{"id":"validation-and-evidence","type":"concept","title":"Validation and evidence","created":"2026-07-24","status":"Evidence available","authors":["Upstream Zero"],"edges":[{"rel":"part-of","to":"recommendation-survivability"},{"rel":"cites","to":"evidence-tier"}],"summary":"Which sources, proof types, and trust signals an evaluator appears to rely on when it validates a vendor against a requirement.","question":"What evidence does an evaluator appear to use when deciding whether a vendor credibly meets a requirement?","pubState":"published","body":"Validation and evidence studies what an evaluator appears to lean on when it\ndecides whether a company credibly meets a requirement: the sources it cites,\nthe kinds of proof it treats as sufficient, and the trust signals that move a\nvendor from mentioned to recommended.\n\nThe core question is which evidence an evaluator appears to use during\nvalidation. What remains open is how much of the observed narration reflects\nthe actual mechanism, which is why claims here are held at their evidence tier.","url":"/concepts/validation-and-evidence","machineUrl":"/objects/validation-and-evidence","referencedBy":[{"from":"evaluator-epistemic-posture","rel":"part-of"},{"from":"surface-independent-kill-effect","rel":"part-of"},{"from":"E-001","rel":"part-of"},{"from":"E-003","rel":"part-of"},{"from":"E-004","rel":"part-of"},{"from":"E-005","rel":"part-of"},{"from":"E-042","rel":"part-of"},{"from":"E-044","rel":"part-of"},{"from":"EXP-0001","rel":"part-of"},{"from":"EXP-0002","rel":"part-of"}],"_meta":{"site":"Upstream Zero · Commercial Intelligence for AI-Mediated Commercial Evaluation","version":"0.1","note":"Claims are presented at their evidence tier; Narrated is the lowest. Verify by walking edges, not by trusting us."}}