QRS Quality · Supplier audit against agreed purchasing requirements
Supplier audit against agreed purchasing requirements
Use a supplier audit to examine a defined process and its evidence against agreed criteria. Its findings support the buyer’s decision; an audit report is not a product certificate or an automatic supplier approval.
Define the route and boundary
Agree the customer or contractual requirements, processes, sites, period and sampling approach before scheduling the audit. Identify auditor competence, conflicts of interest, access conditions and confidentiality. ISO 19011:2026 provides management-system auditing guidance; it does not itself lead to certification. A customer-specific checklist may also be needed, with measurable acceptance criteria that both parties understand.
A practical decision before a claim
If a component lot has been reworked, compare its traveller, rework authorisation, inspection results and shipment trace. A revised inspection entry without an authorised rework record leaves a gap that a general quality policy cannot resolve. Investigate the affected lot and applicable requirements before the buyer accepts it. The hypothetical case illustrates evidence selection; it is not a finding about a named customer or supplier.
Records, deliverables and quotation
Record each finding with its criterion, observed evidence and affected scope. Distinguish correction of the immediate issue from action addressing its cause, and verify effectiveness using subsequent records where appropriate. The report should disclose sampling and access limitations. For a quotation, specify supplier locations, process complexity, previous issues, languages and whether follow-up visits are included. No audit can promise that every defect will be found or that the buyer will approve the supplier.
Who reviews and who decides
QRS must identify the actual audit service and competent audit team for the agreed engagement. Supplier auditing is distinct from independent management-system certification, product certification and regulatory inspection. A management-system accreditation claim must not be extended to those other activities without an actual applicable scope. The buyer retains its acceptance decision; unresolved findings, restricted access or insufficient evidence may require additional work or refusal of approval.
Official sources and application limits
The operating examples are hypothetical, not customer events or guaranteed decisions. The actual standard and competent body determine requirements.