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Define your requirements
2
Research the market
3
Request quotations
4
Assess the risks
5
Conduct due diligence
6
Here’s what else to consider
Finding the right suppliers for your project is crucial for its success, quality, and cost-effectiveness. However, choosing among the many options available can be challenging and time-consuming. How can you determine the most qualified suppliers for your project? Here are some tips to help you with your supplier sourcing process.
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- Abhijit Ash SCM Professional || IIM-K
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- Mahmoud Mahfouz Regional Procurement Engineer @ Alstom
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- Jan F. Chief Procurement Officer @ International SOS, MCIPS (CS)
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1 Define your requirements
Before you start looking for potential suppliers, you need to have a clear idea of what you need from them. This includes the specifications, quantity, quality, delivery time, and budget of your project. You also need to consider any legal, ethical, environmental, or social standards that you or your clients expect from your suppliers. Having a detailed and realistic list of requirements will help you narrow down your options and communicate your expectations effectively.
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- Mahmoud Mahfouz Regional Procurement Engineer @ Alstom
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Determining the most qualified suppliers for your project is a critical step in ensuring the success of your supply chain and overall business operations. Here are steps you can take to identify and select the most qualified suppliers:- Define Project Requirements- Supplier Qualification Criteria- Request for Information (RFI)- Request for Proposal (RFP)- Compliance and Certifications- Financial Stability
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- Jan F. Chief Procurement Officer @ International SOS, MCIPS (CS)
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This is the single most important piece. As with everything, 90 percent of success is in preparation. Are requirements both from business perspective and technical perspective covered? Make vs buy? Risk offset vs costs? Are the right people involved? Where are we starting from (baseline) and in few words - how will we define success? What is a must and what is nice to have? And maybe if we don’t know enough, ask the market through an RFI or through a dialogue first. The procurement sourcing process when lived correctly provides necessary guidance to ask all these questions and only then we can ask the right questions to determine the right partner.
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- Kuldeep Tomar Electric Vehicle| Electronics and Electricals |Development| Strategic Sourcing | Procurement | Kirloskar | Yamaha| Hero Electric | IIM SHILONG
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To select a potential supplier we need to go for the processes likeFunnelling Process : Long list of supplierRFIRFPRFQShort list based on QCD ( quality cost and Delivery)SQIPNegotiation for bestFinal List
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- Brenda Kiguru Supply Chain Professional |Expert in Inventory Management | Supply chain Management | Data Entry/Analysis | Certified Virtual Assistant | Graphic Designer | Humanitarian
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Determining the best fit supplier for a project is very critical for the overall success of a project, it is much more than scanning a series of pricelist as you need. The best way in my own opinion before selecting the supplier is by considering below steps; -Defining your needs/requirements. -Conducting market survey/ benchmarking. -Qualification Criteria.-Request For Information.-Request For Proposal.-site visit.-References & past perfomance -Risk assessment-Assessing financial stability, -Terms and ConditionsBased on evaluation & negotitation of the process, Selection/contract development can be made based on responsiveness,capability, price, value for money and quality.
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- Tanmoy Debnath (He/ Him/ His) Pentland Brands | Global Sourcing | Merchandising | Supply Chain Management | Business Analyst | Communication | Next Sourcing | Newtimes | PDS | Progress Apparels Bangladesh LTD
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In my view, defining your project requirements is the fundamental step in selecting the most qualified suppliers. It ensures you have a clear roadmap of what you need in terms of specifications, quality, quantity, budget, and delivery time. taking into account ethical, environmental, and social standards is crucial to align with your clients' expectations and your project's overall success. A well-defined set of requirements is the cornerstone of effective supplier selection.
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2 Research the market
Once you have defined your requirements, you need to research the market and identify the suppliers that can meet them. You can use various sources of information, such as online directories, trade associations, industry publications, referrals, or networking events. You should also check the reputation, credentials, and reviews of the suppliers you find. You can use criteria such as experience, expertise, capacity, reliability, innovation, and customer service to evaluate them.
