Define Acceptance Criteria Before Hiring a Marketing Vendor

Executive summary

A vendor can deliver the number of posts or designs agreed in a proposal and still leave the business unable to publish them. Files may be flattened, links may be untested, source files may be missing, or the team may not know which version is approved. Acceptance criteria reduce these disputes by defining what “complete” means before production begins.

Allow 30–45 minutes to write criteria for a small engagement. Match the criteria to the work being purchased; a one-off poster does not need the same handover as a multi-channel campaign with advertising accounts and reporting.

Translate scope into observable deliverables

Avoid relying only on phrases such as “social media management” or “complete campaign support.” List the actual outputs, formats, quantities, channels, language versions, due dates and review rounds. State what is excluded, such as replying to customer messages, media spend, printing, photography or website development.

For each deliverable, describe how the business will recognise completion. A campaign package might require approved captions, final image exports in specified dimensions, working destination links, a schedule, a results summary and a folder of source files where agreed.

Set quality criteria before the first draft

Criteria may include correct offer details, spelling, approved brand assets, accessible text contrast, mobile legibility, correct branch information and links that reach the intended destination. If claims need evidence, state who provides the source and who verifies the final wording.

Do not set vague criteria like “high quality” without examples. A reference asset can help communicate visual direction, but clarify which parts are requirements and which are inspiration. Otherwise, the vendor and client may interpret the same example differently.

Define the review and acceptance process

Name the person who consolidates feedback and the person authorised to accept the work. Set a reasonable review window and explain how feedback should be submitted. If multiple employees send conflicting comments directly to the vendor, the project can accumulate extra rounds without a clear decision.

Distinguish a defect from a new request. Correcting a wrong phone number is a defect; asking for a different concept after approval may be additional scope. The contract or written agreement should define how revisions and additional work are handled.

Include handover and access requirements

Before the project ends, specify which editable files, exports, documentation and account access must be transferred. Confirm that the business can access its own advertising or publishing accounts without relying indefinitely on a vendor's personal login. Use supported account permissions rather than sharing passwords.

Clarify ownership and permitted use of fonts, stock photos, music, templates, customer images and other third-party materials. Do not assume that receiving a file automatically gives the business unlimited rights to reuse every element in it. Get the applicable rights in writing and store the evidence with the asset.

Make analytics and reporting reproducible

If reporting is part of the scope, define the reporting period, metrics, data sources, filters and delivery date. Ask for a short explanation of what each metric means and what is excluded. A screenshot of a dashboard may be useful, but it may not be enough to reproduce the figures or understand the underlying setup.

If the vendor configures tracking, specify which account owns the configuration and what documentation will be handed over. Avoid accepting a report that attributes every sale to a campaign without explaining the measurement method and its limitations.

Use a simple acceptance checklist

deliverable | required format | factual checks | links tested | source/editable files | rights documented | approver | accepted/rework | evidence location

Review the delivered files, not only a presentation showing them. Open the exported assets, inspect the destination URLs and verify that the business has access to the promised files and accounts.

Close the engagement cleanly

At handover, confirm that open tasks, credentials access, scheduled posts, subscriptions, pending invoices and future responsibilities are understood. Remove unnecessary vendor access when the engagement ends, following the platform's supported access controls. Keep a copy of the final scope and acceptance record.

If a deliverable fails, describe the exact criterion that was not met and the correction required. Avoid a vague rejection such as “not good enough,” which does not tell the vendor how to fix the problem.

Conclusion and next steps

Define deliverables, quality checks, review authority, rights and handover before work begins. A clear acceptance process protects both the business and the vendor by reducing ambiguity, preventing avoidable rework and making completion observable rather than subjective.

Agree what happens when a deadline slips

The acceptance plan should state how the vendor and business communicate a risk to delivery. Ask for early notice when a dependency threatens the date, including the affected deliverable, revised estimate and available alternatives. The business can then decide whether to reduce scope, move the launch or use an already approved asset. Avoid accepting an unreviewed substitute simply to preserve a calendar date. For ongoing work, review recurring causes of missed deadlines and clarify whether the problem comes from late client inputs, unclear scope or the vendor's own production estimate.

Official references

• Google Ads policies and advertising help — verify current documentation and account-specific behaviour before publication.
• Google Drive help: share files and folders — verify current documentation and account-specific behaviour before publication.