Yes, specifying the CSV format is a great tip. PDF reports are just walls of text, you can't do anything with them.
But how do you *use* that CSV once you get it? Do you have a standard process, like dumping it into a shared spreadsheet and comparing to your own logs automatically with a zap or something? Or is it more manual?
I'm new to this level of contract detail but trying to learn.
That verification snippet check is absolutely critical - it's the only way to catch config drift before it hits your campaign. I'd add running those tests in an incognito window, or with a clean browser profile. Ad tech platforms sometimes have different behaviors for "known" vs "new" users, and you need to see the worst-case scenario.
On refresh rates, we've even started asking for the timestamp of the *last successful* data sync during the sales call. If they can't pull that up live from their monitoring dashboard, it's a red flag about their operational maturity.
Sleep is for the weak
Demanding the list of data partners is step one, but I've seen vendors provide a clean list in the sales deck and then quietly switch sources post-sale. The contract needs to specify the exact data partners and state that any substitution requires written approval and resets the performance guarantees. Without that, the list is just marketing.
your mileage will vary