This curriculum reflects the scope typically addressed across a full consulting engagement or multi-phase internal transformation initiative.

Define vendor risk appetite in alignment with enterprise risk tolerance, considering regulatory exposure and business continuity requirements.
Map critical business functions to vendor dependencies to prioritize risk mitigation efforts based on operational impact.
Evaluate trade-offs between vertical integration and third-party outsourcing across cost, control, and resilience dimensions.
Establish board-level reporting frameworks that translate vendor risk metrics into strategic decision inputs.
Assess jurisdictional risks when engaging global vendors, including data sovereignty, legal enforceability, and geopolitical instability.
Integrate vendor risk strategy into enterprise-wide risk management (EWRM) to ensure consistent governance and accountability.
Identify failure modes in vendor dependency networks, including single points of failure and cascading disruptions.
Develop escalation protocols for vendor-related incidents that breach predefined risk thresholds.

Conduct deep-dive assessments of vendor financial health, including liquidity ratios and credit risk indicators, to predict sustainability.
Validate vendor compliance with industry-specific standards (e.g., SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA) and verify audit trail authenticity.
Assess vendor cybersecurity maturity using third-party questionnaires (e.g., SIG) and penetration test summaries.
Compare total cost of ownership (TCO) across vendor options, factoring in hidden integration, monitoring, and exit costs.
Evaluate vendor concentration risk when multiple internal units rely on the same provider.
Analyze vendor subcontracting practices to identify fourth-party risks and transparency gaps.
Score vendors using weighted risk-rating models that incorporate performance history, innovation capacity, and service elasticity.
Document due diligence decisions to support audit readiness and regulatory scrutiny.

Negotiate liability caps, indemnification clauses, and data breach responsibilities to align with organizational risk exposure.
Define enforceable service level agreements (SLAs) with measurable KPIs and tiered penalty structures for non-compliance.
Incorporate audit rights and right-to-terminate clauses triggered by material risk events or performance degradation.
Structure data ownership and portability terms to ensure seamless exit and avoid vendor lock-in.
Balance innovation incentives with risk controls in contract terms, especially for emerging technology vendors.
Specify incident response coordination responsibilities and communication protocols during service disruptions.
Include change control processes that govern scope, pricing, and architecture modifications during contract lifecycle.
Assess enforceability of dispute resolution mechanisms across international legal jurisdictions.

Implement continuous monitoring dashboards that track SLA compliance, security events, and financial health indicators.
Conduct periodic vendor health reviews using scorecards that integrate operational, financial, and compliance metrics.
Trigger enhanced due diligence based on predefined risk triggers (e.g., leadership changes, M&A activity, cyber incidents).
Validate vendor self-reported data through independent verification or third-party intelligence sources.
Manage escalation workflows when vendors fall below performance thresholds or violate contractual terms.
Balance monitoring intensity with operational overhead, avoiding excessive burden on vendor relationships.
Integrate vendor performance data into procurement renewal and rebidding decisions.
Use benchmarking to compare vendor performance against industry peers and market standards.

Map data flows between organization and vendor to identify unauthorized data storage or processing locations.
Enforce encryption standards for data in transit and at rest, including key management responsibilities.
Assess vendor access controls and privilege management practices to prevent insider threats.
Require evidence of regular vulnerability scanning, patch management, and incident response testing.
Validate data retention and deletion policies to ensure compliance with privacy regulations (e.g., GDPR, CCPA).
Conduct tabletop exercises with critical vendors to test coordinated breach response capabilities.
Identify shadow IT risks where business units engage vendors without central oversight.
Implement zero-trust principles in vendor access architecture, especially for cloud-based services.

Require vendors to provide documented business continuity and disaster recovery plans with tested recovery time objectives (RTOs).
Assess geographic concentration of vendor operations and infrastructure to evaluate exposure to regional disruptions.
Validate failover capabilities and redundancy mechanisms in critical vendor systems.
Develop organization-specific contingency plans for high-impact vendor outages, including manual workarounds.
Conduct joint recovery testing with key vendors to verify interoperability during crisis scenarios.
Identify single-source dependencies and evaluate cost-benefit of developing alternative suppliers.
Measure vendor resilience maturity using frameworks such as NIST or ISO 22301.
Update continuity plans in response to changes in vendor service scope or architecture.

Map vendor activities to applicable regulatory requirements (e.g., SOX, GLBA, DORA) and assign accountability.
Coordinate vendor audits with internal and external audit teams to avoid duplication and ensure coverage.
Respond to regulatory inquiries involving third parties with documented due diligence and oversight evidence.
Ensure subcontractor compliance flows down through contractual obligations and monitoring.
Track evolving regulatory trends affecting third-party risk, such as digital operational resilience acts (DORA) in EU.
Standardize documentation formats to support efficient audit retrieval and inspection readiness.
Assess penalties and reputational exposure from non-compliant vendor practices.
Implement corrective action tracking for audit findings with vendor remediation timelines and verification steps.

Define data migration requirements and validate data extraction formats during offboarding.
Enforce post-contract data deletion and certificate revocation to prevent unauthorized access.
Assess knowledge retention risks when vendor personnel with institutional knowledge depart.
Manage intellectual property handover, including custom-developed code or configurations.
Conduct final performance and compliance reviews before releasing final payments.
Document lessons learned for future vendor selection and contract negotiation.
Plan transition timelines to minimize service disruption during handover to new vendor or insourcing.
Preserve audit trails and contractual records for statutory retention periods.