Supplier Comparison & Sourcing Decisions

The cheapest quote is expensive when the supplier cannot answer a failure

Supplier selection is where a specification either holds or quietly erodes. This page covers how to score suppliers on the things that decide whether next season runs the same as this one.

✓ Scoring suppliers beyond price
✓ First articles, samples and qualification
✓ Capacity, lead time and continuity risk

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Score on five things, not one

Price, documented capability, capacity and lead time, origin and continuity, and how the supplier handles a failure. Weight them before the quotes arrive.

What to score and why

Documented capability means inspection records and a traceability example rather than a claim. Capacity and lead time decide whether the season is covered. Origin affects landed cost. Failure handling predicts what happens when something goes wrong, which it will.

Samples and first articles

A sample is a marketing exercise; a first article produced to your specification is evidence. Where the duty is severe, approve a first article dimensionally and on a short field trial before releasing volume.

The risks a price comparison hides

Single sourcing, capacity at peak, and specification drift between orders. Each costs more than the price difference it was traded against.

Continuity and second sourcing

A qualified second supplier takes a season to develop, which means starting before you need it. In a category with fixed buying windows and volatile trade conditions, that is a programme rather than a contingency.

Specification drift

The tenth order is where drift shows: a slightly different grade, a thinner section, a packaging change nobody documented. Rewriting the specification into the purchase order is the control that prevents it.

Supplier selection questions

How many suppliers should a fleet qualify?

Two for anything season-critical, with both holding a current first article against your specification. One supplier is a single point of failure, and three is usually more administration than the risk justifies.

What should I ask for before qualifying a supplier?

Inspection records, a traceability example, an origin declaration and a first article produced to your specification. Claims without records do not qualify.

Is the lowest price ever the right answer?

Only when the supplier also scores on documented capability, capacity and continuity. On a season-critical product the price difference rarely covers a missed delivery.

How do I stop specification drift?

Attach the specification to every purchase order and verify against it at goods-in. Drift happens in undocumented changes, not in deliberate substitutions.