What does the sample export test cover?
| Asset | Export check | Reimport check |
|---|---|---|
| Decision records with evidence pointers | Full history exports with timestamps and versions intact | Pointers resolve in the target system, not as dead text |
| Source documents and locations | Files plus their pack locations and addendum versions | Re-linked to equivalent locations, verified by spot check |
| Reusable content with history | Content plus approval status, owner, and version trail | Editable in the target: not flattened exports that cannot be maintained |
Run this on a trial account with real-shaped data before signing: export everything, reimport into the alternative, including a return to spreadsheets, and score what survived. Document the result with a date; vendor export documentation and contract terms are the other two legs. No sample test was run by us for any vendor, stated plainly, as the evidence route requires.
What does the contract say about leaving?
Notice periods, export assistance duties and fees, data-deletion timelines, and post-termination access; read together, before the trial converts. An exit that costs three months’ fees plus a paid export project changes the adoption arithmetic: add it to the pilot’s evidence alongside the 30-day pilot results. Where the qualification record should live long-term is a design question (CRM and bid software) and data-handling duties during use are on data handling.
What does this mean for the bid/no-bid call?
Nothing directly, and everything structurally: a gate whose history cannot leave its tooling is a hostage, not a process. Design for export on day one, test it before renewal, and keep a spreadsheet-readable copy of every decision regardless of platform.