Element · 01
PQQ Design
Pre-qualification questionnaire and evidence pack aligned to your risk categories and standards.
Specialist PracticeSupplier Assurance
Pre-Qualification Services
Independent capability, quality-system and financial assessment of vendors before they enter your supply chain — with defensible evidence, not just a self-declaration form.
Overview
What is pre-qualification?
The structured, evidence-based assessment of a vendor's technical capability, quality management system, HSE performance, financial stability and delivery history — carried out before any purchase order is placed, and refreshed on a defined cycle thereafter.
We design the pre-qualification questionnaire and evidence requirements, evaluate vendor submissions, verify claims through document review and on-site assessment where risk warrants, and issue a defensible qualification decision. Approved vendors are placed on the AVL with defined categories, capacity limits and surveillance frequency.
What’s included
Scope you can rely on.
Element · 02
Documentation Review
QMS, certifications, insurance, financials, references and past-performance evidence review.
Element · 03
Capability Assessment
Technical capability, capacity, tooling, workforce competency and manufacturing readiness review.
Element · 04
On-Site Assessment
Physical audit of the vendor's facility, quality system in action and representative work in progress.
Element · 05
Risk Scoring & AVL
Weighted risk score, qualification category and Approved Vendor List entry with review cycle.
Element · 06
Ongoing Surveillance
Scheduled reassessment, performance monitoring and re-qualification triggers.
Qualification workflow
From questionnaire to Approved Vendor List.
A defensible, repeatable workflow — so every vendor on your AVL earned their place with objective evidence.
- STEP 01Screen
PQQ, self-declaration, certifications and financials — pass/fail screen.
- STEP 02Assess
Documentation deep-dive and, where risk warrants, on-site capability audit.
- STEP 03Score
Weighted risk score, qualification category and any conditions/limits.
- STEP 04Approve & monitor
AVL entry, review cycle and ongoing performance surveillance.
Business outcomes
Where the value lands.
- A defensible Approved Vendor List — not a self-certified spreadsheet.
- Field failures and NCRs traceable back to a pre-qualified capability level.
- Faster tender cycles — only qualified vendors bid.
- Regulator- and customer-audit evidence of §8.4 supplier control.
What you receive
Deliverables
- 01Pre-qualification questionnaire and evidence checklist
- 02Vendor assessment report with risk score
- 03On-site audit report (where applicable)
- 04Approved Vendor List entry with category and conditions
- 05Ongoing surveillance schedule and triggers
- 06Programme dashboard and KPIs
Aligned to
ISO 9001 §8.4API Q1 §5.6AS9100 §8.4IATF 16949 §8.4
FAQ
Common questions.
Delivered across North America, with India and the UAE coming soon.
Why is vendor pre-qualification important?
Because most field quality failures trace back to supplier capability, not owner-side execution. Pre-qualification stops the wrong vendors entering your supply chain and provides defensible §8.4 evidence for ISO 9001 and sector standards.
How is pre-qualification different from a supplier audit?
Pre-qualification is a one-time, gated assessment before award. A supplier audit is a periodic evidence-based review of an already-approved vendor's performance. Both are needed and both are covered by our external audit and pre-qualification services.
Do you perform on-site vendor assessments?
Yes — where risk category warrants. Assessments include a facility walk, quality system verification, capability and capacity check, and review of representative work in progress.
Can you run our pre-qualification programme end-to-end?
Yes. We design the PQQ, receive and evaluate submissions, run on-site assessments, publish and maintain the AVL, and manage the re-qualification cycle as a managed service.
Which regions do you cover?
We assess vendors across North America from our Mississauga (Ontario) and Austin (Texas) offices, with additional coverage in India and the UAE coming soon.
Get in touch
Design a PQ ProgrammeTime to formalise your Approved Vendor List?
Send us your categories and current vendor base — we'll propose a pre-qualification programme within one business day.