evaluation agreement

Evaluation agreements are contracts in which one party agrees to assess or test another party’s product, service, or technology. These agreements typically serve as a preliminary step toward a potential investment, license, or purchase, contingent on satisfactory results. They are also known as product evaluation, pilot, or trial agreements.

Evaluation agreements are common in industries such as software, biotechnology, and pharmaceuticals. They are often used between research institutions, universities, or companies and external suppliers or developers to allow limited use or testing under defined conditions.

A sample agreement can be found in archived public filings, such as those maintained by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

[Last reviewed in July of 2025 by the Wex Definitions Team] 

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