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A missing source is not a missing feature.

Make this with my agent

Fictional worked example · Not a published customer artifact. You review the draft; nothing is published without your approval.

What we started withThe same facts, as an email

Fictional project email

Vendor A / Vendor B — access-management evidence still needed

Team,

For this fictional internal-service evaluation, a specific access-management capability is mandatory. The technical acceptance criteria have not been supplied. Our original comparison used a green check for A and a red cross for B because documentation was found for A but not B. That overstates what we know.

Vendor A is conditional: the supplied source documents the capability on the enterprise plan, but availability on our proposed purchase plan still needs confirmation. The proposed plan name, document title, URL, publication date and verification date are not supplied. We have no hands-on trial or plan-specific written commitment.

Vendor B is unknown from the supplied evidence. No documentation found is not evidence that the capability is unavailable. The proposed plan, applicable documentation and source date are missing; no trial or written answer is supplied.

Neither option has yet satisfied the mandatory requirement for the actual purchase scenario. No selection is approved and there is no supported winner or score. We also lack quotes, list prices, seat count, currency, billing period, usage assumptions, add-ons, implementation costs and tax terms. Unknown costs are not zero; comparable total cost is not established.

Next: agree testable acceptance criteria and common purchase assumptions. Request written plan-specific answers from both vendors using the same criteria and obtain comparable current pricing. Update answers, plans, limitations and source dates before reviewing the choice. Owners and deadlines are not assigned. Keep procurement approvals, contracts and security review in their established processes.

Prepared September 20, 2026, a fictional preparation date—not a source verification date. Authored as the evaluating team, not either vendor; no commercial relationship supplied. This is a static decision aid, not live pricing, a warranty or an automated purchase.

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<header><div class="masthead"><span class="eyebrow">Vendor comparison / Evidence before ranking</span><span class="eyebrow">Fictional worked example</span></div><h1>Unknown is not no.</h1><p class="intro">Two vendors. One mandatory requirement. Neither is a confirmed fit for the plan the team would actually buy.</p></header>
<aside class="gate"><p class="eyebrow">The must-have · Internal service</p><h2>Confirm the required access-management capability.</h2><p>The technical acceptance criteria are not supplied. Agree those criteria first; an attractive feature list cannot substitute for this requirement.</p></aside>
<section class="evidence" aria-label="Same requirement, different evidence gaps">
<article class="vendor"><p class="eyebrow">Option A</p><h2>Vendor A</h2><span class="status conditional">Conditional · Plan confirmation needed</span><div class="fact"><h3 class="label">Supplied evidence</h3><p>Capability documented on the <strong>enterprise plan</strong>. That does not confirm availability on the proposed purchase plan.</p></div><div class="fact"><h3 class="label">Purchase-plan fit</h3><p>Proposed plan name not supplied. No plan-specific written commitment or hands-on trial supplied.</p></div><div class="fact"><h3 class="label">Source date &amp; traceability</h3><p>Document title, URL, publication date and verification date not supplied.</p></div><div class="fact"><h3 class="label">Question to resolve</h3><p>Does the exact plan we would buy meet the agreed access-management requirement, and under what conditions?</p></div></article>
<article class="vendor"><p class="eyebrow">Option B</p><h2>Vendor B</h2><span class="status unknown">Unknown · Evidence needed</span><div class="fact"><h3 class="label">Supplied evidence</h3><p>No applicable documentation found. This is <strong>not evidence that the capability is unavailable</strong>.</p></div><div class="fact"><h3 class="label">Purchase-plan fit</h3><p>Proposed plan name not supplied. No trial or written answer supplied.</p></div><div class="fact"><h3 class="label">Source date &amp; traceability</h3><p>Applicable documentation and source date not supplied. Do not replace the gap with a red cross.</p></div><div class="fact"><h3 class="label">Question to resolve</h3><p>Does the exact plan we would buy meet the agreed access-management requirement, and under what conditions?</p></div></article>
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<section class="decision"><p class="eyebrow">Decision status · No selection approved</p><h2>Neither option has yet satisfied the mandatory requirement.</h2><p>This is an evidence gap to close, not a verdict that both products fail. There is no supported winner or weighted score.</p></section>
<section class="section"><h2>Compare the same purchase.</h2><div class="context"><div><h3>Pricing is not established.</h3><p>No quotes or list prices supplied. Seat count, currency, billing period, usage, add-ons, implementation costs and tax terms are unknown—not zero.</p></div><div><h3>Evidence is not a warranty.</h3><p>A documented enterprise feature is not a commitment for another plan. Missing documentation is not a confirmed limitation. Source dates still need verification.</p></div></div></section>
<section class="section"><h2>Ask both vendors the same questions.</h2><ol class="steps"><li><div><h3>Define a testable requirement.</h3><p>Confirm the technical acceptance criteria and common purchase assumptions.</p></div></li><li><div><h3>Request written, plan-specific answers.</h3><p>Ask both vendors about availability and conditions on the exact proposed plan. Obtain comparable current pricing.</p></div></li><li><div><h3>Update the evidence, then review the choice.</h3><p>Record answers, plans, limitations and dates. Owners and deadlines are not assigned. Keep approvals, contracts and security review in their established processes.</p></div></li></ol></section>
<footer><p>Source: the guide’s fictional Vendor A / Vendor B evaluation notes. Prepared September 20, 2026—not a source verification date.</p><p>Fictional worked example by share/artifacts, authored as the evaluating team, not either vendor. No commercial relationship supplied. No actual vendor claims, live pricing, warranty or automated purchasing. Static snapshot.</p></footer>
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