Skip to main content
QHSE Glossary

Supplier Audit

An assessment of a supplier's quality management system, processes, and capabilities to ensure they meet contractual and regulatory requirements.

Supplier Audit

Supplier Audit (Assessment of Supply Chain Quality) is a critical concept in quality, health, safety, and environmental management.

What Is Supplier Audit?

A supplier audit is a systematic examination of a supplier's quality management system, processes, and capabilities to determine whether they meet the purchasing organisation's requirements and relevant standards. Supplier audits are second-party audits (conducted by the customer on the supplier). They evaluate: QMS documentation, process controls, inspection and testing, nonconformity handling, corrective action effectiveness, delivery performance, and regulatory compliance. Audit findings are classified as: Critical (immediate risk to product safety or regulatory compliance), Major (systemic failure likely to affect product quality), Minor (isolated non-compliance), and Observation (improvement opportunity).

Supplier Audit Requirements Under UK Law

ISO 9001:2015 Clause 8.4 requires evaluation and selection of external providers based on their ability to provide conforming products/services. AS9100 Clause 8.4.2 adds requirements for risk-based supplier approval. IATF 16949 requires second-party audits using the VDA 6.3 process audit methodology. ISO 19011:2018 provides guidance for conducting supplier audits. In pharmaceutical manufacturing, PIC/S Guide PI 043 covers GMP inspections of API suppliers. EU Medical Device Regulation 2017/745 requires notified body assessment of critical suppliers. Average cost of a single supplier quality escape: £15,000-£150,000.

Key Components of Supplier Audit

  • System audit (QMS review)
  • Process audit (specific process capability)
  • Product audit (finished goods inspection)
  • Pre-qualification audit (before approval)
  • Surveillance audit (ongoing monitoring)
  • For-cause audit (triggered by quality issue)

Supplier Audit in Practice

An aerospace manufacturer (Tier 2 supplier to Rolls-Royce and Airbus) manages 85 approved suppliers through Q-Hub. Each supplier has a risk category (A/B/C) determining audit frequency: Category A (critical) = annual audit, Category B (important) = biennial, Category C (standard) = triennial. The Supplier Quality Engineer conducts audits using Q-Hub's configurable checklist covering: quality system, process control, inspection, calibration, training, and material traceability. Findings are logged in real-time with photo evidence. CARs (Corrective Action Requests) auto-generate from major findings with 30-day response deadlines. Supplier scorecards in Q-Hub track quality (PPM), delivery (OTD%), and audit performance.

How to Manage Supplier Audit with Q-Hub

Q-Hub provides comprehensive tools for Supplier Audit management. The Supplier Management module handles the core requirements, integrated with document control, audit scheduling, training management, and KPI dashboards to ensure your Supplier Audit processes are audit-ready at all times.

Related Terms

Want to see how Q-Hub handles Supplier Audit in practice? Book a demo or see pricing.

Related QHSE Terms

  • AS9100 — The aerospace quality management standard, based on ISO 9001 with additional requirements for aviati
  • Audit — A systematic, independent examination of processes, products, or systems to verify compliance with d
  • Bow-Tie Analysis — A visual risk assessment method that maps the causes of an event, the event itself, its consequences
  • CAPA — Corrective and Preventive Action — a systematic approach to investigating root causes of non-conform
  • COSHH — Control of Substances Hazardous to Health — UK regulations requiring employers to control exposure t
SOP Back to Glossary Toolbox Talk