AeroQuality InsightSUPPLIER QUALITY
Connect supplier approval with current capability, purchasing requirements, performance, changes and corrective action.
An approved supplier list is an important control. Its value depends on whether approval scope, status and restrictions reflect the supplier's current situation and the work being purchased. A name on the list cannot, by itself, demonstrate control of every purchase.
Supplier capability, production conditions, personnel, material sources and subcontracting arrangements can change. The practical audit question is how the organization knows that the supplier remains suitable for the specific product, process or service.
Imagine a long-approved supplier whose deliveries begin to contain incomplete inspection records and missing traceability information. Delivery performance also declines. A subsequent review identifies changes in equipment and subcontracting arrangements that were not reflected in the purchasing organization's assessment.
This invented scenario illustrates the gap between historical approval and current control. A useful response investigates the affected deliveries and the change in risk, rather than simply confirming that the supplier appears on the list.
Check the evaluation criteria, approval evidence and authorized scope. Approval for machining does not automatically establish approval for a different process or service. Compare the actual purchase with any applicable restrictions.
Review quality and delivery trends, returns, concessions, recurring problems and corrective-action responses. Check how those results influence reevaluation, monitoring and purchasing decisions.
Identify which changes require notification or approval under the applicable requirements. Trace a relevant change in site, equipment, process, source or certification status through notification, impact assessment and the resulting decision.
Check that the supplier received the applicable product or service requirements, revisions, acceptance criteria and required evidence. Include relevant traceability, process, customer and change-notification requirements where applicable.
Compare approval scope and required qualifications with the actual work ordered. For special processes, evaluate the applicable process and customer requirements. Do not assume a general supplier approval covers every operation.
Follow significant or recurring issues from containment and affected-product review through cause analysis, corrective action and effectiveness verification. Check whether the findings require changes to risk assessment, controls or approval status.
Select a purchase with a meaningful risk signal, such as a recent change, repeated defect or performance decline. Compare the supplier's approval scope with the purchase order, the applicable technical requirements and the delivered evidence. Then follow receiving decisions, any nonconformity and the feedback to supplier monitoring.
A certificate or shipment document may be part of the evidence, but assess whether it corresponds to the ordered work, correct revision and delivered lot. Where information conflicts, record and resolve the gap before relying on it for the relevant decision.
A performance report is useful only if someone reviews it and acts when the defined conditions are met. Record the responsible owner, decision, follow-up and supporting evidence. Depending on the risk and applicable requirements, the response may involve additional verification, a supplier review, corrective action or purchasing restrictions.
This guide does not prescribe universal scoring thresholds or a fixed review interval. The organization needs controls appropriate to its processes, risk and applicable obligations.
Feed supplier trends and significant unresolved risks into internal audits and management review. Where an 8D response is requested, review the evidence supporting occurrence and escape causes, implementation and effectiveness. A returned report is not the end of the control process.
Approval scope → Purchasing requirements → Delivery evidence → Performance and changes → Corrective action → Reassessment
An English editorial adaptation of our Chinese article, with independently written practical guidance and synthetic examples. It is not a clause-by-clause translation, an official interpretation or a substitute for the applicable standard, customer requirements and organizational procedures.
FROM KNOWLEDGE TO PRACTICE
Start with the free Audit Evidence Starter Sheet to connect an audit question with its sample, evidence and conclusion. For a broader internal-audit workflow, explore the AS9100D Internal Audit & Objective Evidence Master Toolkit.
Independent professional toolkit · Editable Excel · English + Traditional Chinese
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