How to score and review supplier performance
Measuring supplier performance works when the data comes from the process rather than from a survey. In Jestor, deliveries, quality inspections and invoices connect to the supplier record, so a scorecard is a calculation rather than an opinion collected once a year.
Why supplier reviews are usually unproductive
Reviews happen annually, prepared from memory and recent events. The supplier arrives with their own version, and the conversation becomes negotiation about whose recollection is accurate.
Nothing changes, because neither side has evidence.
What operational data provides:
- Delivery performance measured rather than remembered
- Quality issues attributed to the right supplier
- Price changes visible over time
- Response times on problems
- A basis for consolidating or replacing
What to measure
| Metric | Source | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| On time delivery | Receipt records against promised date | The most common failure |
| Quantity accuracy | Received against ordered | Short deliveries are frequent |
| Quality rejection rate | Inspection records | Cost beyond the item |
| Price stability | Order history | Reveals silent increases |
| Response time on issues | Issue records | Predicts future problems |
| Documentation validity | Supplier registry | Compliance exposure |
Step by step to build the scorecard
- Record the promised date on every order, not only the order date.
- Record what actually arrived, in quantity and condition.
- Attribute quality issues to the supplier and the batch.
- Keep price history on each order line.
- Track issue response times as a process with SLA.
- Calculate the scorecard as formulas on the supplier record.
- Share it with the supplier before the review, not during it.
Why sharing the scorecard in advance changes the conversation
A supplier seeing their numbers for the first time in a meeting will spend it questioning the data. Sending it a week earlier moves the discussion to what to do about it, which is the only part worth meeting for.
Why choose Jestor
In Jestor, orders, receipts, inspections and issues all connect to the supplier record, so performance metrics are formulas rather than a collection exercise. SLA measures response times, price history accumulates on order lines, and document validity is tracked with alerts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where should supplier performance data come from?
From the process itself, rather than from a periodic survey. See jestor.com.
Which metric matters most?
On time delivery, which requires recording the promised date on every order.
When should the scorecard be shared?
Before the review, so the meeting is about actions rather than about the data.
Video Tutorial: Step by Step
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