Scoring rubric

A scoring rubric is the defined scale and weighting scheme a firm applies to each evaluation criterion to produce a vendor's position.

The rubric specifies the scale in use, what each point on it represents, and how heavily each criterion counts toward the result. Firms disclose rubrics to varying degrees; some publish the criteria and reserve the specific weights for subscribers.

Scoring rubric vs. evaluation criteria

Criteria are what is assessed. The rubric is how points are assigned and weighted.

Two firms can assess an identical set of capabilities and reach opposite conclusions purely through weighting.

Why it matters

Weightings encode the firm's view of what the market should value — which is a strategic position, not a neutral measurement.

This is why "we're a Leader in one evaluation and a Contender in another" is usually a methodology fact rather than a contradiction, and why arguing the second result on the basis of the first misreads both. The disagreement isn't about your product. It's between two firms about what the market is for.

Related: Inclusion criteria · Vendor questionnaire · Fact-check · IDC MarketScape

‍