Independent Technology Evaluation & Vendor Selection
Technology due diligence and vendor selection advisory for businesses, nonprofits, and family offices—providing unbiased evaluation of technology decisions, M&A technical assessments, and objective vendor selection counsel.
Schedule EvaluationHigh-Stakes Decisions Without Independent Counsel
Major technology investments—enterprise software selection, M&A technical due diligence, strategic partnerships, infrastructure decisions—require sophisticated evaluation that most organizations lack internal expertise to conduct. Without independent assessment, organizations risk costly mistakes, vendor lock-in, missed red flags, and investments that fail to deliver promised value.
Vendor-Biased Information
Organizations typically evaluate technology through vendor-provided information, reference customers selected by vendors, and demonstrations optimized to showcase strengths while hiding weaknesses. This asymmetric information dynamic favors vendors over buyers.
M&A Technology Blind Spots
Mergers and acquisitions require technical due diligence to uncover technology risks, integration challenges, technical debt, security vulnerabilities, and operational costs that financial due diligence misses—yet most organizations lack resources for thorough technical assessment.
Complex Vendor Negotiations
Enterprise technology contracts involve complex pricing, licensing terms, support SLAs, exit clauses, and hidden costs. Without negotiation expertise and market knowledge, organizations accept unfavorable terms and pay significantly more than necessary.
Integration & Implementation Risk
Technology selection without implementation planning leads to post-purchase surprises—integration complexity, data migration challenges, customization requirements, and total cost of ownership far exceeding initial budget estimates.
Independent Technology Assessment You Can Trust
Cavalier Consulting provides vendor-independent technology due diligence and selection advisory—helping organizations evaluate major technology decisions with rigorous assessment, conduct M&A technical due diligence, negotiate favorable vendor agreements, and select solutions based on objective criteria rather than sales presentations.
Rigorous Technology Assessment
We evaluate technology solutions through comprehensive assessment frameworks—technical architecture review, security analysis, integration complexity, total cost of ownership, vendor viability, and alignment with your strategic requirements.
M&A Technical Due Diligence
Our M&A technology assessments uncover technical risks, quantify technology-related costs, evaluate integration complexity, assess security posture, and identify operational technology challenges before acquisition closes.
Strategic Vendor Negotiation
We provide negotiation support leveraging market knowledge and contract expertise—securing favorable pricing, flexible terms, appropriate SLAs, and exit provisions that protect your organization's interests.
Zero Vendor Conflicts
As completely independent advisors with zero vendor relationships, our only incentive is your success. We receive no referral fees, implementation revenue, or vendor compensation—ensuring purely objective recommendations.
From Requirements to Confident Selection
Our technology evaluation methodology ensures rigorous assessment, objective comparison, and informed decision-making.
Requirements Definition & Prioritization
Work with stakeholders to define comprehensive requirements—functional, technical, security, integration, support—and prioritize using frameworks that distinguish must-haves from nice-to-haves.
Market Research & Vendor Identification
Conduct independent market research to identify solution providers. Evaluate vendor viability, market position, product maturity, roadmap alignment, and customer satisfaction through multiple information sources.
Technical Evaluation & Assessment
Perform rigorous technical assessment—architecture review, security analysis, integration complexity, scalability evaluation, performance testing, and total cost of ownership analysis with standardized scoring frameworks.
Reference Checking & Risk Assessment
Conduct independent reference checks with customers facing similar use cases. Assess implementation risks, common challenges, support quality, and hidden costs through candid conversations beyond vendor-provided references.
Commercial Evaluation & Negotiation
Analyze pricing models, contract terms, and total cost of ownership. Support contract negotiation to secure favorable pricing, flexible terms, appropriate SLAs, and exit provisions that protect your interests.
Final Recommendation & Decision Support
Present comprehensive evaluation findings with clear recommendations, risk assessment, implementation considerations, and decision frameworks—empowering leadership to make informed selections with confidence.
The Value of Independent Technology Assessment
Organizations leveraging independent technology evaluation achieve better vendor outcomes, lower costs, reduced regret, and higher implementation success rates.
Average Negotiation Savings
Independent advisory and market knowledge typically secure 30-50% cost savings through negotiation of favorable pricing, elimination of unnecessary components, and contract terms that reduce total cost of ownership.
Reduction in Vendor Regret
Rigorous evaluation dramatically reduces "buyer's remorse"—the post-purchase discovery of missing capabilities, hidden costs, integration complexity, or vendor limitations that cause organizations to regret selections.
Higher Implementation Success
Vendors selected through rigorous evaluation achieve 2-3 times higher implementation success rates than those chosen through sales-driven processes—because assessment includes implementation feasibility and organizational readiness.
Hidden Cost Discovery (M&A)
Technical due diligence in M&A transactions typically identifies $2-5 million in hidden technology costs, integration challenges, and technical debt that financial due diligence misses—materially impacting valuation.
Faster Selection Process
Structured evaluation frameworks and independent assessment accelerate vendor selection by 50-70%—eliminating analysis paralysis, political infighting, and endless vendor demonstrations without clear decision criteria.
Vendor Influence on Recommendations
Complete independence ensures recommendations serve your interests exclusively—no referral fees, no implementation revenue, no vendor partnerships influencing evaluation outcomes or vendor selection.
Independent Evaluation Built on Experience
Enterprise Selection Experience
20+ years evaluating and selecting enterprise technology—from Fortune 500 procurement to nonprofit vendor selection—bringing sophisticated assessment frameworks to organizations of all sizes.
Absolute Vendor Independence
Zero vendor relationships, zero referral fees, zero implementation revenue—our compensation comes exclusively from advisory fees, ensuring recommendations serve your success, not vendor sales quotas.
Implementation Reality Focus
Unlike pure procurement consultants, we've implemented the systems we evaluate—bringing real-world perspective on integration complexity, organizational change, and post-purchase implementation challenges.
"Brandon's vendor evaluation saved us from what would have been a disastrous selection. His rigorous assessment uncovered integration challenges and hidden costs the vendor conveniently omitted. We selected a better solution and negotiated 35% better terms than initially proposed."
Make Confident Technology Decisions
Evaluate major technology investments with independent counsel that provides rigorous assessment, unbiased recommendations, and negotiation support.
Serving businesses, nonprofits, and family offices in Tampa, Boca Raton, Orlando, Jacksonville, Hampton Roads, Washington DC, and New York