As enterprise programs grow in scope and complexity, external vendors play an increasingly central role in delivering outcomes. Software providers, system integrators, training partners, and data vendors often own critical components of success. And yet, many organizations still treat vendors as separate workstreams rather than fully embedded partners in the transformation journey.
At Andrew Reise, we’ve led complex programs in which half the delivery effort came from external vendors. We’ve seen the consequences of unclear vendor accountability: missed milestones, misaligned priorities, and reactive escalation. A proactive vendor alignment strategy reduces risk, increases velocity, and builds true partnerships.
In this blog post, we’ll share how project management offices (PMOs) can embed vendors into the program structure, co-plan deliverables, and govern performance through data-driven insights—turning vendors into accountable collaborators rather than just implementers.
Vendors should be engaged before contracts are signed. Early involvement ensures smooth implementation.
We recommend setting up:
In a past telecom engagement, the client’s contact center technology vendor was deeply involved in the early design and scheduling process. By working collaboratively to map dependencies between telephony infrastructure, customer relationship management (CRM) systems, and user training, we prevented late-stage conflicts and accelerated rollout readiness.
Early vendor involvement surfaces risks, clarifies assumptions, and turns vendors into solution partners.
In program management, vendor alignment is all about establishing mutual accountability and responsibility. We help our clients build vendor frameworks that include.
These are structured dashboards that track:
One client we worked with reviewed vendor scorecards weekly in the executive steering committee (ESC) meeting. This gave leadership immediate visibility into performance and created a data-driven basis for escalation or recognition.
Whenever possible, we encourage clients to link payment terms to milestone achievements. This creates built-in incentives for on-time, quality delivery.
For example, instead of paying a vendor after 30 days, a milestone-based contract might release payment only when:
This approach focuses on outcomes and balances the client-vendor relationship.
Many of our clients are modernizing contact center environments, often in partnership with customer experience (CX) technology providers. These transformations are complex, often involving:
In one healthcare client program, we helped integrate multiple vendor systems into a legacy contact center infrastructure. To succeed, we created a vendor integration council—a recurring governance forum with all vendor leads, internal IT, and the PMO.
This group managed:
Without this structure, unclear ownership and overlapping timelines could have delayed go-live by months.
Vendors introduce unique risks—especially when multiple parties are involved. The PMO must actively manage these risks using structured tools.
Here’s how we do it:
Before execution begins, define:
Documented escalation paths prevent finger-pointing and accelerate resolution.
For each vendor, establish performance targets. Examples include:
Tracking metrics makes vendor management data-driven and accountable.
Include vendors in your risk review meetings to ensure a comprehensive assessment. When vendors are asked to identify and mitigate their own risks in partnership with the PMO, alignment improves.
In one utilities program, our joint risk logs with a systems integrator helped avoid a data migration failure by surfacing dependency gaps in advance.
Effective program management requires treating vendors as an extension of the internal team to minimize risk. That means embedding them in governance, reporting, and workstreams—not keeping them on the sidelines.
Here’s what embedded vendor management looks like:
Vendors who are treated as partners will identify risks faster, collaborate openly, and go the extra mile.
Accountability comes from joint planning, shared scorecards, defined SLAs, and the integration of vendor teams into governance routines.
During a recent engagement with an insurance client, we helped launch a digital servicing platform involving four core vendors: one for CRM, one for document storage, one for data integration, and one for contact center enhancements.
We implemented a vendor alignment model that included:
Even with multiple vendors, the program met its go-live date. Escalations were rare, dependencies were managed proactively, and vendors acted as a cohesive team.
You can’t outsource risk, and keeping vendors at arm’s length jeopardizes program success.
When done well, embedded vendor alignment drives:
At Andrew Reise, we help organizations turn vendor relationships into structured, results-driven partnerships. We design robust program management frameworks that integrate vendors and ensure every initiative delivers measurable value.
Connect with Andrew Reise to build a program approach that drives predictable results.