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- Ramiro Araiza Zavala Procurement Specialist with Supplier Development Expertise | Strategic Sourcing | Supplier Relationship Management | Cost Optimization | I help companies enhance supply chains for cost savings and supplier excellence
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The way to determine the most qualified suppliers for my project is to research the market. This involves identifying the project's needs, evaluating suppliers based on their experience, capability, and industry reputation, comparing offerings, gathering customer feedback, and checking regulatory compliance. This research enables me to make informed decisions to select the most suitable suppliers for the project.
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- Zeli A. S. Pereira Supply Chain and Procurement Manager| Strategic Sourcing| Contracts and Supplier Development
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Sim e contar com o apoio de instituições específicas para qualificação de fornecedores, Reginald caso seu negócio possua mais de uma planta! Isto ajuda muito no processo de prospecção
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Para construir uma projeção e um planejamento de demanda assertivo, não basta computar dados quantitativos, por posições históricas (Quando existir) ou por espelhamento de demanda de produtos com a mesma base, mas o diferencial seria a aplicação de dados qualitativos, que só conseguimos através do estudo de mercado, sendo por ferramentas e empresas especializadas, mas também por retroalimentação de informações internas, transliterando em dados estratégicos.Com a informação computada, temos o primeiro passo para encontrar fornecedores que atendam a necessidade.
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- Yoga B. Maintenance Management | Supply Chain Management | Business Process Engineering
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Basic thing, if you are purchasing staff or associates or managers. Important to have wide network, enlarge your network by attending show or event. Or one of best tips are to joint with community. Event will enlarge your network and also bring you options, while joint the professional community makes you have another POV or perspective in user side.
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- Gaurav Tandon Head - Garments Business Division (SBU)
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Once you have defined your requirements, you need to research the market and identify the suppliers that can meet them. You can use various sources of information, such as online directories, trade associations, industry publications, referrals, or networking events. You should also check the reputation, credentials, and reviews of the suppliers you find. You can use criteria such as experience, expertise, capacity, reliability, innovation, and customer service to evaluate them.
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3 Request quotations
After you have shortlisted some potential suppliers, you need to request quotations from them. A quotation is a document that outlines the price, terms, and conditions of the supplier's offer. You should ask for quotations from at least three different suppliers to compare them and negotiate the best deal. You should also make sure that the quotations are clear, detailed, and consistent with your requirements.
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Having the perfect quotation is very important.But some key factors also should be considered during quotation since prices may vary from supplier to supplier based on their quality & service. So to choose the right supplier, considering the quality & delivery factors, negotiations should be flexible.
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- fara adillah che idris Assistant Manager
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When we requested the quotations from suppliers, we needed to make sure that they had signed a Non-disclosure agreement with us. This is to protect the information that they cannot disclose it to other parties.When we received the quotation from them (at least from 3 different suppliers),we need to analyze all the terms & conditions that they stated out in their quotations and not limit only to prices, payment term, delivery & warranty. But if only have 1 supplier, we need to benchmark their quotations with the product that they currently supplied in order to ensure that they quoted us the reasonable, correct and best price.
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- Ramiro Araiza Zavala Procurement Specialist with Supplier Development Expertise | Strategic Sourcing | Supplier Relationship Management | Cost Optimization | I help companies enhance supply chains for cost savings and supplier excellence
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I request quotations from potential suppliers by preparing a detailed RFQ, distributing it to selected suppliers, and evaluating the received quotations based on pricing, quality, and delivery terms. I then negotiate with suppliers, if necessary, and select the best one that aligns with our project requirements and budget.
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- Muhammad Shafiq Working as Procurement Professional at The United Nations. Worked at the World Bank, Washington DC.
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Simple rule, cheapest is not always the best supplier. Match the quality of offered product or service with your requirements, then past experince, check references, look at financial stabilty, qualification and experience of key personnel of supplier.
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- Zeli A. S. Pereira Supply Chain and Procurement Manager| Strategic Sourcing| Contracts and Supplier Development
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Importante o desenvolvimento de uma rfi e rfq bem detalhadas para o indice de assertividade ser alto! Também usar da matriz de segmentação ajuda a definir orçamento da quantidade de cotações ou não para uma contratação
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4 Assess the risks
Before you finalize your decision, you need to assess the risks involved in working with each supplier. Some of the common risks are delays, defects, disputes, fraud, or compliance issues. You should evaluate how likely and how severe these risks are, and how they can affect your project. You should also consider how the supplier can mitigate or prevent these risks, and what contingency plans they have in place.
