# How long should a DIY scouting supplier evaluation take?


**For a bounded single-club project, reserve six to eight calendar weeks and use 140 staff hours as an initial planning allocation.** This is a proposed schedule, not an observed typical buying cycle. It assumes one incumbent baseline, no more than two challengers, a small authorised player sample, access to evaluators and no major database rebuild.

| Stage | Suggested timing | Illustrative staff hours | Required output |
|---|---|---:|---|
| 1. Define the decision and acceptance gates | Week 1 | 8 | Signed decision charter |
| 2. Audit subscriptions and capture the baseline | Weeks 1–2 | 16 | Entitlement and dependency matrix |
| 3. Obtain comparable offers and trial permissions | Week 2 | 12 | Trial agreement and quote specification |
| 4. Verify competition-season coverage | Weeks 3–4 | 20 | Coverage map and exception register |
| 5. Run the same-shortlist trial | Weeks 3–5 | 36 | Evidence ledger and task results |
| 6. Test integration, rights and security | Weeks 3–6 | 20 | Technical report and legal issues list |
| 7. Compare costs and approve a decision | Week 6 | 12 | Decision memo and negotiation conditions |
| 8. Implement, test exit and hand over | Weeks 6–8 | 16 | Acceptance record and operating owner |
| **Total** | **Overlapping workstreams** | **140** | **A documented purchasing decision** |

Start legal and security triage before sharing data; the fuller review continues alongside the trial. Add time explicitly for supplier access delays, extensive counsel review, bespoke engineering, live scouting travel or multi-club approvals.

Work backwards from the **earliest contractual notice deadline**, not simply the subscription expiry or transfer window. Ask finance and counsel to establish that deadline from the actual agreement. For example, Hudl’s public organisation terms tie subscription periods to the applicable order and distinguish purchased quantities from actual usage; low usage alone does not establish a right to reduce a bill. ([hudl.com](https://www.hudl.com/eula))