Supplier Selection Process

These factors should be assessed for each supplier being considered, so that the best balance of business fit and compliance can be achieved. An example supplier evaluation matrix is provided in Figure 7.4. Of course, identifying a clear winner in the selection process is seldom clear-cut, and the winner rarely meets all the selection criteria. Some pharmaceutical and healthcare companies weigh the importance of various factors and for the outcome compare the sum totals for each supplier. A summary of the supplier selection process applied to larger systems should be retained for possible subsequent inspection. ... 

Definition and documentation of the business requirements for LIMS is the first step in the implementation process. These requirements are not system specific and define, at a high level, what LIMS will be expected to do for the business. The business requirements are used in defining the system requirements in the supplier selection process and in the financial justification for the system. The business case will normally be based on the ability of the LIMS to ... 

It is essential to conduct a Supplier Evaluation of the proposed LIMS Supplier and Integrator (which normally includes a Supplier and System Integrator audit) as part of the supplier selection process. This evaluation must be conducted prior to placing an order for LIMS as it may be the case that there are some major concerns regarding the ability of the supplier/integrator to deliver LIMS that meet the customer s quality standards. 

Background to the PLC installation Organization and responsibilities Validation approach and the procedures to be used Results of any supplier selection process Ongoing operational requirements for GMP Ongoing operational requirements for lEC 61508 A milestone plan... 

Where a new supplier is being selected a number of factors need to be considered and a detailed supplier selection process may be undertaken. Evaluation may consist of gathering information from various sources such as the suppliers themselves, companies who already have a system installed, and trial demonstrations. Where possible a fixed-duration trial (pilot) should be set up on site for the project team and user representatives to run through some scenarios of how the system may be used. 

The supplier selection process may result in the selection of a system that requires a lot of customization in order for it to meet stated requirements and GxP. If this is the case then a systems integration partner may be required for the implementation. The QMS of the systems integrator should also be audited to ensure that their methodology will result in a validated system. 

Contracts placed with the supplier should include provision for ensuring regulatory compliance. This is no different from the expectations for snppliers satisfying other types of snpply criteria within the pharmaceutical and healthcare snpply chain,3° 2 d regulatory authorities may request documented evidence to support the supplier selection process. 

Typically, supplier selection processes shall take account of ... 

The supplier selection process should be defined. This may include corporate strategies on architecture, platforms, software and services. It should also cover quality requirements and auditing requirements for potential suppliers. 

Advise on supplier selection processes on experiences with known suppliers... 

Get detailed with these decisions Remember, a make decision can be very hard to reverse If you have made the buy decision then you need to move to the supplier selection process and be just as careful and deliberate with that for the decision to be valuable to you and to yorrr supplier. 

In Chapter 5 there is a supplier selection process to help identify the best supplier for the organization in its present situation. This detailed method works well regardless of volumes and priees by eonsidering maity variables that companies encounter when dealing with members of the supply chain. 

Supplier selection process is difficult because the criteria for selecting suppliers could be conflicting. Figure 6.1 illustrates the various factors which could impact the supplier selection process (Sonmez, 2006). Supplier selection is a multiple criteria optimization problem that requires trade-off among different qualitative and quantitative factors to find the best set of suppliers. For example, the supplier with the lowest unit price may also have the lowest quality. The problem is also complicated by the fact that several conflicting criteria must be considered in the decision making process. 

The analytic hierarchy process (AHP), developed by Saaty (1980), is a multicriteria decision making method for ranking alternatives. Using AHP, the DM can assess not only quantitative but also various qualitative factors, such as financial stability, feeling of trust, etc. in the supplier selection process. The buyer establishes a set of evaluation criteria and AHP uses these criteria to rank the different suppliers. AHP can enable the DM to represent the interaction of multiple factors in complex and unstructured situations. AHP does not require the scaling of criteria values. 

In this phase of the supplier selection process an organization will make the following decisions ... 

How does pre-qualificahon help the supplier selection process ... 

Chan, F. T. S. 2003. Interactive selection model for supplier selection process An analytical hierarchy process approach. International Journal of Production Research. 41 3549-3579. 

Sonmez, M. 2006. A review and critique of supplier selection process and practices. Loughborough University Business School. 

An important review of criteria and anal5d ical methods in the area of domestic supplier selection has been done by Weber et al. (1991), who reviewed 74 articles that discuss supplier selection. Further, they provide a comprehensive list of the criteria that academicians and purchasing practitioners have considered as important in the supplier selection decision (Table 8.3). It is interesting to note that most articles consider more than one criterion when developing supplier selection models, emphasizing the inherent multiobjective nature of the supplier selection process. 

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