A printable photocopier purchase checklist you can take to a meeting

A buyer walks into a vendor meeting with a brochure and a price expectation. A buyer with this checklist walks out with answers to the 25 questions that determine whether the proposal holds across a five year contract. The sheet prints cleanly on one A4 page and fits on a clipboard.

The checklist itself

The checklist below renders as a structured form. Use the print function in any browser to produce a one page A4 version. The 25 items are grouped into five sections, each addressing a question category that vendor pitches typically gloss over.

Why each section sits where it does

The order of the five sections is deliberate. Buyers tend to walk into vendor meetings focused on price and walk out without enough on service. Reordering the conversation by asking about the device, then commercial, then service, prevents the meeting from collapsing into a discussion of the headline figure before the underlying assumptions are agreed.

Section A: device and capability

The first five items pin down what is actually being offered. Vendor proposals sometimes use a device family name rather than a specific model. The exact model number, year of manufacture and rated duty cycle determine whether the equipment is appropriate, and these need to be in the proposal in writing.

Section B: commercial terms

Items 6 to 10 cover the elements that turn a headline figure into a five year cost. Volume bands and excess surcharges are the most common source of surprise in year two and three; getting them documented at meeting one prevents the conversation later.

Section C: service and support

Without a service credit clause, an SLA is a marketing statement. Item 13 forces the discussion onto credible ground. Vendors who balk at service credits typically have service operations that cannot reliably hit the targets they advertise.

Section D: implementation and exit

The exit clauses matter as much as the entry ones. A favourable headline rate paired with a punitive early termination schedule locks the contract in regardless of vendor performance. Read items 19 and 20 together: a generous early termination fee combined with no wipe certificate means walking away from the contract is both expensive and risky.

Section E: sustainability and security

Modern procurement frameworks expect sustainability and security to be disclosed. Items 21 to 25 give you the disclosures in a single section, which can be lifted into a procurement memo or board paper without rework.

How to use the checklist in a meeting

Print the sheet on a single sheet of A4 and bring it to the supplier meeting. Tell the vendor at the start that you will work through 25 questions. Most vendors welcome the structure; some will protest. Vendors who protest are usually concerned about specific items, and that tells you where the proposal is weakest.