Vendor Dependency Assessment Template

Identify, score, and manage single-vendor dependency risk fill in and use immediately.

This is a ready-to-use, fill-in-the-blank assessment template that walks you through identifying, scoring, and treating vendor dependency risk, the risk that your critical operations depend on a single vendor with no realistic alternative.

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What’s Inside the Template

Section 1: Vendor Information
Section 2: Five-Dimension Risk Scoring
Section 3: Blast Radius Mapping
Section 4: Risk Treatment Decision
Section 5: Sign-Off
Appendix A: Nth-Party Concentration Check
Appendix B: Scenario Stress Test
Appendix C: Assessment History Log

Who Is This For?

GRC Managers & Analysts
Third-Party Risk Management (TPRM) teams
IT Risk & Security professionals
Internal Auditors assessing vendor risk
Compliance Officers
CISOs & CROs needing board-ready assessments
Procurement teams evaluating vendor risk
Anyone building a vendor risk program from scratch

Watch the Video: How to Assess Single-Vendor Dependency Risk

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I customize the scoring criteria for my organization?

Yes. The Word version is fully editable. Many organizations adjust the scoring descriptions to reflect their specific industry, regulatory environment, or risk appetite. The 5 dimensions and 1–4 scale are designed as a starting framework — adapt them to fit your context.

How is this different from a standard vendor risk assessment?

Standard vendor risk assessments evaluate a vendor’s security posture, financial health, and compliance. This template assesses something different: your dependency on the vendor — how badly you’d be hurt if they disappeared. A vendor can be perfectly secure and financially stable, and you can still have a dangerous dependency on them. That’s what CrowdStrike proved.

How many vendors should I assess with this template?

Start with your top 10–15 vendors that your gut tells you are critical. Most organizations discover 3–6 genuinely critical (Tier 1) single-vendor dependencies in their first pass. For a comprehensive program, assess all vendors that provide technology, data processing, or infrastructure services.

Does this satisfy regulatory requirements for vendor risk management?

This template aligns with the principles of DORA (Digital Operational Resilience Act), EBA Outsourcing Guidelines, OCC Third-Party Risk Management guidance, and ISO 27001 Annex A.15 (Supplier Relationships). It’s designed to be a practical working document, not a compliance checkbox — but the output is audit-ready and can be used as evidence of a structured vendor risk assessment process.

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