How do you assess the reliability and quality of expediting suppliers?

1 Define your expediting needs

Before you start looking for expediting suppliers, you need to define your expediting needs and expectations. What are the scope, schedule, and budget of your project? What are the critical items and milestones that require expediting? What are the potential risks and challenges that could affect the delivery of your goods and services? How do you want to communicate and collaborate with your expediting suppliers? Answering these questions will help you establish your expediting criteria and objectives.

2 Research and shortlist potential expediting suppliers

Once you have defined your expediting needs, you can start researching and shortlisting potential expediting suppliers. You can use various sources of information, such as online directories, industry associations, referrals, reviews, and testimonials. You can also contact the suppliers directly and ask for their company profile, experience, qualifications, references, and portfolio. You should look for expediting suppliers who have relevant expertise, reputation, capacity, and availability for your project.

3 Evaluate and compare expediting suppliers

After you have shortlisted a few expediting suppliers, you need to evaluate and compare them based on your expediting criteria and objectives. You can use different methods of evaluation, such as interviews, site visits, audits, proposals, and presentations. You should assess the expediting suppliers' capabilities, performance, quality, compliance, and value. You should also consider their communication skills, customer service, and flexibility. You should rank the expediting suppliers according to your evaluation results and preferences.

4 Negotiate and select expediting suppliers

The final step is to negotiate and select the expediting suppliers for your project. You should negotiate the terms and conditions of the expediting contract, such as scope of work, deliverables, timeline, payment, warranty, and liability. You should also discuss the expectations and responsibilities of both parties, such as reporting, feedback, escalation, and resolution. You should select the expediting suppliers who offer the best value and fit for your project. You should also document the agreement and sign the contract.

5 Manage and monitor expediting suppliers

After you have selected the expediting suppliers, you need to manage and monitor them throughout the project. You should establish a regular communication and reporting system with your expediting suppliers. You should also track and verify the progress and quality of the expediting activities. You should provide feedback and guidance to your expediting suppliers and address any issues or changes that arise. You should also evaluate and measure the performance and satisfaction of your expediting suppliers and recognize their achievements.

6 Review and improve expediting suppliers

The last step is to review and improve your expediting suppliers for future projects. You should conduct a post-project review with your expediting suppliers and collect their feedback and lessons learned. You should also analyze the results and outcomes of the expediting process and identify the strengths and weaknesses of your expediting suppliers. You should also make recommendations and suggestions for improvement and development. You should also maintain a good relationship and trust with your expediting suppliers and appreciate their contribution.

7 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?