How to evaluate a supplier - Mind Map

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This mind map helps you carry out a systematic evaluation of a potential supplier.

Keywords: supplier evaluation, strategic requirements, suppliers monitoring, quality assurance, project management

How to evaluate a supplier

Learn how to evaluate a supplier to provide the best services or products to your customers and maintain them committed and satisfied.

This mind map template supports you in the suppliers' assessment for which you need to consider several aspects: the products or services specifications and how well they perform, what are their delivery capabilities and their popularity on the market, do they have any references or how are they rated by other organizations?

Other important elements to look out for are the financial and administrative ones, such as pricing structure, financial stability and the return policy, which has to be clear and precise.

Your supplier must provide proof of their commitment to high-quality standards, so after considering all these factors, it's time to make a plan about how you will track and measure their performance. Establish some indicators and reflect on the delivery percentage, the reject rate of the products, or the time they take to resolve any negative situations that may occur.

Go on with your evaluation and add your requirements. Include the pricing, the payment terms, the ordering flexibility, terms and conditions, and SLA's if applicable.

Where to next?

Where to next?

Once you have finished your evaluation, you can use it to compare against other options, or as a basis for negotiation with your preferred supplier, to strengthen the weaker areas.

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Supplier's Name

Enter the supplier's name and the product or service you are evaluating.

Strategic requirements

Risks
Risk

What are the risks with this purchase? What could go wrong?

Think about:

Impact

What would be the impact of 'Risk' on your operations?

Relationship
Benefits

Are there any strategic aspects to the relationship with the supplier of this product or service?

Is there a technological trend or a business opportunity that you could benefit from by choosing this supplier?

Alternatives
Alternative

If this is a level 1 or level 2 purchase, do you have alternatives in case this supplier does not work out?

Criticality

Is this purchase critical for your organization?

Do you need to have alternatives to ensure supply? Or could you manage without it?

Choose from the suggested levels or enter your own description.

Level 1 supplier: critical product or serviceLevel 2 supplier: can multi-sourceLevel 3 supplier: low impact on operations
Ranking

Your requirements

Requirement

Add a requirement for the product or service you will be purchasing.

Think about:


Prioritize your requirements by clicking an icon:

Essential - must have

Optional - we could accept variations

Would be nice to have

Monitoring

Measure metrics

How will you monitor the performance of this supplier? What will be your thresholds for acceptable performance?

Consider:

Evaluation

Other factors

Type in any other factors that influence the evaluation of this supplier.

Problem resolution

Do they have formal processes for correcting problems, handling complaints and escalating issues?

Are they able to respond in an appropriate timeframe for your operations?

Rate this factor by clicking an icon:

Positive factor

Neutral factor

Negative factor

Communication and support

Will you have a dedicated and responsive contact person?
How will they communicate with you through the ordering and support processes?

Rate this factor by clicking an icon:

Positive factor

Neutral factor

Negative factor

Organisational match

Is this supplier a similar kind of organization to yours?
Are they likely to understand your pressures and concerns?
Do they understand your market?

Rate this factor by clicking an icon:

Positive factor

Neutral factor

Negative factor

Reputation

Can you establish their informal reputation?

Think about:


Rate this factor by clicking an icon:

Positive factor

Neutral factor

Negative factor

References

Do you have independent references or testimonials from organizations similar to yours, who have similar requirements?

Rate this factor by clicking an icon:

Positive factor

Neutral factor

Negative factor

Returns policy

What do they do when defective products or services are shipped?
Do they have clear processes for handling returns?

Rate this factor by clicking an icon:

Positive factor

Neutral factor

Negative factor

Quality Control

Do they check and test adequately before shipping?
What reject rate are they willing to guarantee?
Do they supply products or services to other customers with high-quality requirements?

Rate this factor by clicking an icon:

Positive factor

Neutral factor

Negative factor

Quality Assurance

Can you assess their Quality Assurance processes?
Do they pursue continuous quality improvement?
Do they have an active quality policy?
Do they have quality certifications such as ISO 9001?

Rate this factor by clicking an icon:

Positive factor

Neutral factor

Negative factor

Financial stability

Can you assess their financial stability?

Are they a well-established company with a history of reliably supplying other organizations?

Rate this factor by clicking an icon:

Positive factor

Neutral factor

Negative factor

Payment terms

Are their payment terms acceptable?
Will their terms fit in with your cashflow management and stock holding?

Rate this factor by clicking an icon:

Positive factor

Neutral factor

Negative factor

Pricing structure

Do their prices meet your requirements?
Do they depend on minimum levels of business?

Rate this factor by clicking an icon:

Positive factor

Neutral factor

Negative factor

Lead times

Can they consistently meet your required lead times and availability of product or service?

Rate this factor by clicking an icon:

Positive factor

Neutral factor

Negative factor

Capabilities and capacity

Does this supplier have the capacity and capability to deliver your required levels, and can they deliver reliably?

Rate this factor by clicking an icon:

Positive factor

Neutral factor

Negative factor

Specification
Rating

How well does the product or service meet your essential requirements?

Rate this factor by clicking an icon:

Positive factor

Neutral factor

Negative factor

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