Vendor qualification & auditing

More and more in all sectors, from energy to infrastructure, from public to private, companies need to assess in advance whether a potential supplier is financially sound, technically capable, able to deliver purchase orders on time, to budget and of the required quality. Through conducting a formal audit or a survey, potential suppliers can be qualified for future tenders/projects, or approved to be entered onto a client or manufacturers AVL (approved vendor list.)

When helping manufacturers or clients we can implement a vendor rating system with objective and impartial criteria, ensuring candidate companies maximum transparency, objectivity and equal treatment.

Service details

The implementation and management of an approved vendor list (AVL) allows proper controls to be implemented to ensure vendors meet minimum performance/quality criteria and this in turn helps negotiation processes to be more efficient and to guaranteeing better performance of the outsourced services.

The implementation of a Vendor Qualification process is a precious and effective support tool to a Procurement Department for:

• Definition of suppliers’ qualification requirements
• Management of the vendor lists
• Assessment of vendor capabilities such as: technical in respect of being able to manufacture goods according to International codes, standards or per a client specifications, work capabilities, workload capacity, accreditations/licenses, management of QHSE, economic and financial robustness. Additionally, human factors – such as worker rights, work environment, worker satisfaction, anti-slavery compliance can be tailored as part of any assessment.

Deliverables

• Economic and financial assessment (balance sheet, profit and loss, financial index analysis), to obtain a preliminary snapshot of the company
• desktop analysis based on a document review
• site visits (detailed audits or short surveys) to assess technical and human factors
• site visits making sure that quality, environment, health and safety management systems have been defined, documented, controlled and periodically analyzed to test their effectiveness and conformity
• performance feedback analysis regarding punctuality (delivery compliance & general responsiveness), quality, safety, fairness and reliability of products purchased or the services provided.

Why RINA?

RINA can adopt a customer's assessment criteria and schemes, or alternatively can offer assistance to define the whole system of supplier qualification and the arrangement of specific tools.

We have Lead Auditors (ISO 9001, 14001 and 45001) strategically placed around the globe. They are members of a highly qualified team with extensive knowledge and know how in conducting audits/surveys of vendors.