As I prep for my panel on Vendor Management and Vendor Oversight at Collection & Recovery Solutions 2026, I’m excited to share what the auditor with a heart has learned along the way.
Early in my career, I got a front-row seat to something that sounds subtle—but makes a huge difference in practice: vendor management and vendor oversight are not the same job.
I was responsible for vendor oversight. A colleague of mine handled vendor management. Easy enough, right? Divide and conquer.
Then we showed up for an onsite review.
I walked in fully prepared—armed with audit results, compliance findings, call monitoring notes…you know, the kind of material that makes an agency suddenly very interested in rescheduling.
The vendor manager? Equally prepared…to figure out what we were ordering for lunch.
And just like that—it clicked.
We weren’t just doing different tasks. We were operating in completely different mindsets.
- I was there to validate compliance, identify risk, and hold the agency accountable.
- They were there to build the relationship, keep things positive, and (apparently) make sure no one skipped the sandwich order.
Neither approach was wrong. In fact, both were absolutely necessary.
But they were definitely not the same.
The Simple Way to Think About It
-
Vendor Management = Running the relationship
-
Vendor Oversight = Holding the vendor accountable
Or, even simpler:
- Vendor Management asks: “How can we help you perform better?”
- Vendor Oversight asks: “Can you prove you’re doing this correctly?”
One builds. One verifies.
One encourages. One challenges.
And occasionally…one orders lunch
Key Differences
Where Companies Get It Wrong
This is where things start to get messy (and not just because someone ordered tuna salad for the whole room).
Blending the Roles Too Much
- The same person is coaching performance and grading compliance
- Vendors aren’t sure if they’re being supported…or silently audited
- The person managing the vendor may also be incentivized on dollars recovered
That last one matters more than most realize. When compensation is tied to performance, it becomes incredibly difficult for a vendor manager to reduce—or stop—placements with top-performing agencies, even when compliance concerns exist. It creates a natural tension between revenue and risk. And whether intentional or not, compliance can take a back seat when the dollars are strong.
I’ve seen this firsthand. While I was responsible for vendor oversight, several agencies reached out to raise concerns about the placement strategy. Normally, vendors treat auditors like vampires—stay out of the light and say nothing—but these agencies were surprisingly chatty. They all had the same complaint: placements were being given based on personal friendships, not actual performance.
I audited their accounts and processes, and they still felt far more comfortable telling me the real story—apparently, I was the one auditor they didn’t mind approaching. I like to think that I am an auditor with a heart.
Digging into these allegations, I did find holes in the placement strategy. It was a clear reminder of why separation of duties is so critical: a dedicated vendor oversight role not only ensures compliance but also allows someone to monitor internal controls and keep the process fair and objective.
It creates confusion—and let’s be honest, a little bit of paranoia.
Treating Oversight Like a Checkbox
- Audits get completed
- Reports get sent
- Nothing actually changes
If oversight doesn’t lead to behavior change, it’s just very formal paperwork.
What Actually Works
The best programs don’t eliminate tension between these roles—they manage it intentionally.
- Keep a clear separation of roles
Even if it’s the same team, the mindset must shift. (Think: different hat, different attitude.) - Create strong feedback loops
- Oversight findings → inform management coaching
- Management insights → inform oversight focus areas
When this works well, it’s powerful. Oversight identifies the risks, and management helps fix them—without either role losing its purpose.
Final Thought
That onsite visit stuck with me—not just because of what we found, but because of what it revealed.
Vendor management and vendor oversight aren’t competing roles. They’re complementary ones.
But if you treat them like they’re the same thing, you’ll end up with one person trying to be both the coach and the referee…
…and probably still arguing about lunch.
Author: Bev Evancic
Bev.Evancic@ResourceManagement.com
Bev Evancic is a Senior Vice President at Resource Management Services, Inc. Prior to employment at RMS, Bev worked as the Collection and Recovery Manager at AT&T Universal Card, Citi, and Federated Department Stores. Bev started in the collection industry as a collector at an upscale clothing store in Cincinnati, Ohio. As a returned check and private label credit card collector, Bev gained a basic understanding of the collection industry that has not changed with the introduction of regulations. Her collection philosophy begins with the idea that businesses and customers benefit from preserving the customer relationship. First, collectors need to attempt to contact customers when it is convenient for the customer to discuss his/her financial condition and willingness/ability to pay. Second, you never collect money by intimidating or threatening customers. Third, businesses must make sure the debt is valid.
She has managed all phases of collection and recovery operations, including automated dialer units, bankruptcy, and legal units, skip tracing units, internal collections, outside collection agency networks, and Consumer Credit Counseling. As a Consultant for Resource Management Services, Inc., Bev has spearheaded collection and recovery best practices reviews for many top credit grantors. Her articles on dialer operations, agency management and bankruptcy best practices have been widely publicized.
She is well known and regarded as a specialty expert in the areas of: Repossession, Bankruptcy, Estate, Litigation, as well as Pre- and Post- Charge-off. Prior to joining Resource Management Services, Inc. in 1995, Bev managed the Recovery Department for AT&T Universal Card Services where she developed the bankruptcy, probate, internal and litigation processes.
She is the author of “Recovery Management: Collecting the Uncollectible Account.
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