Free guide

SaaS vendor due diligence checklist

Vendor due diligence gets easier when security answers, AI-use boundaries, subprocessors, and pilot documents are prepared before the buyer sends a portal link.

Documents buyers often ask for

  • Security overview or trust-center starter page.
  • Security questionnaire answer bank with owners and evidence.
  • Subprocessor register and AI vendor register.
  • Access control, incident response, and backup summaries.
  • AI-use disclosure, acceptable-use policy, and do-not-paste rules.
  • Pilot scope, success criteria, dependencies, and closeout plan.

Mark what is current versus planned

Use direct status language. A buyer can usually handle a documented manual process better than a vague claim that sounds more mature than reality.

Useful status labels: current, manual, planned, not applicable, needs owner, or needs qualified review.

Prepare one source of truth

Keep every buyer-facing answer tied to an owner, evidence file, and last-reviewed date. This helps avoid conflicting answers across sales emails, security portals, and pilot planning docs.

Need the full packet?

The Growth Procurement Stack packages security, AI disclosure, subprocessor, and enterprise pilot templates for the vendor review path.

See Growth Stack Open free checklist

Scope limit

This guide and the related templates are not legal advice, privacy advice, cybersecurity advice, procurement advice, certification, audit readiness, or a guarantee of buyer approval.