing language to assess the true value and fit of an AI solution.

Directions for the Company:

• Create a fictional AI vendor presentation slide deck (10-15 slides) for a specific AI solution.
• Include some impressive but vague claims, technical specifications, case studies, and pricing information.
• Designate someone to play the role of the vendor representative who will deliver a 15-minute presentation.
• Brief this person on how to respond to questions (they should be knowledgeable but also have some prepared evasive or marketing-focused answers).
• Provide the candidate with the company's requirements and objectives for the AI solution before the presentation.

Directions for the Candidate:

• Review the company's requirements and objectives for the AI solution.
• Attend the vendor presentation, taking notes on key points and potential concerns.
• Prepare and ask at least 5-7 probing questions to evaluate the vendor's claims and the solution's fit with requirements.
• After the presentation, spend 15 minutes preparing a brief analysis that includes:
• Strengths and weaknesses of the proposed solution
• Areas where the vendor's claims need further verification
• Potential risks or gaps in the solution
• Recommendation on whether to continue considering this vendor

Feedback Mechanism:

• Provide positive feedback on the quality and insight of the candidate's questions or their analysis of the vendor's claims.
• For improvement feedback, suggest an important area of inquiry the candidate missed or a way they could have more effectively challenged a vendor claim.
• Allow the candidate 5 minutes to formulate 2-3 additional questions they would ask in a follow-up meeting with the vendor based on this feedback.

Activity #4: AI Contract Negotiation and Risk Assessment

This exercise evaluates a candidate's ability to identify and mitigate risks in AI vendor contracts while negotiating favorable terms. It demonstrates their understanding of legal, ethical, and operational considerations specific to AI implementations. The activity reveals whether candidates can protect company interests while building productive vendor relationships.

Directions for the Company:

• Provide a sample AI vendor contract (6-8 pages) with several problematic clauses related to data ownership, liability, service level agreements, pricing escalations, and exit terms.
• Include information about the company's risk tolerance and negotiation priorities.
• Allow 45-60 minutes for this exercise.
• Consider having someone role play as the vendor's representative for the negotiation portion.
• Prepare a list of concessions the "vendor" is willing to make and lines they won't cross.

Directions for the Candidate:

• Review the contract and identify at least 8-10 clauses that present potential risks or unfavorable terms.
• Prepare a risk assessment document that:
• Categorizes each issue by severity (high, medium, low)
• Explains the potential business impact of each problematic clause
• Suggests alternative language or terms for each issue
• Develop a negotiation strategy that prioritizes the most critical issues.
• Participate in a 15-minute role play negotiation with the vendor representative to address the top 3-4 issues.
• After the negotiation, document what terms were successfully renegotiated and what additional steps would be needed to mitigate remaining risks.

Feedback Mechanism:

• Provide positive feedback on the candidate's risk identification skills or negotiation approach.
• For improvement feedback, highlight a significant risk they may have overlooked or a more effective negotiation tactic they could have employed.
• Give the candidate 10 minutes to revise their risk assessment or negotiation strategy based on the feedback, noting how they incorporate the new perspective.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long should each of these work samples take to complete?

Each activity is designed to take approximately 45-60 minutes, though the vendor presentation analysis may require additional time for the presentation itself. For hiring processes with time constraints, you can select the most relevant 1-2 activities rather than conducting all four. Alternatively, you could assign one activity as pre-work before the interview.

Should we use real vendor information in these exercises?

It's best to create fictional vendors to avoid any potential confidentiality issues or biases. However, the fictional vendors should realistically reflect the types of AI solutions and vendors in your industry. If you want to make the exercise more authentic, you can model the fictional vendors after real companies without using their actual names or proprietary information.

How technical should we expect candidates to be in their evaluations?

This depends on the specific role you're hiring for. For technical roles like AI architects or data scientists involved in vendor selection, you should expect deeper technical analysis. For business or procurement roles, focus more on their ability to ask the right questions and identify business implications rather than technical specifications. Adjust the evaluation criteria accordingly.

Can these exercises be conducted remotely?

Yes, all of these activities can be adapted for remote interviews. For the vendor presentation analysis, you can conduct the presentation via video conference. For the other exercises, provide the materials electronically and use collaborative tools like Google Docs or Microsoft Office 365 to observe the candidate's work in real-time or have them share their screen while working.

How should we evaluate candidates who have different approaches but equally valid results?

Focus on the candidate's reasoning and process rather than expecting a specific "correct" answer. The best candidates will be able to clearly articulate why they made certain decisions or prioritized specific criteria. Look for logical consistency, thoroughness, and alignment with business objectives rather than adherence to a predetermined solution.

Should we customize these exercises for different industries or AI applications?

Absolutely. These exercises will be most effective when tailored to your specific industry and the types of AI solutions your organization is likely to implement. Customize the business cases, vendor profiles, and evaluation criteria to reflect relevant use cases and considerations for your field.

The ability to effectively evaluate and select AI vendors is becoming increasingly crucial as organizations across industries integrate artificial intelligence into their operations. By incorporating these practical work samples into your hiring process, you can identify candidates who possess not just theoretical knowledge but the practical skills needed to make sound vendor selection decisions that drive business value.

Remember that the best AI vendor selection specialists combine technical understanding with business acumen and strong analytical skills. They know how to look beyond flashy demos and marketing claims to assess the true capabilities and fit of AI solutions. These work samples will help you identify candidates who can navigate the complex AI vendor landscape and make decisions that position your organization for success in its AI initiatives.

For more resources to enhance your hiring process, check out Yardstick's AI Job Descriptions, AI Interview Question Generator, and AI Interview Guide Generator.

Build a complete interview guide for evaluating AI vendor selection skills by signing up for a free Yardstick account here