A fact-check is a limited review window in which a vendor may correct factual errors in a draft evaluation, without the opportunity to dispute the analyst's judgment or scores.
Windows are short and the scope is narrow: corrections to figures, product names, availability, customer counts and similar verifiable facts. Firms set the terms and the deadline.
Fact-check vs. appeal
A fact-check addresses accuracy. It is not an appeal, a right of reply, or a negotiation over scoring.
The practical distinction is between "this figure is wrong" and "this conclusion is unfair." Only the first is in scope, and submitting the second under cover of the first is transparent to the analyst receiving it.
Why it matters
The narrowness of the window is not an oversight — it is what keeps the evaluation an evaluation rather than a negotiated document.
Vendors who treat the fact-check as a last chance to argue tend to spend their credibility on a fixed outcome, and carry the cost into the next cycle with the same analyst.
Related: Scoring rubric · Vendor questionnaire · Analyst sentiment
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