Vendor Selection, Vendor Performance Evaluation & Tracking, and Vendor Development are the widely recognized pillars of a successful Vendor Management Policy. But how do they work in daily life? How are they interlinked? What exactly are the requirements and foundations for their efficient functioning? For WhP, proactiveness, transparency, clear communication, and stable vendor relationships combined with a well-designed database are the answer.

Vendor Management should apply to all outsourced services, including DTP, Engineering and Multimedia activities, but also Review, Testing and Technical Writing. This article focuses on Translation since it is our most frequently outsourced task.

Vendor management needs to be centralized. Project managers like to choose their translators, especially if they are going to work with them for long periods of time. However, they should not act on behalf of—or substitute themselves for—a dedicated vendor manager. Good vendor management relies on clear and transparent communication within the company, as well as with the clients and vendors themselves.

Vendor Selection

Our fast-moving industry means we have to constantly anticipate. Project lead times are generally very short, and do not allow for proper recruitment. When starting work with new clients, new product lines, new language pairs or unplanned projects, we cannot necessarily call on existing resources that may already be assigned elsewhere, or be insufficiently qualified. The purpose of Vendor Selection is to create and develop a pool of new referenced resources that are ready and prepared to start at any time.

Vendor Selection does not mean simply “looking for new translators”, choosing from among several thousand translators listed in various databases, or advertising on the Internet. For Vendor Management to be efficient, it must adhere to the company’s global strategy, and anticipate future needs. A well-organized selection process should start with a definition of the business areas, subject matters, main language combinations and types of services that need to be covered.

During the selection process, translators pass various stages before being authorized to work on a project. Proceeding from “Candidate” to “Approved”, the successful vendor will eventually be admitted for a probationary period. The selection process may last several weeks, and a vendor manager may have dozens of candidates at various stages.

Due to the large amount of data stored during this selection process, the use of an efficient database is vital. As well as providing each candidate's status classification, the database should make it possible to produce analytical reports on each translator. In addition, some of the data should be accessible to project managers.

Most translators use the Internet to promote their services, but good translators are selective. There are various ways to attract them: at exhibitions and conferences; through recommendations from employees or fellow translators; via a good web site, articles or publicity in professional magazines.

Maintaining a network of contacts in universities and professional organizations gives a companysustained high visibility. WhP receives an average 10-15 unsolicited applications each week. Nevertheless, specific language combinations and subject matters require special searching via dedicated databases or translator association portals.

The first step in the selection process is based on available documentation concerning the candidate (resume, covering letter, references, endorsement, etc.). A checklist containing the required criteria or profile should always include native speaker competency; formal education or training as a translator, with sufficient experience in the required business areas, as well as other project requirements; expertise with translation memory tools and familiarity with the various file formats to be handled

Obtaining additional information by telephone or e-mail during this pre-selection phase may provide further details about the candidate's general communication skills and business experience: Are they responsive? Do they have a professional attitude?

If considered suitable, candidates are granted access to the “antechamber database” to enter their details. These details include general contact details and specific information on qualifications, services offered, available capacities, subject matter expertise, tools used, and technical setup. At this stage, the vendor's selection status is Candidate.

Depending on the strategic focus, potential candidates will then move on to the third step in the selection process. A minimum 3 and a maximum 5 client references are checked using a set of tailored questions, weighted according to their importance for the potential assignation. At this stage, the vendor's selection status is Checking References.

During the next step, the translator will be tested. By now, the vendor manager should have an idea of the candidate's potential assignment to one or more specialist subjects, e.g., enterprise software, general IT, medical marketing, or legal texts. Depending on these assignments, the vendor will either receive a simple translation test to verify general translation quality, or more complex tests that will also test the candidate's reactivity, perceptiveness, professional attitude, technical experience, etc. Review criteria are based on the LISA QA model.
However, tests have a limited value: not only can they be manipulated; they are also never performed under pressure. Linguistic quality alone is only part of the complex requirements inherent in a working relationship. Tests serve more as a filter: poor results will definitely eliminate the candidate, while positive results will promote the candidate to step 5, the 5-project trial period (see below). Translators who fail the test will need to wait at least one year to re-apply.

During the fifth step of the selection process, administrative and financial matters will be discussed. Prices for the various project types (documentation, software, legal, marketing, hourly rates etc.) will be negotiated openly to avoid any future ad hoc discussions. Nondisclosure and frame agreements will be signed. At this stage, the vendor selection status will be Price negotiations and NDA.

Once the final step has been successfully completed, the translator is Pre-approved. They will now enter a probationary period spanning 5 projects, and will achieve the final Approved status only upon successful completion of this phase. Over the course of these 5 projects, the translator will be scrutinized. Only translators with a Pre-approved or Approved status are visible to project managers in the database when searching for new resources.

Active vendor selection provides a buffer of potential translators, ready to start whenever needed. Although we favor long-term assignments in which the same translation team works for the same client or product line for many years, we need to be prepared for emergencies: large fluctuations in volumes, new client requests (language pairs or subject matters), specific tool expertise, or the replacement of deficient translators.

Vendor Performance Tracking & Evaluation

As soon as translators start working for you, no matter how long they have been in activity, they should be evaluated. All data collected for the Vendor Performance Tracking & Evaluation process should be kept in the same file, along with the information gathered during the Vendor Selection process.

