If you are a Security Governance Lead or Third-Party Risk Officer at a global IT services or outsourcing organization, this playbook was built for you.
Managing third-party security risk across a distributed, multi-client environment means navigating overlapping regulatory expectations, inconsistent vendor onboarding practices, and fragmented accountability between procurement, legal, and security functions. You are under pressure to demonstrate consistent due diligence, maintain continuous monitoring, and produce auditable evidence that satisfies both internal audit and external regulators. Gaps in vendor offboarding processes increase the risk of access creep and unauthorized data exposure. With rising scrutiny on supply chain integrity, your ability to operationalize a standardized, repeatable governance model directly impacts client trust and regulatory standing.
Developing an equivalent program in-house would require engaging a Big-4 advisory firm at a cost between EUR 80,000 and EUR 250,000, or dedicating 2 to 3 full-time staff over 6 to 9 months to research controls, align frameworks, and build documentation from scratch. The TPSGOS™-Aligned Third-Party Security Governance Playbook delivers the same depth of structure and compliance rigor for a one-time cost of $395.
What you get
| Phase | File Type | Description | Count |
| Due Diligence | Domain Assessment Workbook | 30-question assessment covering security architecture, data handling, access governance, and incident response readiness for new vendors | 7 |
| Due Diligence | Cross-Framework Mapping Table | Maps each assessment question to CPS 234, CPS 230, ISO 27001, and NIST SP 800-161 control references | 1 |
| Evidence Collection | Evidence Runbook | Step-by-step guide for collecting and validating vendor documentation including SOC 2 reports, penetration test summaries, and policy attestations | 1 |
| Monitoring & Reporting | Continuous Monitoring Protocol | Defines frequency, triggers, and escalation paths for reassessments, breach notifications, and control drift detection | 1 |
| Governance | RACI Matrix Template | Pre-built responsibility assignment chart for due diligence, contract review, monitoring, and offboarding across security, legal, and procurement | 1 |
| Governance | Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) | Hierarchical task list for launching and maintaining the third-party governance program, including milestones and dependencies | 1 |
| Audit & Reporting | Audit Preparation Playbook | Checklist and evidence packaging guidance for internal, client, and regulatory audits | 1 |
| Contract & Offboarding | Contract Control Annex | Pre-negotiated clauses for data protection, right-to-audit, sub-processor management, and termination assistance | 1 |
| Contract & Offboarding | Offboarding Verification Checklist | Validates account deprovisioning, data deletion, and asset return across client and internal systems | 1 |
| Program Enablement | Implementation Roadmap | 90-day plan for rolling out the governance model across procurement workflows and service delivery towers | 1 |
| Program Enablement | Stakeholder Communication Pack | Email templates, meeting agendas, and presentation slides for aligning legal, procurement, and delivery teams | 1 |
| Assessment | Scoring & Risk Rating Guide | Rules for calculating vendor risk scores and assigning risk tiers (Low, Medium, High, Critical) | 1 |
| Assessment | Remediation Tracking Log | Template for recording control gaps, assigning corrective actions, and verifying closure | 1 |
| Program Enablement | Training Deck for Procurement Teams | Slide deck covering risk assessment process, escalation paths, and documentation requirements | 1 |
| Monitoring | Vendor Risk Dashboard (Excel) | Automated dashboard for tracking vendor status, risk ratings, and upcoming reassessments | 1 |
| Total Files Included | 64 | ||
Domain assessments
The playbook includes seven 30-question domain assessments, each focused on a critical area of third-party security governance:
- Access Governance: Evaluates vendor identity lifecycle management, privilege assignment, and session monitoring practices.
- Data Protection: Assesses encryption, data residency, classification, and handling procedures for client and operational data.
- Incident Response: Reviews vendor capabilities for detecting, reporting, and responding to security events affecting client environments.
- Change Management: Validates control over system configuration changes, patch deployment, and emergency modifications.
- Business Continuity: Measures preparedness for service disruptions, including backup frequency, recovery time objectives, and failover testing.
- Sub-Processor Oversight: Examines vendor management of downstream subcontractors and flow-down of security obligations.
- Security Operations: Covers vulnerability scanning, log retention, threat monitoring, and endpoint protection on vendor systems.
What this saves you
| Activity | Time with Internal Team | Time with This Playbook |
| Develop third-party risk assessment questionnaire | 120 hours | 2 hours (adaptation) |
| Map controls to CPS 234, CPS 230, ISO 27001, NIST SP 800-161 | 80 hours | Included |
| Build RACI and WBS for cross-functional rollout | 40 hours | Included |
| Create evidence collection and audit preparation process | 60 hours | Included |
| Draft contract control annex and offboarding checklist | 50 hours | Included |
| Total estimated time saved | 350 hours | - |
Who this is for
- Third-Party Risk Officers responsible for standardizing vendor assessments across global delivery units.
- Security Governance Leads building auditable programs to satisfy client assurance requirements.
- Compliance Managers in IT services firms needing to align with financial services sector regulations.
- Procurement Risk Specialists integrating security criteria into vendor onboarding workflows.
- Information Security Managers overseeing supply chain risk in multi-client outsourcing environments.
- Internal Audit Teams requiring a benchmark for evaluating third-party governance maturity.
- Service Delivery Directors accountable for maintaining compliance across client-facing operations.
Cross-framework mappings
The playbook provides explicit control mappings to the following regulatory and industry frameworks:
- CPS 234 Information Security
- CPS 230 Operational Resilience
- ISO/IEC 27001:2013 Information Security Management
- NIST SP 800-161 Rev. 1 Cybersecurity Supply Chain Risk Management
What is NOT in this product
- This is not a software tool or SaaS platform. It does not include automated vendor scanning or API integrations.
- No consulting hours or implementation support are included with purchase.
- The playbook does not provide legal advice or guarantee compliance with any regulation.
- It does not include vendor-specific assessment results or audit reports.
- No proprietary risk scoring algorithms beyond the documented 30-question scoring model.
- Not designed for first-party security program development; focus is strictly on third-party governance.
Lifetime access and satisfaction guarantee
You receive lifetime access to the playbook with no subscription, no login portal, and no recurring fees. All files are yours to download and use across teams and engagements. If this playbook does not save your team at least 100 hours of manual compliance work, email us for a full refund. No questions, no friction.
About the seller
We have spent 25 years building structured compliance content for regulated industries. Our library supports 692 regulatory, contractual, and industry-specific frameworks and contains more than 819,000 cross-framework control mappings. Our materials are used by over 40,000 compliance and security practitioners in 160 countries to reduce manual effort and improve governance consistency.>
