Agency checks for marketing automation platform reviews

Agency evidence is one supporting input to a marketing automation platform review: it can support claims about delivery but cannot establish platform fit. This article sets out three outcomes—pass, unresolved or fail—to assess whether agency delivery claims are supported before appointment, as part of wider vendor due diligence. These checks concern the agency, not the automation platform; use them alongside platform-level assessment, not instead of it. No agency is named or rated here, because no proposals, references or work samples were supplied for review.

What to take away

Set the three outcomes first

Decide what each outcome means before any agency presents. Pass means every gate has checked evidence for the case in hand. Unresolved means evidence is missing and has been requested. Fail means something that must be evidenced cannot be.

Writing the definitions first protects the review from charm. A confident presentation then has nothing to argue with, because each gate asks for a record, not an impression. The same definitions apply to every agency on the shortlist.

The gates in one table

Use this table as a supporting agency-evidence check within a marketing automation platform review, not as a platform assessment. It sets what each agency gate needs, what leaves it unresolved and whether it stops the agency review. Four gates stop the review outright. The others can stay unresolved while the rest proceeds.

Identity and delivery come first

Ask for the legal name, company number, registered address, trading names and proposed subcontractors, then match them to the filing. Companies House records help match filings and officers, but the service warns that filed information is not verified for accuracy. Registration does not prove capability, solvency or service quality.

Then ask for names, roles, availability and replacement arrangements for the people who would do the work. A senior sales biography is not evidence that the person will work on the account. Delivery ownership that cannot be evidenced ends the review.

Keep reference calls on a record

Preserve consent before contacting references, and ask each reference about comparable, verifiable scope rather than a general recommendation. Record the client identity, referee role, permission to retain notes, delivery period, verified scope, named agency team, evidence seen and limits on disclosure.

Ask what changed from proposal to delivery, how defects were handled and whether handover artefacts were usable. One positive call does not establish a general success rate, so a reference supports a pass only beside the other gates.

Evidence that does not move a gate

The review method counts company filing, provider statement, platform-directory record, named staff, contract, reference permission and controlled work sample. It excludes anonymous testimonials, unverified awards, search position and supplier-written performance claims. The same method applies to every agency on the shortlist.

The HubSpot Solutions Directory is a first-party platform directory. A listing can support a stated directory relationship at the review date. It does not independently prove the agency's legal identity, staff allocation, implementation quality or fitness for the buyer.

Ask the platform owner to confirm current status where it is mandatory. Keep certification, directory membership and observed delivery as separate evidence fields, so one cannot stand in for another.

Use a work sample, or say the review is desk-only

Where procurement permits, give shortlisted agencies the same bounded task with approved test data. Define the expected journey logic, reconciliation, exception handling, documentation, accessibility check and handover. Record who did the work and who observed it.

The work sample should leave inspectable artefacts: assumptions, field map, journey version, test cases, defect log and handover note. Score clarity and reproducibility against the brief, not presentation polish. If no exercise occurs, the result is desk-only, and the gate stays unresolved. The sample assesses agency execution evidence, not product capability; product-level questions belong in reading product reviews.

Data, security and exit

The ICO's contracts and liabilities guidance for controllers and processors under the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 covers processing instructions, confidentiality, security, subprocessors, assistance and end-of-contract handling. Use the NCSC cloud security principles to structure questions about agency access and administration.

Commercial counsel must also examine liability, ownership, support and termination. The contract issues differ by service, so read them against the stated scope. Tie payment and acceptance to named deliverables where counsel approves.

Recheck when the team changes

Define who owns configuration, code and documentation, what the buyer receives at termination, and how privileged access is removed. Recheck the review if the agency substitutes staff or subcontractors before work begins.

Desk research closed on 5 September 2026. No account for an agency, employee, client reference, security control, contract, work sample or outcome was tested. There are no affiliate links, introductions, gifts, sponsorships or commercial relationships, and no conflicts were identified.

A change at Companies House can also prompt a recheck. GOV.UK offers free email alerts that tell you when a company updates its details, for example a change of director or address.

Before you act

Common questions

When does an agency review end as unresolved rather than fail?

Unresolved means evidence is missing and has been requested. Fail means something that must be evidenced cannot be, such as identity, delivery ownership, data access or exit. The final decision should be pass, unresolved or fail for that case.

Can a HubSpot Solutions Directory listing lift an agency to a pass?

No. The listing is a first-party platform record. It can support a stated directory relationship at the review date, but it does not prove legal identity, staff allocation, implementation quality or fitness for the buyer.

What is left if no work sample is possible?

A desk-only review. It rests on the company filing, provider statement, named staff, contract and reference permission. Do not infer hands-on ability from slides or from a case study whose client and method cannot be checked.