Case Study 06 | Research Operations

Collaborative vendor selection that saved $10K.

Sinclair's research team needed a platform that could support more studies without overspending on the wrong tool. Several vendors offered overlapping capabilities, different pricing models and different levels of scalability. I led a collaborative evaluation across researchers and stakeholders, selected Dscout through a weighted comparison, and negotiated $10K in first-year savings. The process also created a repeatable way to assess future research tools.

Research operationsVendor evaluationNegotiation

Visual summary of a collaborative vendor evaluation comparing research tools and resulting in ten thousand dollars in savings. — Evaluation criteria, vendor comparison and the $10K savings outcome.

$10K

saved on the final contract through vendor negotiation

20%

year-over-year increase in research output after Dscout adoption

79%

Dscout weighted score, the strongest platform fit across the six criteria

Overview

The team needed one scalable research platform and a defensible decision

This was not only a procurement exercise. The tool would shape how the team recruited participants, ran studies and scaled research delivery. I built a shared evaluation process so the final recommendation balanced functional fit, team needs and cost.

Collaborative evaluation

I defined six weighted criteria and aligned the research team and stakeholders on how functional fit, scalability and price should influence the decision.

Negotiation and savings

I requested multiple pricing options rather than accepting the first proposal, creating a clearer tradeoff and approximately $10K in savings.

Decision Framework

Six criteria created one clear comparison

The scorecard weighted functional fit at 60% and price at 40% so the cheapest tool could not win if it could not replace the fragmented stack.

Weighted scorecard showing Dscout ranked first at 79%.
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Tradeoff

Functional fit mattered and price still mattered

UserTesting

Matched Dscout on several functional criteria but lost ground on price.

Loop11

Cheapest option, but below the minimum functional threshold needed to consolidate the work.

Negotiation

Make the cost tradeoff visible

I requested two Dscout proposals with different seats, support hours and activity credits so leadership could choose with the trade-offs visible.

Two Dscout proposals compared before negotiation.
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Results

The tool became part of the research operating model

Dscout adopted

The platform replaced the ad-hoc qualitative stack and supported the diary study behind the persona program.

20% more research output

Year-over-year research delivery increased after adoption.

Reusable vendor framework

The weighted scorecard became a template that other researchers could use for later tool decisions.

Recommendation used to socialize the final platform choice.
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