Approved Supplier List - Required to evaluate every supplier?

J

jenrl16

Having an approved supplier list is a "shall" in the ISO standards. Does this mean we need to evaluate every supplier? If not, how do we pick and choose which suppliers to evaluate? Is having a supplier evaluation sheet and a supplier approval list sufficient?
Also, does anyone have a list of the "shalls" that are mentioned throughout the ISO standards?
 

Randy

Super Moderator
Re: Approved supplier list

What does the Standard say? Let's look...

7.4.1 The organization shall evaluate and select suppliers based on their ability to supply product in accordance with the organization's requirements. Criteria for selection, evaluation and re-evaluation shall be established.
Records of the results of evaluations and any necessary actions arising from the evaluation shall be maintained


It's not optional and, yes, you must evaluate ALL of them...

Oh yeah, don't waste time evaluating where you get your office supplies or who services the coke machines in the breakrooms....unless they can effect customer satisfaction or product conformity
 
A

arios

Re: Approved supplier list

Hi,

You may have a criteria defined in your supplier selection procedure indicating that you have various levels of vendors in your QMS, for example Type A, B, C, and D depending on their potential impact to your product. Then you can define which type of control you consider appropriate for them. For example a Type A vendor may need annual audits, COA's, maintan a current ISO certification, and IQC on each batch because it is a critical supplier. On the other extreme, a vendor type C (a less critical one) would only need to provide you with a survey suited to meet the particular needs of your QMS or bussiness needs.

I would take as valid that a vendor type D (for toiletries or office supplies for example) does not need to be listed in the ASL based on your analysis because it does not have an impact at all.

At the end, you should maintain your controls over the suppliers in accordance to the stated requirements in your procedure....and please don't forget to define a criteria for removing vendor from the ASL.

I hope this helps! This is my particular interpretation but other folks out there could provide you with their own approach.
Alberto
 
T

tlonkey

Re: Approved supplier list

Not sure if this will help you but I have attached a copy of the format I use to record our approved suppliers. We also have a master file for each vendor where I keep all the associated records as required by the evaluation method, and control criteria. We do not keep a list of our office supply vendors, janitorial suppliers or those types of vendors on our AVL List. We keep a list of those types of vendors in our purchasing dept. and inventory dept..

tlonkey
 

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Caster

An Early Cover
Trusted Information Resource
Re: Approved supplier list

Having an approved supplier list is a "shall" in the ISO standards. Does this mean we need to evaluate every supplier? If not, how do we pick and choose which suppliers to evaluate? Is having a supplier evaluation sheet and a supplier approval list sufficient
Also, does anyone have a list of the "shalls" that are mentioned throughout the ISO standards?

I think you got really good advice already.

If you can expand beyond ISO thinking to a holistic approach, finance or purchasing likely already has a system in place to select new suppliers which includes some kind of financial due diligence. If so, it would be easy to simply expand this system a bit to add in some kind of quality due diligence (not necessarily an audit). No need to create anything new, just add a bit to what they have.

As for a list of shalls, the ISO document is copyright so we can't share it here.

Most of us just bought a copy, scanned it, OCR'd it and built our own matrix of shalls to company procedures. It is good for the soul to go through the exercise, you get a better appreciation for the structure of the thing.

Or you could search here for an ISO audit checklist, it should get you close to what you want.

Welcome!
 

BradM

Leader
Admin
Re: Approved supplier list

Oh yeah, don't waste time evaluating where you get your office supplies or who services the coke machines in the breakrooms....unless they can effect customer satisfaction or product conformity

Thanks for mentioning that, Randy. I would suggest a risk-based approach to approving your suppliers. Like was mentioned, maybe create classifications for risk-levels. As you bring on a new vendor, perform some evaluation against the different risk-levels. If it's a A for example (coke machine; paper clips) then no further evaluation is warranted.

Keep it simple. Maybe keep a spreadsheet of all the evaluated suppliers, and what they are evaluated for (scope of evaluation). If they are not on the spreadsheet, they can't use them (or need to evaluate them). Lock the spreadsheet where it can't be changed.

