How we assess suppliers.
Every supplier profile and comparison on this site follows the same method, and it is the one we use in client selections. We map the supplier to the right layer, write the service levels before anyone quotes, score it against alternatives in the same layer, and let a pilot with signed acceptance criteria settle the claims. We have no stake in which supplier you choose.
Independence comes first.
An assessment is only worth reading if the assessor has nothing riding on the answer. The rules are set out in our independence and conflict-of-interest policy:
- You buy direct from the chosen supplier, on your terms.
- We don't sell hardware, so our advice stays independent. No RTLS, RFID, IoT, software or systems-integration supplier we recommend or evaluate pays us: no fees, rebates, marketing funds, partner bonuses or any other benefit.
- No software platform. Our recommendations never have to defend a product P&L.
- Disclosure. Our advisers worked inside RFID and RTLS suppliers earlier in their careers. We name them and the years in writing on request, and flag any familiarity that could bias an evaluation.
If a supplier clears the gate on your constraints, we will say so. If another clears it cheaper at equal service level, we will say that too.
The six steps.
1 · Map the supplier to the right layer.
From a buyer's architecture view, separate silicon or vehicle hardware from platform software, from workflow applications, from integrator delivery. Conflating those layers is how RFPs ask one supplier to be four things and then punish them for gaps that belong elsewhere in the bill of materials. We score each supplier only against alternatives in the same layer. Hybrid programmes usually need complementary suppliers across layers, for example RAIN RFID identity at docks plus UWB on vehicles, or Wi-Fi analytics plus BLE-AoA in precision zones.
2 · Write the service levels before anyone quotes.
Accuracy or performance SLOs are written per zone before quotes are requested. The request then requires independent RF or site-design review rights, a live acceptance test method, tag or robot battery and refresh assumptions, integration scope into MES, WMS or EMR, and a five-year TCO workbook that separates hardware, licences, install PMO and application work. Vanity metrics that only appear in empty-lab demos are excluded.
3 · Apply the reference gate.
Before any scoring, one yes/no question: does the supplier have a verified production deployment of comparable scale and use case? A supplier that fails the gate is not shortlisted, whatever its other merits. References have to match your industry, site scale and radio or vehicle class. A logo slide from an adjacent vertical is weak evidence.
4 · Score against weighted criteria.
Our supplier evaluation matrix scores each supplier on 30+ scoring dimensions across six categories. The starting weights, as set out in our RFP template, are technical fit 30%, commercial value 20%, reference deployments 15%, service and support 15%, integration capability 10%, and security and compliance 10%. We tune the weights to the use case during scoping: the criteria don't change, the weights do. A retail item-level programme, for example, weights commercials and integration with WMS and EPCIS more heavily.
5 · Check the commercials and the delivery chain.
Commercial diligence covers support hours for your geographies, spare-parts lead times, firmware cadence, data residency, exit clauses for raw data access, and whether professional services are delivered by the manufacturer or by a third party. Many credible platforms ship through resellers and integrators. That is fine if the integrator is named, contracted and measured against the same accuracy gate as the manufacturer.
6 · Let a pilot validate the claims.
Public product material is a capability claim to validate on your floor, not an acceptance certificate. We separate Proof of Concept (can the radio work in your RF environment?) from Proof of Value (does locating move a business KPI under real operations?). The pilot runs on the real process with production interference present, on a full shift with real operators. Accuracy, read-rate, latency, uptime, integration and adoption thresholds are signed before contracts, each with a measurement method and a sampling plan. More in our guide to RTLS pilot success criteria.
When we recommend walking away or dual-sourcing.
We say "not fit" when your service level sits outside the supplier's proven accuracy band, when procurement origin or risk policy blocks the supplier, when the services bench is thin in your region, or when the commercial model forces platform modules you will never use. An accurate "not fit" early is cheaper than a stalled pilot. We also keep at least one alternative in the same layer through design review, so pricing and roadmap pressure stay real.
What the supplier profiles on this site are.
Our supplier profiles and comparisons are independent briefs written from a buyer's point of view. They place each supplier in its layer and say where it tends to fit and where it doesn't. They are a starting point for a shortlist, not a verdict on your project: the steps above, run on your constraints and your floor, decide that. For robotics suppliers, TRACIO advises on locating and fleet orchestration only.
To run the same process yourself, start with the RTLS supplier selection checklist, the RFP template and the five-year TCO model. If you would rather have it run independently, see supplier selection.
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