Vendor Review Meeting Guide

Structured vendor governance meeting aligned to COR-008 and SOC-014.

vendor review meeting template SOC 2 preview (SOC-020)
.docx SOC-020

Vendor Review Meeting Template

Structured vendor governance meeting aligned to COR-008 and SOC-014.

How to Fill Out This Vendor Review Meeting

Vendor review meeting template SOC 2 — Minutes for periodic vendor/subprocessor reviews — CC9.2 and vendor SOC report exceptions.

Recommended Owner: Security or Procurement | Legal for contract/DPA items

What this file is for

Document purpose

Vendor governance meeting minutes (CC9.2) aligned to SOC-014 and COR-008.

In your program: Review Critical/High tier vendors at least annually; update SOC-014 after section 9.

Before you start

Getting Started

  • Enable Editing in Word; replace `[` placeholders and delete gray examples.
  • Cross-check dates, owners, and metrics with Phase 1–2 trackers (SOC-003, SOC-010, SOC-013, SOC-030).

Document tour

Fill out the file section by section

Work through the sections below in order. Each block matches a heading or tab in the downloaded SOC-020 file.

1. Attendees
  • Security, Legal, Procurement, and owners for top vendors.
  • After editing 1. Attendees, search for `[` placeholders and gray sample names — auditors flag incomplete templates.
2. Vendors Added or Removed Since Last Review
  • Sync adds/removals with SOC-014 subprocessor register changes.
  • After editing 2. Vendors Added or Removed Since Last Review, search for `[` placeholders and gray sample names — auditors flag incomplete templates.
3. Vendor Assessment — Critical & High Tier
  • Per vendor: tier, SOC report date, exceptions summary, and renewal action.
  • After editing 3. Vendor Assessment — Critical & High Tier, search for `[` placeholders and gray sample names — auditors flag incomplete templates.
4. SOC Report Exception Analysis
  • Document auditor exceptions and your complementary user controls (CUECs).
  • After editing 4. SOC Report Exception Analysis, search for `[` placeholders and gray sample names — auditors flag incomplete templates.
5. Subservice Organization & CUEC Review
  • Note carve-outs and whether you rely on vendor SOC for subservice orgs.
  • After editing 5. Subservice Organization & CUEC Review, search for `[` placeholders and gray sample names — auditors flag incomplete templates.
6. Contract & Data Processing Agreement Status
  • DPA/BAA gaps and renewal dates — Legal owns remediation.
  • After editing 6. Contract & Data Processing Agreement Status, search for `[` placeholders and gray sample names — auditors flag incomplete templates.
7. Vendor Access Review
  • Integration accounts and vendor SSO users — tie to SOC-010 where applicable.
  • After editing 7. Vendor Access Review, search for `[` placeholders and gray sample names — auditors flag incomplete templates.
8. Action Items
  • Per-vendor actions with owners; link SOC-021 evidence when closed.
  • After editing 8. Action Items, search for `[` placeholders and gray sample names — auditors flag incomplete templates.
9. SOC-014 Updates Required
  • List register rows to add/update/delete before next audit sample.
  • After editing 9. SOC-014 Updates Required, search for `[` placeholders and gray sample names — auditors flag incomplete templates.
10. Approval
  • Security or procurement lead sign-off.
  • After editing 10. Approval, search for `[` placeholders and gray sample names — auditors flag incomplete templates.
Related Documents
  • SOC-014, COR-008, SOC-029 references — verify versions in COR-013.
  • After editing Related Documents, search for `[` placeholders and gray sample names — auditors flag incomplete templates.

Quality check

Before You Finalize

  • Section 3 covers every Critical/High vendor in SOC-014 with current SOC report date.
  • Section 9 SOC-014 updates completed or scheduled with owner.

Evidence

Where to Store It

  • Store the completed file in your compliance evidence folder (signed PDF for policies).
  • Register the document in COR-013 with version, owner, and next review date.
  • Link the file from your evidence index or SOC-005 project plan when you use Phase 3 trackers.

Next Steps

After customizing Vendor Review Meeting:

  1. 1Complete the file: Finish every section or tab in SOC-020.
  2. 2Register: Add version and owner to COR-013.
  3. 3Operationalize: Train owners listed in the document.
  4. 4Evidence: Keep exports auditors can sample during fieldwork.