Our project managers will evaluate every single task performed on each project, based on three criteria: Task Quality – for example, the linguistic or functional quality of the actual work produced; Service Quality – includes responsiveness, troubleshooting capabilities, communication, professional attitude, proactiveness, etc.; Adherence to Deadlines.

The PM will estimate if the value should be Above, Meets or Below Expectations (see illustration below). This information will later be compared to client feedback and logged with the project and the vendor record.

The default entry is Meets Expectations, which is by far the most common evaluation. The default entry allows for faster evaluation by PMs managing large teams that may deliver more than 10 000 tasks per year. The project manager is nevertheless prompted to confirm or change the entry to Below or Above Expectations including a short comment.

Automated statistic processing of this data allows for constant monitoring of the translator’s performance. A performance report including figures and graphics will show variations.

If quality decreases, we will immediately contact the translator to find out the reason: Did they accept too much work? Are they having difficulties with particular project requirements? Did they delegate the job to someone else without informing us? By taking action at a very early stage, potential problems can usually be remedied without any noticeable disturbance to the project's overall flow.

The introduction of automated data processing and tracking mechanisms represents an important improvement over conventional Vendor Management, where control mechanisms were limited to samples, and were therefore neither systematic nor particularly representative.

All results are grouped by translator to establish an annual rating of the translator's performance on a scale from 1 to 5.


The Vendor Performance Tracking & Evaluation process reveals the services and benefits a translator can bring, and serves to establish the best possible client-translator match. It shows whether a translator contributes to the overall success of a project, or whether they could or should be re-assigned to other accounts where they would bring greater added value as a result of their specific expertise. It also highlights specific needs, such as training on new products, technologies or tools, and serves to define a targeted response to these needs, for example, providing support, information, or training.

The overall rating results are used to establish a translator ranking, which may lead to a change of assignment, or ultimately to a translator's exclusion. Whilst this has never happened to date, it would be possible if any serious professional misconduct were revealed at this stage.

Multilevel Linguistic Quality Assurance

All translations delivered to WhP are proofread by the translator; cross-reviewed in teams (mostly virtual teams working on the same project) and read by an independent third party reviewer provided by the client or by WhP if required by the client, and if time and pricing conditions allow.

In addition to this three-tier system, a regular statistical sampling is scheduled for all translators who exceed a volume of nnn words/year, where nnn depends on the client, subject matter and project type. Furthermore, project managers can request QA on the work of any of their translators whenever necessary. The reviewers are independent and have a special reviewer contract to avoid conflicts of interest. They perform the actual QAs without knowing the translator, and the translator is not aware of the control. The statistical QA is compliant with our ISO 9001:2000 certification.

Vendor Development

Vendor Development reveals the final logic inherent in Vendor Management at WhP. The aim of Vendor Development is to create stable relationships with our external translators based on clear expectations, mutual trust and confidence, and sharing of information.

This approach involves practical measures such as ongoing support and training; technology transfer; supported setup of teams and an automated PO and invoicing process.

Based on the results of the Vendor Evaluation & Performance Tracking, we can identify potential needs, and provide the appropriate training, tools, macros or process improvements, which may be either general or project-related.

Translators need to keep up with technological changes. We encourage the use of new technologies, such as webcasting or voice over IP telephony to improve communication without raising related costs. We also help and support the teaming up of freelancers by offering higher workloads to virtual groups, and strengthening existing relationships. As a result, availability and continuity are improved, which in return has a positive impact on quality and cost.

Our automated purchase order and invoicing system ensures a reliable payment cycle of 30-45 days maximum after invoicing. Purchase orders are based on a standardized file analysis (e.g., using Trados). The PO is then generated automatically and details the tasks, word count, unit and overall prices. It has a unique ID. Once the job has been delivered and approved, which usually happens within 24 hours, the invoice authorization (IA) is automatically prepared on the basis of the PO, and then sent to the translator. The translator simply cuts & pastes the IA data on their letterhead, then returns it by mail. Payments are made twice a month. The entire system is error-free and transparent for all parties. It makes payments of jobs easily traceable, and avoids almost all administrative work for the translator.

We consider external teams (e.g., translators) and internal teams (employees and onsite contractors) as being part of the same company. A translator approved for a certain client will be assigned to this client until they request a change. Although the reasons for this are obvious (maximum efficiency, improved quality, reduced cost), unfortunately this practice is far from common in our industry.

A new client-translator relationship requires time and mutual investment. The learning curve can be shortened, but never avoided. Changing translators frequently implies additional cost, effort, and incurs loss of time and quality. For these reasons, we strongly object to “vendor swapping” or its final form, “job auctioning”, which seem to have become increasingly popular for low-level job assignments. Our prices are agreed on upfront, and are never used to put translators in competition with one other.

Plans and developments

Our current plans are centered on 2 objectives. First is a vendor portal allowing subcontractors to access personal data, project-related information, and general information such as reference material, translation memories, terminology, style guides, Q&A data, etc. The portal should dramatically reduce email communication and free up project management time.

Second, we seek to add more precise Availability and Workload indications to our vendor database. On a voluntary basis, translators will be able to directly enter their current and future capacity and availability.

Finally, we are working on a Best Vendor program, the purpose of which is to reward the ongoing excellence of our best collaborators. WhP has set high quality standards, and we would like to formally acknowledge the efforts behind outstanding performance, as this is the driving force in our industry.

Sylke Denfeld, Former Vendor Manager at WhP.