Strawpath
Vendor intelligence

Know the market before you select from it.

Strawpath Vendor Intelligence is our market research and vendor assessment capability. Before an RFP it maps the market. During an RFP it provides a consistent framework for comparing shortlisted vendors.

Before the RFP

Market landscape research

Most shortlists are drawn from memory, incumbent relationships and the first few names a search returns. A market scan replaces that with evidence: who is actually in the market, what they sell, who they sell it to and what it broadly costs.

01

Supplier and product mapping

Who serves your segment, under which delivery models, and which products are genuinely comparable.

02

Indicative cost and timeline bands

Market-planning ranges for implementation and five-year total cost of ownership, by segment and engagement type.

03

Where credible choice exists

A density view of the market, including the segment and delivery combinations no scanned product currently serves.

04

Trends shaping selection

Evidenced market trends with named sources, so the shortlist reflects where the market is going, not only where it has been.

Published market reports

Quarterly market extracts

Market report

UK Core Banking Platforms (Q3 2026)

37 suppliers, 39 products, client segments, delivery models, indicative cost and timeline bands and 55 banking trends.

DownloadWhat's inside

Market report

UK Pension Administration Platforms (Q3 2026)

23 suppliers, 23 products, client segments, delivery models, indicative cost and timeline bands and 52 pensions trends.

DownloadWhat's inside
Sectors we cover

  • Retail banking

    Banks assessing core platforms, payments, customer systems, data, integration and cloud services.

  • Pensions

    Schemes, master trusts and providers reviewing administration, member experience and supporting technology.

  • Wealth & asset management

    Firms evaluating portfolio, custody, administration, reporting and client-facing platforms.

  • Insurance

    Insurers, brokers and MGAs assessing policy, claims, underwriting and distribution platforms.

  • Building societies & mutuals

    Member-led organisations comparing core platforms, channels, payments and integration partners.

  • Mortgage lenders

    Banks, building societies and specialist lenders assessing origination, servicing and connected services.

During the RFP

Five dimensions.
Every shortlisted vendor.

Once the field is narrowed, every shortlisted vendor is assessed on the same basis, so the comparison is consistent, evidenced and defensible.

  1. 01

    Functional Fit

    Capability assessed against your actual operating model, not the vendor's standard demo script.

  2. 02

    Architecture & Security

    Stack composition, deployment model, API surface, security posture and integration burden in your environment.

  3. 03

    Commercial Viability

    Pricing model, total cost of ownership, contract structure and the commercial sustainability of the relationship over your horizon.

  4. 04

    Risk & Compliance

    Regulatory standing, operational resilience, data governance and the risk profile across your contract horizon.

  5. 05

    Roadmap & Market Traction

    Product roadmap credibility, AI investment, live client implementations and how the vendor is positioned for the next ten years.

"For every vendor we assess, we distinguish genuine capability from marketing positioning. Including AI."

Research

Evidence in practice

Research Report

The Unseen Giant in Finance: Transformation and Innovation in Pensions

Global pension trends and technological innovation, with a spotlight on Sub-Saharan Africa.

Read

Framework

AI Adoption Strategies in Finance, Banking and Pensions

A six-mode framework for placing your organisation honestly on the adoption spectrum.

Read

Case Study

The Pan-European Personal Pension Product (PEPP)

Technology, innovation and engagement lessons from the EU's cross-border pension product.

Read

Request a market scan or vendor assessment

The published extracts show the shape of each market. The full datasets add supplier-described features and charging structures, named clients, strengths and considerations per product and evidence for every trend.

Talk to Strawpath
Why Strawpath

Proprietary intelligence on vendors and trends

Continuously maintained data on platform capabilities, pricing patterns, implementation track records and where the market is genuinely heading.