Supplier qualification and assessment is required in both the QSR regulations and ISO standards. Many companies spend a great deal of time and money in pursuit of compliance. Many companies can spend significantly less time and money, and still be in control of their suppliers and in compliance with the regulations. This class will review the QSR and ISO requirements for supplier evaluation, including defining the types of suppliers that require evaluation. The QSR/ISO requirements for supplier assessment will be defined as well. Attention will be paid to inclusion of risk management in across both supplier qualification and assessment, implementation of which will allow your company to devote value-added resources to these efforts. Significant time will be spent on discussion of the topic of supplier nonconformance, including how and when to issue the dreaded Supplier Corrective Action Request. Your supplier nonconformance handling process must be nonconfrontational, or even better, collaborative. If your company is too demanding of your suppliers, you risk alienating them or even worse losing them - try explaining that to your supply chain folks.