Qualification answers one question: should we buy this particular work from this particular supplier, at this site? Write down the work first, as it will appear on the purchase order: processes, materials, specifications and revisions, part families, site. Then assess against it with the Supplier Qualification Assessment (AQL-C01). Its 26 criteria cover the quality system, special processes and customer approvals, capability and capacity, control of product, corrective action, flow-down, records and continuity. Seven are marked critical: the certificate and the accreditation must cover the work, the customer approval must be in place where required, measuring equipment must be calibrated, traceability must hold, and the supplier must accept your quality clauses.
Choose the route by risk
| Kind of supplier | Route we start from | Look hardest at |
|---|---|---|
| Special process | On site | The process controls on the floor; the accreditation scope against your specification; the customer listing; the shift nobody audits |
| Manufacturer to your drawings | On site for key characteristics; desk review otherwise | Revision control; in-process checks; who does their special processes |
| Distributor | Desk review | Authorization by the makers; traceability; counterfeit prevention |
| Raw material | Desk review | Heat identification through cutting and storage |
| Calibration or testing laboratory | Desk review of the accreditation scope | As-found data; uncertainty against your tolerances |
| Customer-directed source | Verify the customer's approval | Your flow-down: the customer's approval does not carry your requirements for you |
Read the result, then decide. A critical criterion partly or not met means the supplier is not ready for production. That does not always mean no: you may approve first articles or trial parts only, with written conditions that say what lifts the restriction. The Conditions tab of AQL-C01 tracks each one until it closes. When the supplier is approved, onboard it with the Supplier Onboarding Checklist (AQL-C09): the purchase order clauses, contacts, certificate requirements, packaging, and the scorecard it will be measured on.
Need more than one resource, or not sure where to start? Book a complimentary 30-minute Aegis Quality Guidance Call. We'll find the tools that fit your situation and a sensible place to start. No sales pressure, no obligation.
A management aid, not certification or a registrar audit. Using it does not by itself show conformity to AS9100D or any other standard, and your customers' requirements may add to it.
Clause numbers refer to AS9100D (SAE AS9100 Rev D) unless another document is named. The standards' text is not reproduced here: use your own licensed copy.
Aegis Insights are our own guidance, labeled wherever they appear: how we approach this work, not a requirement of any standard or customer.