What is the buying decision these interviews should support?

The desk’s proposed decision sequence is:

1. Validate the problem: does the omission or inaccuracy recur in a relevant test?
2. Validate the measurement: can the buyer understand the population, surface, denominator and uncertainty?
3. Choose the capability: monitoring, technical implementation, product information, editorial work, PR—or no new purchase.
4. Bound the commitment: agree deliverables, dependencies, evidence access and review conditions.
5. Review honestly: distinguish completed work, observed changes and demonstrated commercial outcomes.

The final interview question should always be: “What should this buyer fund next—and what should they explicitly decline to fund?”