LMS RFP template and vendor scorecard
A complete LMS evaluation framework for US mid-market L&D teams: 60+ criteria across 6 categories, a weighted scoring matrix you can populate as you run demos, and a vendor comparison summary. Score up to 3 vendors simultaneously.
1. Core LMS functionality
Weight: 25% of total score. These criteria assess whether the platform delivers the fundamental LMS requirements for mid-market US employers.
| Criterion | Weight | V1 | V2 | V3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Course assignment to individuals and groupsAbility to assign courses to specific people, departments, job roles | 5 | |||
| Completion tracking and certificatesAutomatic completion detection, certificate issuance, transcript storage | 5 | |||
| Learning paths and curriculum builderAbility to create sequential, prerequisite-gated learning paths | 4 | |||
| Automated enrollment rulesAuto-enroll based on job title, department, location, or HR system attributes | 4 | |||
| Email and push notificationsAutomated reminders for due dates, overdue courses, new assignments | 3 | |||
| Mobile learner experienceNative mobile app or responsive design; offline capability | 3 | |||
| SCORM / xAPI / AICC supportCompatibility with standard e-learning content formats | 4 |
2. Administration and reporting
Weight: 20% of total score. Assess the platform’s admin efficiency and reporting depth for compliance, HR, and L&D audiences.
| Criterion | Weight | V1 | V2 | V3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Compliance completion reportExportable completion status by course, date range, department, and individual | 5 | |||
| Overdue and at-risk learner alertsAutomated escalation to manager when learner is approaching or past due date | 4 | |||
| Scheduled and custom reportsAbility to build custom reports and schedule automated delivery to stakeholders | 3 | |||
| Bulk user managementCSV upload, bulk enrollment, group management without IT dependency | 3 | |||
| Manager dashboardSelf-serve manager view of direct report completion status without L&D admin access | 3 |
3. Content authoring and library
Weight: 15% of total score. Assess native authoring capability and third-party content library access.
| Criterion | Weight | V1 | V2 | V3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Native course builderIn-platform ability to build courses without external authoring tool (Articulate etc.) | 4 | |||
| Video and document hostingUpload and serve MP4, PDF, and other file types natively within the LMS | 3 | |||
| Off-the-shelf content libraryIncluded or optional access to pre-built course libraries (compliance, soft skills, etc.) | 3 | |||
| AI-assisted content creationAI-powered course generation, quiz creation, or content suggestions | 2 |
4. Compliance and audit
Weight: 20% of total score. Critical for US employers with OSHA, harassment training, and data privacy obligations.
| Criterion | Weight | V1 | V2 | V3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Completion record retentionPermanent or configurable retention of training records with timestamps and employee attestation | 5 | |||
| On-demand audit exportAbility to export all training records for a date range, department, or individual in under 5 minutes | 5 | |||
| Certification expiry and renewal trackingAlerts and auto-re-enrollment when certifications approach expiry | 4 | |||
| Policy acknowledgment captureAbility to require employee signature or acknowledgment of policy documents with timestamp | 4 | |||
| State-specific training trackingAbility to filter completion reports by employee state of work (not just HQ location) | 3 |
5. Integration and security
Weight: 10% of total score. Assess HRIS/HCM connectivity, SSO, and data security posture.
| Criterion | Weight | V1 | V2 | V3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSO (SAML 2.0 / OAuth)Single sign-on via Okta, Azure AD, Google Workspace, or similar | 4 | |||
| HRIS integrationNative or API integration with Workday, BambooHR, ADP, Rippling, or similar HRIS | 4 | |||
| SOC 2 Type II certificationCurrent SOC 2 Type II report available; data processing agreement provided | 3 | |||
| Data residency (US)Option for US-only data storage; CCPA compliance documentation available | 2 |
6. Commercial terms and support
Weight: 10% of total score. Assess pricing structure, implementation support, and contract flexibility.
| Criterion | Weight | V1 | V2 | V3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transparent per-user pricingPublished or quoted per-active-user pricing; no hidden setup or maintenance fees | 4 | |||
| Implementation timelineTime-to-live for standard mid-market deployment (target: under 30 days) | 3 | |||
| Contract flexibilityMonth-to-month option available; reasonable exit and data export terms | 3 | |||
| Customer support qualityNamed CSM for mid-market accounts; response SLA under 4 hours for critical issues | 3 |
Vendor comparison summary
Recommended next steps
- Disqualify any vendor with a score of 1–2 on a must-have (starred) criterion regardless of total score
- Shortlist the top 2 vendors by weighted total
- Run a 30-day pilot with your actual compliance training content before signing
- Verify audit export speed with a live data set during the trial — don’t rely on demo data
- Request a customer reference specifically from a company in your industry and size range
Category weights used in scoring
- Core LMS functionality: 25%
- Administration and reporting: 20%
- Compliance and audit: 20%
- Content authoring and library: 15%
- Integration and security: 10%
- Commercial terms and support: 10%
- Adjust weights for your organization’s priorities by editing the category weights above
Not just an LMS — a behavior change platform
If your primary training challenge is manager productivity and AI adoption (not compliance administration), TIQPlus may solve a problem your LMS selection won’t address. We run 30-day productivity sprints with before/after measurement — no LMS required.