Supplier Evaluation : 5 Best Practices

Your company's ability to promptly respond to your customers' needs hinges in great part upon your suppliers' efficiency. While price should always be a key consideration when evaluating suppliers, there are other factors that also should be considered. Below are five supplier evaluation best practices to help ensure that you select a capable, top-notch supplier.

1) Assess the supplier's resources and scalability. A supplier should have the manpower, tools, and facilities to support your company's continued growth. Additionally, the suppliers you choose should be able to handle large orders or requests without significant delays.

2) Visit the supplier's operations. A live visit to a supplier's headquarters can be an eye-opening experience. Ideally, you should choose suppliers with clean, well-illuminated, organized facilities. Equipment should be well maintained and employees should demonstrate keen attention to safety protocol. 

3) Ask suppliers to outline their quality control procedures. Quality control procedures are vital to ensuring that products undergo a thorough inspection prior to dispatch. A good way to assess a supplier's commitment to quality control procedures is to find out if the supplier conducts internal audits on a regular basis.

4) Request references. A robust collection of glowing references from legitimate clients is a great indicator of a supplier's ability to meet your needs. Make sure that you contact each reference provided and ask whether the supplier was able to deliver products in accordance with cited promise dates.

5) Verify the supplier's certifications and accreditations. Industry certifications indicate that a supplier demonstrates a commitment to continued quality improvement and consistency in operations. Ideally, suppliers should possess ISO 9001 certification and Accredited Company Training Schemes (ACTS).

We invite you to contact us to learn more about our supply chain management solutions. We can help you separate the most accomplished suppliers from those that may not have the resources to promptly respond to your needs. We look forward to helping you expand your supplier network!