What to look for in a Vendor (Supplier) Evaluation for AVL

[mdurivage]

I know almost everyone uses questionnaires or surveys. I personally think they do not yield much if any useful information other than the contact info. I usually ask for a copy of the quality manual and a procedure list. This allows me to see if the elements of the quality system is in place. Nothing beats boots on the ground, you never know for sure until you see it for yourself (and the quality of the goods and services received).

 

[SmallBizDave]

The questionnaire approach is pretty typical in my experience and the questions you listed are along the same lines as what I've seen. Since the standards generally require some type of supplier checkout it's either a questionnaire or someone pays them a visit.

As one additional point, I've written quality systems that allow the first purchase from a new supplier to occur prior to receiving the completed questionnaire. This speeds up purchases from new suppliers, which typically occur on development projects that are in a hurry or when production has an immediate shortage from the regular supplier. So long as the material is tracked so it can't ship unless the supplier is ultimately approved this does not violate the standards (ISO9000 or AS9100). I'd be curious if anyone else has a system that works this way.

 

[Mike_H]

something basic including the reason and formal consequence (as was mentioned, lack of PO's will also do the trick!)

 

[somashekar]

My experience with small and mid sized companies point me to many of the fly by night ISO consultants, who dish out a few pages of typical questionnaire to them and ask them to use it for supplier evaluation and selection. That done, these companies have spread these questionnaire like a virus across other contacts.
Now it looks like this is the only way they have to evaluate and select.
The core requirement is long lost and papers get filed and evaluation is said as completed.....

 

[Bromley_Voxel]

Interesting discussion here.. We are a small (5 employee) contract manufacturer and often times will outsource components to other machine shops. I will typically evaluate based upon cost (RFQ), lead time, and some level of competency based upon a cursory search of their website (this can include considerations for a QMS or other certifications). My preferred method would be to select a supplier based on that criteria, put them in a trial period and submit a purchase order. Every quarter review all suppliers including those in a trial period that we have placed at least one order with. If we are happy with their quality then we move them to approved. No forms, questionnaire, or other strict evaluation protocol, but I'm unsure if this is satisfactory to 8.4.1. I could include a brief note on the supplier record that they were selected due to cost, lead time, and competency considerations. Can it be this simple?

The reason I ask is because I could surely send them a questionnaire or show that they are ISO9001:2015 certified, but that does not mean they will deliver a quality product. I've been there done that and received garbage. It seems you can do your best to screen up front, but going through the process of a trial order is the best evaluation that we can do.