Supplier quality is a supplier’s ability to deliver goods or services that will satisfy customers’ needs.
Supplier performance and quality management go beyond securing a low purchase price or getting the best deal on bulk materials.
It's in an organization’s best interest to ensure that its service or material suppliers are providing the highest quality products and services while also conforming to pre-established requirements. This is often accomplished through the use of supplier quality management systems (QMS), which allow us to monitor supply chains and inspect or audit materials and services at regular intervals.
Supplier quality management begins early in the product design and supplier selection process. It continues through the entire life cycle of a product and for the duration of the relationship with that particular supplier. Proper supplier quality management tactics include taking inputs (such as employee work, marketplace requirements, operating funds, raw materials, and supplies) and effectively and efficiently converting them to outputs deemed valuable by customers.
