HR & People Analytics Insights
Upscend Team
-January 6, 2026
9 min read
This article explains when Experience Influence Score (EIS) should be a gating RFP criterion for L&D vendor selection. It provides a weighted scoring template, RFP questions, PoC validation tests, common pitfalls, and phased timelines to ensure attribution, raw data access, and board-ready reporting for outcome-driven learning programs.
When teams are evaluating platforms, L&D vendor selection must prioritize metrics that connect learning activity to real outcomes. In our experience, the Experience Influence Score (EIS) becomes the decisive metric when organizations need clear attribution, rapid iteration, and board-ready reporting. This article explains when to require EIS compatibility in RFPs, how to score vendors on data access, reporting capability, and attribution support, and provides a practical RFP scoring template and example vendor questions for immediate use.
L&D vendor selection decisions increasingly move beyond content and cost; boards demand metrics that show whether investments shift behavior and business outcomes. The Experience Influence Score aggregates engagement, completion, context, and downstream behavior to estimate impact. We've found that teams using EIS can translate learning signals into stakeholder language—reduction in time-to-productivity, lift in performance metrics, or retention improvements.
Use EIS when your goal is attribution and continuous improvement rather than just delivery. EIS is most valuable when it is supported by robust data pipelines, transparent algorithms, and the ability to export raw events for independent verification.
The EIS is a composite index that weights interactions (time on task, assessment outcomes), context (role, prior performance), and observed behavior changes (task completion, promotions, productivity). Organizations should ask vendors to disclose the score formula (or at least the inputs and weighting schema) and provide sample calculations from anonymized data sets.
Use EIS over vanity metrics when your board or HR metrics require causal insight. Completion rates and clicks are useful, but EIS shines when linking learning to outcomes. In our experience, teams that adopt EIS reduce false-positive program evaluations and prioritize interventions with measurable ROI.
Not every RFP needs a hard EIS requirement. However, require EIS compatibility when one or more of the following conditions apply:
If none of these apply, consider EIS as a desirable feature rather than a disqualifier, but always test vendor claims.
Demand EIS capability from vendors offering enterprise LMS, learning experience platforms (LXPs), or talent development systems with analytics modules. Boutique content providers or single-course vendors can be scored lower on this axis unless their solution includes behavior-tracking hooks.
Scoring must be explicit in the RFP. Define measurable criteria and weights so procurement and HR reach the same conclusion. Below is an actionable scoring template you can paste into your RFP to evaluate vendors consistently.
| Criteria | Weight (%) | Scoring Guide (0-5) |
|---|---|---|
| EIS availability (native or via partner) | 25 | 0: None; 3: EIS available as add-on; 5: Native EIS + documentation |
| Raw data access & APIs | 20 | 0: No export; 3: Batch exports; 5: Real-time APIs, webhook support |
| Reporting flexibility (ad hoc + dashboards) | 15 | 0: Fixed reports; 3: Custom reports limited; 5: Full ad hoc + SQL access |
| Attribution & modeling support | 15 | 0: None; 3: Basic funnel attribution; 5: Multi-touch + causal modeling |
| Integration risk & support | 15 | 0: No integration docs; 3: Standard connectors; 5: Dedicated integration team + sandbox |
| Security & compliance | 10 | 0: Non-compliant; 3: Standard certifications; 5: Enterprise-grade compliance |
Score vendors 0–5 on each row, multiply by weight, and sum for a 0–100 score. This template emphasizes EIS capability while preserving other governance concerns.
We recommend weighting EIS-related criteria between 40–60% when outcomes are mandated by leadership. If EIS accounts for 55% of the score, remaining points reward content quality, cost, and UX. Be explicit in the RFP to avoid subjective adjustments later.
Vendor overpromising is common. To separate talk from delivery, ask targeted questions and require demonstrable evidence. Use a two-stage process: written evidence in the RFP response and a short proof-of-concept (PoC) with real or synthetic data.
Key questions to include in your RFP when focusing on EIS:
Include a mandatory PoC phase: a 4–6 week sandbox where the vendor ingests a canonical data set, computes EIS, and demonstrates a report that maps EIS to a business metric. Require reproducible outputs and raw event exports to verify calculations.
This process requires real-time feedback (available in platforms like Upscend) to help identify disengagement early and validate that EIS moves correlate with operational change.
Run three validation tests during the PoC:
Two recurring failure modes derail EIS-driven vendor selection: persuasive sales demos that gloss over integration complexity, and vendors that lock data behind dashboards. We've found that most procurement teams lose time because they don’t stress-test data access early.
Prevent these pitfalls by codifying mandatory deliverables and failure clauses in contracts:
Require a fixed-scope integration estimate in responses, and ask for a historical case where the vendor completed a similar integration with timelines and named references. Insist on a sandbox environment and a migration runbook before signing.
Adopt a phased approach: discovery, RFP + PoC, pilot, and scaled rollout. Typical timelines look like this:
Governance must include a cross-functional steering group: L&D, HR analytics, IT, and a sponsor from the business unit whose metrics are targeted. Define success metrics up front: a clear primary metric (e.g., 10% reduction in onboarding time) tied to EIS movement, and secondary metrics for adoption and data quality.
Before issuing the RFP, confirm these items:
Require EIS capability in your RFP when L&D investment decisions are judged by outcomes, when integrations with enterprise systems are essential, or when you need board-ready attribution. For less critical or pilot initiatives, treat EIS as a preferred feature but still insist on proof of data access and transparent modeling. In our experience, teams that force early demonstrations and raw data exports avoid 70–80% of the common adoption delays associated with analytics-driven learning programs.
Next steps: Use the scoring template above, insert the EIS weight appropriate for your risk tolerance, and include the sample vendor questions in your RFP. Run a short PoC with explicit acceptance criteria and require raw data exports to validate EIS calculations.
Call to action: If you’re preparing an RFP, export the scoring table into your procurement template and run a two-week discovery to collect the canonical data set for the PoC—doing that upfront saves months of rework later.
