Supplier Assessment

Most organisations are reliant upon suppliers for some aspects of their operations. Suppliers generally provide one or more of the following resources:

• products, such as materials, tools, equipment and spares;
• staff, typically revenue protection, security, interim management and contract labourers;
• services, for example outsourced repairs and specialist investigation.

Where safety can be affected, it is essential to understand the limits of suppliers’ capabilities and any gaps that exist between the competences required by the work and those held. AbsTracked Solutions can provide a robust approach to the identification of these gaps in order to ensure the development of appropriate controls. The starting point for this is a robust Supplier Assessment.

AbsTracked Solutions can undertake detailed Supplier Assessments and Audits to test the capabilities of suppliers to perform the required tasks satisfactorily. Typically, these will assessments will examine whether the supplier has:

• a suitable organisation with competent personnel;
• an ability and commitment to implement effective risk control strategies;
• the necessary equipment which is properly maintained;
• effective procurement arrangements for materials, plant and equipment;
• effective qualit.y controls; and
• the organisational competence to deliver the contract.

During assessments AbsTracked Solutions will test key issues that support the above eg. competence management records, safety performance audits and the implementation of effective inspection/monitoring eg.sample checks or product inspections.