Also, keep good communication with people in the organization. If there is a vendor that is not being used for bad quality, take them off the list. You certainly don't want someone else possibly buying from them.
 

howste

Thaumaturge
Trusted Information Resource
Re: Approved supplier list

Having an approved supplier list is a "shall" in the ISO standards.
Nope, not since the 2000 standard was released. It's still a good idea though.
Does this mean we need to evaluate every supplier?
Yes, if they affect conformity to product requirements.
Is having a supplier evaluation sheet and a supplier approval list sufficient?
You need records that show that the suppliers have been evaluated against the criteria you specified.
Also, does anyone have a list of the "shalls" that are mentioned throughout the ISO standards?
If you have the standard, that is the list.
 
S

sherryg

Having an approved supplier list is a "shall" in the ISO standards. Does this mean we need to evaluate every supplier? If not, how do we pick and choose which suppliers to evaluate? Is having a supplier evaluation sheet and a supplier approval list sufficient?
Also, does anyone have a list of the "shalls" that are mentioned throughout the ISO standards?
An approved supplier list consists of suppliers who have been approved for purchases against a set of criteria specific to the requirements and needs of your company. Not all suppliers are going to make that list or should they be on it. And, all purchasers should be aware of the list, adhere to it and not buy from whomever they want (i.e., suppliers who are not approved and who may not meet your requirements/criteria). Thus, it's important to have specific, documented approval criteria for suppliers so that the ASL is a valuable tool. All purchasers should be aware of the criteria and should adhere to using only approved suppliers. Thus, there is a good reason behind this requirement. Maverick spend with unapproved suppliers is a big problem in many companies.
 
Q

qmslady - 2009

Re: Approved supplier list

Nope, not since the 2000 standard was released. It's still a good idea though. Yes, if they affect conformity to product requirements.You need records that show that the suppliers have been evaluated against the criteria you specified.If you have the standard, that is the list.
Hi jenrl16,

I read some pretty good stuff here, don't know if you understood everything. I have found much help by searching engines and Wikipedia has alot of info on the Standards. I have the book so I can refer to it when I need to, but some times I need just "plain english".

Pay very close attention to the words in 7.4.1 "in accordance with the organization's standards" your company is the organization, what are your requirements for accepting purchased supplies? What are your customer's requirements for the supplies you purchase for thier product? And some customer's will tell you who they want you to buy from to meet these requirements. "Criteria for selection.....shall be established". What is your usual procedure for selecting a supplier? Do you use this method every time? Every supplier? If so, it is "established" that, that is how you do it. I have a general form, (template) for Supplier Self Survey and a list of general requirements that suppliers must meet, and if they don't, what will happen.
I hope this wasn't redundant...QMSLADY
 
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bio_subbu

Super Moderator
Having an approved supplier list is a "shall" in the ISO standards. Does this mean we need to evaluate every supplier? If not, how do we pick and choose which suppliers to evaluate? Is having a supplier evaluation sheet and a supplier approval list sufficient?
Also, does anyone have a list of the "shalls" that are mentioned throughout the ISO standards?
Hi

Supplier management is one of the most troublesome disciplines within a management system. Since you are implementing QMS in your organization, you must evaluate all your suppliers as per 7.4 of ISO standard. Supplier selection is based on various factors such as capability, availability, pricing and quality.

Capability:

whether the supplier have the capability to provide the type of product that you are expecting and all necessary services, warranties and information.

Availability:

The supplier provides the goods or service in time, desired location or not.

Pricing:

The supplier provide affordable price competitive given the total package of services offered. Please be noted that the lowest price is often not the best deal.

Quality: whether the supplier meets your specifications, tolerances and performance requirements or not.

Evaluation:

It is necessary to evaluate each supplier once your selecting process done, the exact frequency methods of evaluation and criteria are up to you. It emphasizes the most practical element of supplier performance, which is the ability to provide a product that meets all requirements. Evaluation can be done in the form of a signature, initials, stamp, or other identifier, along with the date it was performed.

Thanks and Regards
S. Subramaniam
 
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