What should go into the final approval memo?

Make the recommendation auditable in one page, with the evidence appendix behind it.

• Purchase and decision: what is being bought and why.
• Supplier and buyer responsibilities: who measures, implements and validates.
• Weighted score: total, date, assessors and scorecard version.
• Evidence coverage: percentage of weight assessed; all remaining U items.
• Gate and critical-floor results: separate from the total.
• Three strongest capabilities: linked to inspected evidence.
• Three material limitations: linked to conditions or exclusions.
• Pilot scope and all-in cost: including buyer time.
• Review date and exit route: continue, redesign or stop.
• Commercial relationships: supplier referral, sponsorship or other relevant incentives.

For a close decision, test whether the preferred option changes when the buyer reasonably shifts weight between measurement and implementation priorities while keeping the total at 100. If it does, treat the result as a trade-off to resolve—not a statistically meaningful ranking.

Bottom line: buy the smallest arrangement that can produce trustworthy evidence and useful action on an important buying question. A defensible result may be a monitoring subscription, a targeted implementation project, a better internal workflow—or a decision not to buy anything new.