Distributor selection criteria: a scorecard for medical devices.
Score every distributor on the same eight criteria: licence and registration capability, segment focus, portfolio fit, coverage, clinical and service capability, reps per line, financial health and compliance culture. Weight them for your device, mark two or three as knockouts, and score each 0, 1 or 2 on evidence. A 0 on a knockout rules a candidate out, whatever the total.
Start from your Ideal Distributor Profile
The scorecard is your Ideal Distributor Profile turned into numbers: the profile says what one product needs from a partner, the scorecard checks each candidate against it. If you have not written one, start with managing distributors like a sales team, which defines it.
The eight criteria
| Criterion | What good looks like | How to check |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Licence | Licensed for your device; has held registrations for others; will work under a holder you choose | Regulator's register; Index profile |
| 2. Segment focus | Sells to your buyer today: theatre, lab, clinic or ward | Device listings on record; the call |
| 3. Portfolio fit | Lines that sell to the same buyer; no direct competitor | Principals on record; line card |
| 4. Coverage | Reaches the cities, key accounts and tenders you need | Branches; tender awards; customers |
| 5. Clinical and service | Specialists for cases and training; service for your device | The call; site visit |
| 6. Reps per line | Named people with time for your line | Ask for names |
| 7. Financial health | Pays principals on time; can fund stock and receivables | Accounts; a principal reference |
| 8. Compliance | Anti-bribery policy; complaint and recall procedures in use | Documents; due diligence |
Weights by device type
Weights run from 1 to 5. K marks a knockout.
| Criterion | Capital equipment | Implants | Consumables |
|---|---|---|---|
| Licence | 5 K | 5 K | 5 K |
| Segment focus | 4 | 5 K | 3 |
| Portfolio fit | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| Coverage | 3 | 4 | 5 K |
| Clinical and service | 5 K | 5 K | 2 |
| Reps per line | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| Financial health | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| Compliance | 4 | 4 | 4 |
Multiply each score by its weight, add them up, and divide by the maximum (twice the sum of the weights). We use 70 percent as a working pass mark. It is a judgement, not a standard. A knockout at 0 fails at any total.
Score what you can before the first call
The registries answer criteria 1 to 3 and part of 4. This example profile from Singapore shows the roles the HSA register gives the company, its segments, how many principals and registrations it has, and when it was last seen. Country by segment pages, such as orthopaedics in Singapore with 195 independent distributors (Bastion Hale Distributor Index, build of 25 October 2026), let you pre-score a whole market. The size score measures registry footprint, not revenue; see the methodology. Criteria 5 to 8 need the call, documents and references. Leave them blank until then, not guessed.
Worked example
An illustration with two unnamed candidates. A maker of a CE-marked trauma plating system scores two Singapore distributors with the implant weights.
| Criterion (weight) | Distributor A | Distributor B |
|---|---|---|
| Licence (5 K) | 2 | 2 |
| Segment focus (5 K) | 2 | 1 |
| Portfolio fit (4) | 1 | 2 |
| Coverage (4) | 2 | 1 |
| Clinical and service (5 K) | 1 | 2 |
| Reps per line (4) | 1 | 2 |
| Financial health (3) | 2 | 1 |
| Compliance (4) | 2 | 1 |
| Total of 68 | 55 (81%) | 52 (76%) |
Both pass. A covers more hospitals but would need your specialist in theatre for the first year. B has the specialists and fewer accounts. The scorecard does not decide for you. It shows what you are trading.
Red flags
- Carries your direct competitor, or did until last month.
- Will not name the people who would sell your line.
- Insists on holding the registration with no transfer clause.
- Wants exclusivity for a whole region without targets.
- No principal will take a reference call.
Copyable scorecard
| Criterion | Weight | Knockout? | Score 0, 1, 2 | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Licence | ||||
| 2. Segment focus | ||||
| 3. Portfolio fit | ||||
| 4. Coverage | ||||
| 5. Clinical and service | ||||
| 6. Reps per line | ||||
| 7. Financial health | ||||
| 8. Compliance |
Then check portfolio conflicts in depth with the portfolio fit guide and verify the finalists with the due diligence checklist.
Common mistakes
- Scoring after the friendly meeting instead of before it.
- Letting a high total hide a 0 on a knockout.
- Guessing the call-only criteria from the website.
- Using one scorecard for two very different products.
Questions people ask
What should I score a distributor on?
Licence and registration capability, segment focus, portfolio fit, coverage, clinical and service capability, reps per line, financial health and compliance culture. The weights change with the device, the criteria do not.
How do I weight the criteria?
By what your device needs. Capital equipment weights service, implants weight clinical support and segment focus, consumables weight coverage. Use 1 to 5 and mark two or three must-haves as knockouts.
What is a pass mark?
Divide the weighted score by the maximum. Seventy percent is a sensible starting line, but any 0 on a knockout rules the candidate out whatever the total.
How do I score a distributor I have not met?
From the registry: licence and roles, segments, principals and registrations held. That covers the first three criteria and part of coverage. Leave the rest blank until the call.
Who should do the scoring?
Two people from different functions, such as sales and regulatory, scoring separately and then comparing. Where they disagree, you need more evidence.
Pre-scored candidates for ten markets.
The Next 10 Markets report ranks ten markets for your device and pre-scores up to ten named licensed distributors in each on fit, with the registration route and landed cost. Start free with your top 3 markets in the Market Finder, and follow your markets in Market Watch: new licensed distributors, once a week.
Get the Next 10 Markets report, €490No-risk guarantee: if this report is not worth €490 to you, reply within 7 days of delivery and the fee is refunded in full; you keep the report. It is also refunded if the report names fewer than 30 licensed channel partners you did not already know.
Delivered one working day after your intake.
Based on general channel management practice and the Bastion Hale Distributor Index, build 2026-10-25T12:02:08Z (source notes). Weights and the pass mark are our working defaults, not an industry standard. Registry data; Bastion Hale does not vouch for any establishment. Last reviewed 25 October 2026.