Originally posted by eskay:
...If my customer insists that I have to buy from a specific supplier, why should I be bothered to evaluate him? I can buy from him for my customer's requirement alone and can treat this as "Customer supplied product".
I have a 'real-life' experience in this. The above explanation of mine was accepted by a third-party assessor during one of the periodic audits.
Kannan
I can't say I disagree entirely with the premise that if a customer requires you to buy from a specific supplier, that could be interpreted as customer supplied material. However, so far I have not seen that successfully used as a reason for not evaluating a supplier. The times I have seen this approach attempted the auditor has disagreed with the interpretation. Even if you purchase the material directly from your customer, it is not 'customer supplied' by virtue of the fact that you did, indeed, purchase it.
If you got by with that interpretation, good for you. But as I read the requirement, and as I have seen the requirement interpreted in the past, the interpretation you put forth is not commonly accepted.
[This message has been edited by Marc Smith (edited 15 April 2000).]