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To find the right supplier, it is important to check their history and major clients that they work for. It will define their standard.Once finalized,identifying the risks & set plans to overcome can help.
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- Ramiro Araiza Zavala Procurement Specialist with Supplier Development Expertise | Strategic Sourcing | Supplier Relationship Management | Cost Optimization | I help companies enhance supply chains for cost savings and supplier excellence
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I conduct a thorough risk assessment by considering factors such as supplier financial stability, production capacity, reliability, and past performance. I also evaluate the geopolitical, market, and regulatory risks that could impact the supply chain. This comprehensive evaluation helps me make informed decisions and mitigate potential risks throughout the procurement process.
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Yes i am agreed with you. And I am doing this before confirm orders like Negotiation price, supplier capacity, payment terms, Inspection terms and shipment mode.
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Yes i am agreed with you. And I am doing this before confirm orders like Negotiation price, supplier capacity, payment terms, Inspection terms and shipment mode.
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5 Conduct due diligence
The final step in determining the most qualified suppliers for your project is to conduct due diligence on them. Due diligence is a process of verifying the information, documents, and references provided by the supplier. It also involves visiting their premises, inspecting their facilities and equipment, testing their products or services, and interviewing their staff and customers. By conducting due diligence, you can ensure that the supplier is trustworthy, capable, and compatible with your project.
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- Ramiro Araiza Zavala Procurement Specialist with Supplier Development Expertise | Strategic Sourcing | Supplier Relationship Management | Cost Optimization | I help companies enhance supply chains for cost savings and supplier excellence
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I conduct thorough due diligence on potential suppliers. This involves verifying their legal and financial standing, assessing their production capabilities, and ensuring compliance with industry standards and regulations. Additionally, I review their past performance, customer relationships, and reputation in the market. This meticulous due diligence process helps me make informed decisions and build strong, reliable partnerships with reputable suppliers for our company.
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- EVELYN HUARCAYA RAMOS Gestor de Proyectos
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Consideremos que para la selección del proveedor, en base a los requisitos que se establecen en principio como los riesgos, se definen los criterios de evaluación que brindarán la objetividad del análisis realizado y al resultado de un ganador, finalizando en muchos casos, con la hom*ologación para sincerar la información brindada y sea incluído en un portafolio recurrente de proveedores como "calificado".
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6 Here’s what else to consider
This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?
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- Abhijit Ash SCM Professional || IIM-K
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- Prepare the bidders list from the pool of evaluated suppliers database.- RFI- RFQ - Evaluate bids on ground of Technical, commercial, Legal aspect.- Negotiate with all suppliers.- If requirement arises, conduct a round of E bidding to get best pricing.(select the method of auction based on number of suppliers, number of line items, difference in pricing amongst suppliers).- Use Analytical hierarchical process to rate suppliers and have apple-to-apple comparison.- select the supplier with best rank.
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- Kapil Shah Construction Consultant | Construction Engineering Management | Data Science | Civil Engineer
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1. Evaluate all the bids based on Analytic Hierarchy Process to ensure cost is not the only deciding factor. 2. Negotiate with suppliers not only to reduce cost, but to ensure overall supply objectives are achieved.
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- Andreas Achleitner 🌳 Purpose and people before profit 🌳
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The final yes-or-no question I personally always ask: is this potential supplier gonna have a positive impact on our 🌍 or not?
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- Mohsin Khan Procurement Specialist | Jet Fuel Handling | Jet A-1 | SAF | Aviation Procurement
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In short:Experience, Expertise, Capacity, Reliability, innovation & good customer service and also finally to research the market for their influence.
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- fara adillah che idris Assistant Manager
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After we gave our requirements to suppliers, they had submitted the quotation, we had conducted the due diligence,we needed to negotiate and finalize the contract including pricing, payment terms, delivery schedules, quality control measures, and any other specific requirements. To ensure that they have the necessary capabilities to meet our requirements and deliver a successful and fit for the purpose product to us.
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