About supplier management
In this article:
Supplier management is a structured approach to managing the companies and individuals that provide products and services to your organisation. Because these products and services can directly affect the quality of your own services, supplier performance should be evaluated against consistent criteria and reviewed regularly.
The Supplier register helps you maintain a controlled list of approved suppliers, record performance information, assign responsibility, and schedule future reviews.
Why supplier management matters
A controlled supplier process helps your organisation confirm that externally provided products and services continue to meet requirements. It also creates a clear record of how suppliers were selected, assessed, monitored, and reviewed.
Key features
Approved supplier list for maintaining a controlled list of suppliers and contractors approved for use.
Consistent assessment for evaluating suppliers against criteria set by your organisation.
Performance notes for recording issues and observations whenever they arise.
Review reminders for generating a task when the supplier's next review date is reached.
Delegated work for assigning reviews and follow-up work to the people responsible.
Traceable history for retaining assessments, workflow actions, attachments, and system events.
Supplier workflow
A supplier moves through a controlled workflow before it is published, and returns to the workflow whenever a scheduled review is due.
Hover over or focus each stage to see what happens there. A delegated review is optional, and the completed review returns to the Supplier manager before approval.
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Approved supplier list
The Supplier register provides a central, searchable list of approved suppliers and contractors. Adding a supplier records the services provided, the initial assessment, the people responsible, access settings, and the next review date.
When a supplier is no longer approved or required, archive it so it no longer appears in the active list or enters future review workflows.
Active suppliers
Approved suppliers remain searchable and continue into their scheduled review workflows.
Archived suppliers
Archived suppliers leave the active list but retain their assessment and workflow history.
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Consistent assessment
Assessment criteria set by your organisation provide a consistent basis for evaluating a supplier when it is added and whenever its performance is reviewed. Reviewer comments record the evidence and reasoning behind each assessment.
| Assessment point | What is recorded |
|---|---|
| Initial assessment | The criteria, evidence, and reasoning used to decide whether the supplier should be approved. |
| Scheduled review | Current performance against the same organisational criteria, including comments about issues or improvements. |
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Performance notes
Supplier performance notes capture issues, improvements, and other observations as they arise. These notes give managers, reviewers, and owners a clearer evidence base when deciding whether the supplier should remain approved.
Record: add an observation when an issue, improvement, or other relevant event occurs.
Review: consider the accumulated notes when assessing the supplier's current performance.
Decide: use the evidence to support approval, further work, or archiving.
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Review reminders
Every approved supplier has a next review date. When that date is reached, Logiqc creates a Manage task for the Supplier manager, who can begin the review, delegate it, or reschedule it when appropriate.
- Review date reached: the supplier's next review date arrives.
- Manage task created: Logiqc assigns the task to the Supplier manager.
- Review or reschedule: the manager starts or delegates the review, or selects a later date when appropriate.
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Delegated work
The Supplier manager can assign a review or other follow-up work to the person best placed to assess the supplier. Task instructions, due dates, comments, and completed work remain connected to the supplier's workflow.
Supplier review
Assign the assessment to someone who works with the supplier or understands its performance.
Further work
Assign a follow-up task when more information or corrective work is needed before approval.
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Traceable history
The supplier record retains assessments, comments, performance notes, attachments, workflow events, and links to related register items. This creates a traceable history of how the supplier was monitored and why decisions were made.
| Evidence retained | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Assessment evidence | Criteria, reviewer comments, and performance notes supporting the decision. |
| Workflow evidence | Task instructions, comments, assignments, approvals, and system events. |
| Supporting evidence | Attached records and links to related items in other registers. |
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Get started
Use the detailed articles below to follow the supplier workflow from initial setup through review and approval.
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