Have you found that the small systems and products often end up being critical path? If you have a critical supplier pre-qualification system in place, you have a control that can protect you from a corporate purchasing system that is driven by price and delivery. You may consider starting the process of changing the mindset of our purchasing group by requiring pre-qualification for a specific high dollar amount or specific product type that is critical.
DOTQS can assist you in developing a program to qualify suppliers that you use regularly in multiple projects. Maintain your connection with them over time so they are ready to contribute to project needs when you count on them to supply a single critical project or several concurrent important projects. A regular assessment method using consistent criteria will maintain a reliable supplier base.
Ensure that your largest and most important critical path suppliers can deliver to specification before the project begins. These suppliers may already have national certifications for the work you are purchasing, but their ability to meet the specific quality requirements of your projects and your company business requirements may not be there. A customized assessment process can prepare you and them for a collaborative, coefficient relationship.
Lead a Team
DOTQS can review the quality management systems of your supplier and many technical requirements of projects for the steel products, structural steel, power, piping and tank storage industry.
We can lead and organize a larger team that includes your subject matter experts. The combination can be powerful in evaluating a supplier for their business and quality management system organization and how it integrates with their abilities to apply that system to specific, narrow expertise.
Know up front that their business and quality infrastructure can support your specific product or system when you need them.
Increase Your Bid Strength
Set your team apart on your next bid. Include the following language in your proposal to show you have taken it upon yourself to monitor your quality system. Let Project Owners know they don’t have to worry about your suppliers.
“The team will implement a formal project specific supplier qualification requirement for the suppliers to this project. Detailed assessments of the supplier’s quality management system including technical knowledge and capabilities are documented for the use of the team leadership. Contract specific requirements are addressed during these assessments. Potential deficiencies will be identified early by this process and addressed before there is any significant impact to schedule and cost.”
“The team also has a project quality assessment program that is applied to the communications, record keeping and functioning of the project team.”
