Vetting a supplier: how do you make sure?

A beautiful catalogue proves nothing. Vetting is what separates a good supplier from one who wastes your money, and it is cheaper than any failed order.

The vetting steps

1. Ask for the business licence and match it with the company name and address.
2. A video call from inside the workshop where you see the machines, the workers and the materials.
3. References from current customers, and you actually call them.
4. A small paid sample to test quality and communication.
5. A visit or a third party audit if the order is large.

Warning signs

• They refuse a video call or a factory visit.
• They ask for full payment before the sample or to a personal account.
• Their price is far below the others with no explanation.
• They do not answer specific questions and resend a catalogue.
• Photos taken from other sources, and they cannot send new photos on request.

Score it with numbers

Use the supplier vetting scorecard: weighted criteria (quality, communication, experience with your product, terms, references) and a score out of 100. A decision made with numbers is more honest than an impression.

Exercise

Pick the best three from your list and vet them with the five steps, then fill in the scorecard for each.