Vendor Quality Evaluation

Vendor Quality certifications

• What is the quality certifications awarded to the company OR its parts?
  
  Has the company got typical OR exceptional certifications like ISO, CMM, Deming...?
  

• Does the project/product is covered within the given quality certification?
  
  Sometimes the certifications are limited to a specific location, functional OR a product unit. Do take a check on if the considered product has been within the scope of these certifications.

Vendor Process Robustness

Quality certification may provide additional comforts, but does not guarantee a good delivery. Non-certified companies may succeed where the certified companies fail. One has to have more detailed understanding of the quality management with in the company. The level to which you can get this information, varies from Vendor to Vendor.

• The quality measurement processes.
  
  Understand the process documentation, measurement and improvement methodologies adopted by the Vendor. Look at the kind of MIS and quality management they will do during the project. This may include the project status packs, project management frame-works etc.
  

• How the key quality parameters have moved over the time?
  
  You may need this information where the past track record of the vendor is not exceptional, but there are reasons to believe that Vendor has come up the curve.
  

• Quality parameters on the reference initiatives.
  
  Ask Vendor to share the quality parameter reports on related tools/initiatives.

PLEASE REFER VENDOR EVALUATION MATRIX BiPM Practice Tool to enable an effective Vendor Evaluation.