What's the longest supplier self survey you've had to fill out?

ScottK

Not out of the crisis
Staff member
Super Moderator
#1
I'm doing a 22 pager right now.
Just check off all the "yes", "no" or "N/A" responses will take the better part of this morning.
Then I have to rate everything on a scale from 0-3.
Then they want procedure numbers for all the "yes" answers.

So I think I'll procrastinate here on the cove a bit longer.

In relation to this topic, what right does a customer have to expect me to answer things like our top three customers and total sales?
 
Elsmar Forum Sponsor

RoxaneB

Super Moderator
Super Moderator
#2
I'm doing a 22 pager right now.
Just check off all the "yes", "no" or "N/A" responses will take the better part of this morning.
Then I have to rate everything on a scale from 0-3.
Then they want procedure numbers for all the "yes" answers.

So I think I'll procrastinate here on the cove a bit longer.

In relation to this topic, what right does a customer have to expect me to answer things like our top three customers and total sales?
Read the last question first! If it says "Are you ISO 9001 registered? If yes, you do not need to answer any of the previous questions" you're saved! ;)
 

Jim Wynne

Staff member
Admin
#3
I'm doing a 22 pager right now.
Just check off all the "yes", "no" or "N/A" responses will take the better part of this morning.
Then I have to rate everything on a scale from 0-3.
Then they want procedure numbers for all the "yes" answers.

So I think I'll procrastinate here on the cove a bit longer.

In relation to this topic, what right does a customer have to expect me to answer things like our top three customers and total sales?
I recall having a 28-pager in front of me ten or twelve years ago. It was during a time when practically every company on earth was trying to get ISO-registered, and I had piles of the [email protected] things (I was QM in a machining job shop at the time.) It was that one that made me decide to compile a list of answers to the most frequent-appearing items and supply it as a response to questionnaires. There was some protest; some customers insisted on having their questionnaire completed despite the fact that all of their questions were answered in my canned response. We dealt with those on a case-by-case basis, but having the canned responses eliminated 95% of the time devoted to completing questionnaires.

Insofar as divulging information that you'd rather not divulge, just say so. Most who ask those questions are just fishing and won't be put off by your being reluctant to answer.
 

ScottK

Not out of the crisis
Staff member
Super Moderator
#4
Read the last question first! If it says "Are you ISO 9001 registered? If yes, you do not need to answer any of the previous questions" you're saved! ;)
I wish.

That's how I do my suppplier surveys... "If you are ISO registered STOP HERE and attach a copy of your certificate".

unfortunately
1) this one doesn't do that, and
2) we're not ISO registered yet.

I just fail to see the point of doing this whole thing AND THEN having the customer come for an audit.
 

Colin

Quite Involved in Discussions
#5
What a waste of space most of these questionnaires are! I can't count the number of times I been auditing the purchasing department and asked them how they assess their suppliers. "We send out a supplier questionnaire" they say proudly" - "so what do you do with them" I ask. "Oh, we file them over here". They don't do anything with them!:mad:
 

RoxaneB

Super Moderator
Super Moderator
#6
I wish.

That's how I do my suppplier surveys... "If you are ISO registered STOP HERE and attach a copy of your certificate".

unfortunately
1) this one doesn't do that, and
2) we're not ISO registered yet.

I just fail to see the point of doing this whole thing AND THEN having the customer come for an audit.
Can't you just send them a copy of your cert and/or manual and say "Any other questions?" Better yet, add on "Any other questions can be answered when you come in and visit. You can answer your own survey questions at that time."

I think I sprinkled too much cynacism on my wheaties this morning.
 

CarolX

Super Moderator
Super Moderator
#7
I had one that was in an excel format with 12 tabs. We printed the whole package on 11 x 17 and had close to 50 pages. VERY silly!!!

There is some value from asking for your top 3 and the total sales. For example, you have an automotive customer looking at your facility and see that you are doing automotive work, your learning curve is much lower. As for the sales volumes - a new customer might get nervous if one customer accounts for 80% of your sales. If your not confortable providing this information - just add a note that this could be provided at a later date.
 
L

lrowe

#8
I think 12 pages is as long as I've had to fill out. What is interesting was that this one with a few others asks the "Are you ISO registered?' question and even if you are, you still have to fill out the full survey (which of course has all ISO cert extracted questions!) :confused:

Go figure! I get tired of filling them out even if they’re the short version when all you do is submit the ISO cert. I'm sure as has been mentioned, that what the completed surveys are even used for is dubious at best.

Larry
 
D

DsqrdDGD909

#9
60 pages - for a supplier to Honda - we tried using our standard response - no deal, .... fortunately I had help on that one.
 

Sidney Vianna

Post Responsibly
Staff member
Admin
#10
And to make matters worse, in my experience, a significant percentage of these surveys are never scrutinized carefully enough. I have had the chance to audit many organizations that require some type of supplier self surveys. Intentionally and randomly, I delved into some of the survey records. Many times, the answers being provided by the suppliers were blatantly wrong, some other times, many "critical" questions were not answered or should have been acted upon, such as the time when a small machine shop producing some tight-tolerance components stated that they had no form of calibration system in place.

Many organizations requiring this type of surveys do not even have a requirement defining who is responsible for reviewing the answers and deciding if follow up questions are necessary. The impression is that they go through the motions, but the process is totally ineffective. There are other threads that deal with supplier self surveys and how dysfunctional they are. But it would be extra painful to fill out these extremely long surveys suspecting that they will not be carefully evaluated.
 
