You’ve decided to work with an external agency for your training initiative. Maybe you’ve shortlisted two or three firms. The proposals look solid. The case studies are impressive. But proposals are marketing documents — they show you what the agency wants you to see.
These ten questions are designed to reveal what proposals don’t. Ask them in your evaluation calls and you’ll quickly separate the agencies that deliver results from the ones that deliver slide decks.
What does your needs analysis actually look like?
Every agency says they do a needs analysis. Most don’t. What many call “needs analysis” is actually a content inventory — cataloging what training materials already exist. That’s useful, but it’s not the same thing.
A real needs analysis identifies the performance gap between where learners are and where the business needs them to be. It involves stakeholder interviews, learner analysis, and a review of performance data. If the agency’s answer is “we review your existing materials and meet with your SME,” push deeper. Ask: how do you determine whether training is the right intervention at all?
Who specifically will work on my project?
Some agencies sell with senior talent and deliver with junior staff. Ask for the names and backgrounds of the people who will actually design, develop, and manage your project. Ask whether those same people will stay on the project through completion or rotate off after the sale.
A clear, committed team means continuity. Vague answers about “our pool of experienced professionals” usually mean you won’t know who’s building your training until after you’ve signed.
How do you handle revisions?
Revision policies reveal a lot about how an agency works. Some agencies include unlimited revisions — which sounds generous but often means the initial quality is low enough to require them. Others cap revisions at two rounds, then charge extra. Both models have tradeoffs.
The question to ask is: how do you structure the process so revisions are minimal? Agencies that invest in thorough storyboard reviews and regular checkpoint approvals produce fewer surprises at final delivery. Ask how many rounds of revision their average project requires. If the answer is more than two per milestone, their process may need work.
Can you show me a project where the initial scope changed significantly?
This question reveals adaptability and honesty. Every experienced agency has had a project where the needs analysis uncovered a different problem than the one described in the RFP. The best agencies will tell you about a time they recommended a different approach than what the client originally asked for — and why.
If the agency only shows you projects that went exactly as planned, they’re either very lucky or not very honest.
What’s your approach to assessment design?
Assessment is where most training programs fail silently. If the agency’s approach to assessment is “we write multiple-choice questions at the end of each module,” that’s a red flag. Effective assessment tests whether learners can apply what they learned, not whether they can recall it.
Ask whether they design scenario-based assessments, whether they use pre and post measures to demonstrate learning gain, and whether their assessments are designed to satisfy Kirkpatrick Level 2 or Level 3 evaluation. The answer will tell you whether they’re building training for compliance or for competence.
How do you measure success after launch?
The right answer connects training metrics to business outcomes. If the agency only measures completion rates and satisfaction scores, they’re measuring activity, not impact. Ask what metrics they’ve tracked for past clients and whether they can share examples of post-launch data showing business results.
Agencies that build measurement into the design from the beginning — rather than bolting it on after launch — produce programs that are accountable to outcomes, not just deliverables.
What standards do you build to?
SCORM, xAPI, and WCAG accessibility compliance aren’t optional features. They’re baseline requirements. If the agency doesn’t build to these standards by default, you’ll pay for compatibility and accessibility remediation later.
Ask specifically: do you build to WCAG 2.1 AA? Do you test SCORM packages in the client’s actual LMS before delivery? Do you support xAPI for tracking beyond the LMS? These should be “yes, always” answers, not upsells.
What’s your typical timeline from kickoff to launch?
Timelines vary by project complexity, but an experienced agency should give you a confident range. Most custom eLearning modules take 4 to 12 weeks. End-to-end programs take 10 to 16 weeks. If the answer is vague or significantly shorter than these ranges, ask what’s being compressed — and whether quality is the tradeoff.
Also ask about their current capacity. An agency that’s overbooked will either miss deadlines or assign your project to whoever’s available rather than whoever’s best.
What happens after you deliver?
This question separates project-based vendors from strategic partners. Some agencies deliver the final files and move on. Others stay engaged through launch support, post-launch optimization, and ongoing content updates.
Ask whether the engagement includes pilot testing, LMS configuration support, admin training, and a post-launch review. If these are listed as optional add-ons rather than standard phases, the agency’s process may not extend far enough to ensure the training actually works in practice.
Can I talk to a recent client?
References should be specific and recent. Ask to speak with a client who completed a project in the past 12 months — not three years ago. Ask for a reference from a project similar to yours in scope, industry, or challenge.
When you talk to the reference, ask two questions: did the agency deliver what they promised, and would you hire them again? The second question is more revealing than the first.
Using these questions
You don’t need to ask all ten in a single call. But covering at least five or six of them during your evaluation will give you a clear picture of how each agency actually operates — behind the proposals and case studies.
The agencies that answer these questions confidently and specifically are the ones worth shortlisting. The ones that deflect, generalize, or sell harder in response are telling you something too.
If you’re evaluating agencies now, here’s what to look for in an instructional design partner and how to write a training RFP that attracts the right one.
