# Using the buyer worksheets

Download the worksheets from https://agencyfieldguide.com/guides. Use them to compare evidence and scope, not to turn an uncertain decision into a falsely precise score.

## Comparison scorecard

Import the CSV into a spreadsheet, with comma as the delimiter. Its weighted-score cells contain ordinary spreadsheet formulas. Depending on import settings, you may need to enable formula interpretation. CSV does not carry formatting, validation rules or multiple tabs.

Create a copy for each agency and each reviewer. Add the provider name, review date and brief version in the spreadsheet. Enter whole-number ratings from 0 through 5 only. Preserve the five weights: services fit 25, client fit 20, team 20, pricing 15 and evidence 20. A rating is multiplied by its weight divided by five. The total stays blank until all five rating cells contain numbers.

Use the existing AFG evidence scale:

- 0: No answer or no evidence.
- 1: A claim with serious contradictions.
- 2: Generic answer with little supporting detail.
- 3: Credible answer with an important gap.
- 4: Strong relevant evidence with a minor caveat.
- 5: Specific, checkable evidence that maps directly to the situation.

Resolve hard gates first: unacceptable conflicts, required security/privacy capabilities, firm budget limits, necessary geography or language, start date and non-negotiable commercial terms. A numerical score cannot override a failed hard gate.

Review independently, then discuss differences. Do not invent a universal pass score or let an average conceal a fatal mismatch. Use the supporting-evidence and unanswered-question columns to record sources and follow-up owners. The scale is a decision aid, not an externally validated prediction of agency success.

Manual arithmetic if formulas do not import: services rating × 5 + client-fit rating × 4 + team rating × 4 + pricing rating × 3 + evidence rating × 4. Five maximum ratings yield 100. Ratings of 3 throughout yield 60.

## Quote comparison

Enter the same period in months for each option. Put an explicit zero only where a cost is confirmed absent or included elsewhere, and name where it is included. Leave unknown amounts blank and flag them for confirmation.

Total cash commitment = one-time setup + other one-time costs + months × (monthly agency fee + excluded production + media + incremental technology) + applicable taxes and other period charges.

Keep internal hours separate from cash charges unless assigning an explicit internal cost assumption. Do not count the same production or software item twice. Compare team, quality, rights, revision limits and work volume before treating two cash totals as equivalent.