Thread starter Similar threads Forum Replies Date
Ajit Basrur China opens world's longest bridge over water! World News 3
Marc Summer Solstice - Longest day of the year - 2010 Coffee Break and Water Cooler Discussions 0
J Supplier not responding to PPAP request APQP and PPAP 5
D Supplier audit Medical Device and FDA Regulations and Standards News 2
lanley liao Does all of the suppliers need to integrated into the supplier list qualified of the company? Oil and Gas Industry Standards and Regulations 2
S Distinction between a critical supplier and a Virtual manufacturer EU Medical Device Regulations 2
R AS9102 FAI Change in Material / Process Supplier AS9100, IAQG, NADCAP and Aerospace related Standards and Requirements 4
John Broomfield Five ways to botch your supplier management program Misc. Quality Assurance and Business Systems Related Topics 7
C Supplier survey - 200 to 250 duppliers Supplier Quality Assurance and other Supplier Issues 3
J Where is the definition of a critical supplier? ISO 13485:2016 - Medical Device Quality Management Systems 5
U Approved Vendor (supplier) List Supplier Quality Assurance and other Supplier Issues 8
M Supplier requirements - Major supplier is a Non-Profit registered with ICCBBA (FDA UDI) Supply Chain Security Management Systems 12
P Training department ideas and development for automotive supplier Training - Internal, External, Online and Distance Learning 6
B Software service provider as critical supplier ISO 13485:2016 - Medical Device Quality Management Systems 5
T AS9100D Clause 10.2.1g Supplier Corrective Action for each and every nonconformity? AS9100, IAQG, NADCAP and Aerospace related Standards and Requirements 3
S Supplier protocol for the Quality Supplier Quality Assurance and other Supplier Issues 6
A API Spec Q1 Purchasing Process - Supplier Reevaluation based on Supplier Risks 5.6.1.4 Oil and Gas Industry Standards and Regulations 17
D Approved supplier list - Distributors question ISO 13485:2016 - Medical Device Quality Management Systems 6
G Supplier delivered recent PPAP, should he deliver yearly layout inspection? IATF 16949 - Automotive Quality Systems Standard 4
E ISO 13485 QMS certification as a Supplier ISO 13485:2016 - Medical Device Quality Management Systems 8
G Supplier doesn't share drawings IATF 16949 - Automotive Quality Systems Standard 15
S Use of raw materials by two supplier CE Marking (Conformité Européene) / CB Scheme 2
D Are Supplier Quality Agreements Quality Records ? Other Medical Device Regulations World-Wide 9
G Dealing with non conformity caused by Supplier Components detected in the production line IATF 16949 - Automotive Quality Systems Standard 14
G Supplier doesn't accept the complaints Supplier Quality Assurance and other Supplier Issues 20
K New supplier audit as per V3.1 by French Automotive OEM General Auditing Discussions 2
A ASL requirement when the supplier is certified for ISO 13485 ISO 13485:2016 - Medical Device Quality Management Systems 6
S Supplier Management ISO 13485: 2016- Which supplier needs to fill in a self assessment form? ISO 13485:2016 - Medical Device Quality Management Systems 6
D Approved supplier list for R&D ISO 13485:2016 - Medical Device Quality Management Systems 5
M SemaTech SSQA Standardized Supplier Quality Assessment - my favorite tool ever Manufacturing and Related Processes 1
D Supplier Quality level category help - high level ISO 13485:2016 - Medical Device Quality Management Systems 6
J Supplier Controlled Shipping (GM CS1) Condition Manufacturing and Related Processes 3
L Supplier within the Organization ISO 9000, ISO 9001, and ISO 9004 Quality Management Systems Standards 5
D Supplier Quality - How to classify a supplier level Medical Device and FDA Regulations and Standards News 10
P Understanding DFMEA and PFMEA - Supplier Related IATF 16949 - Automotive Quality Systems Standard 21
S Can assembly manufacturing sub-supplier be certified IATF 16949? IATF 16949 - Automotive Quality Systems Standard 6
M How Supplier Capacity check is done by competitors Manufacturing and Related Processes 0
C One Time Service Supplier - Temperature and Humidity Testing Service ISO 13485:2016 - Medical Device Quality Management Systems 5
M Supplier Audits - Stop Wasting Everyone's Time! General Auditing Discussions 15
G Supplier management when the supplier is your headquarter IATF 16949 - Automotive Quality Systems Standard 3
V Supplier wants to perform pre-qualifications prior to every run instead of locking in parameters. Supplier Quality Assurance and other Supplier Issues 7
D Class 3 Device - Change of supplier of material Canada Medical Device Regulations 6
D List A IVD - Change to material supplier EU Medical Device Regulations 3
J Minimum Supplier Certifications for Food Supplements Food Safety - ISO 22000, HACCP (21 CFR 120) 4
R Supplier/Vendor Surveys (360) Supplier Quality Assurance and other Supplier Issues 1
was named killer AS9100 Supplier Approval Requirements AS9100, IAQG, NADCAP and Aerospace related Standards and Requirements 10
B AS9100 8.4.1 Supplier Selection/Evaluation criteria and reevaluations AS9100, IAQG, NADCAP and Aerospace related Standards and Requirements 13
J Sub-supplier change from manual to automated process - same specs - Report to FDA? 21 CFR Part 820 - US FDA Quality System Regulations (QSR) 2
M Supplier Audit Report - Template for second party audit wanted Lean in Manufacturing and Service Industries 1
T Difference between a subcontractor and a supplier ISO 9000, ISO 9001, and ISO 9004 Quality Management Systems Standards 21

Similar threads

Top Bottom