Free template
Supplier audit checklist
A supplier audit is a visit to a supplier's site to check that the way they make and control your parts will keep producing good parts, not just that their paperwork is in order. It is done before approving a new supplier, after serious quality problems, or on a schedule for the suppliers that matter most. A process audit follows the parts: how material comes in, how the process is controlled and checked, whether a lot can be traced, what happens to bad parts and how they are packed and shipped. Scoring each question turns the visit into numbers that can be compared between suppliers and from one audit to the next. This template has 32 questions in eight sections, each scored 0 (not in place), 1 (major gaps), 2 (minor gaps) or 3 (in place, evidence seen), or NA, with space for the evidence. Page 2 has the score summary by section, example rating bands to replace with your own, and the findings and actions. The Excel version works out the score and percentage per section and overall, gives the rating from the bands you set, counts questions scored 0, charts the sections and has an actions log.
Free to use: print it, copy it and edit it for your team. Enter your name and work email once to download.
When to use it
When to use a supplier audit checklist
- Before approving a new supplier or moving a part to a new supplier site.
- After a serious quality escape or a run of rejected lots.
- On a yearly or two-yearly schedule for your most important suppliers.
- When a supplier changes its process, site or ownership.
How to fill it in
- 1
Plan the audit
Which parts and processes, who audits, and what records you will ask to see. Send the supplier the date and scope in advance.
- 2
Follow your parts
Start at their receiving dock and walk the process to shipping. Ask to see the records for a real lot of your parts.
- 3
Score from evidence
Score each question from what you see and the records, not from what you are told. Write the evidence for every score below 3.
- 4
Add up the sections
Score ÷ (3 × questions scored) per section and overall. NA questions are left out of the maximum.
- 5
Agree the findings
Go through the findings with the supplier before you leave, major and minor, and agree actions and dates.
- 6
Follow up
Check the evidence for each action, and set the next audit date by the result.
What's on the audit
The 32 questions on the supplier audit checklist
Eight sections that follow your parts through the supplier's process. On the sheet each question is scored 0 (not in place), 1 (major gaps), 2 (minor gaps) or 3 (in place, evidence seen), or NA, with space for the evidence.
Quality management system
How quality is planned and reviewed
- 1Procedures current, controlled and followed on the floor
- 2Internal audits done to plan, with findings closed
- 3Management reviews quality results and acts on them
- 4Quality objectives set and tracked with data
Purchasing and incoming material
Their own suppliers
- 5Approved list of sub-suppliers, with how each was approved
- 6Purchase orders state the specification, revision and quality requirements
- 7Incoming material inspected or verified before use, with records
- 8Sub-supplier performance reviewed and problems followed up
Process control
Making our parts
- 9Control plan or equivalent in place for our parts
- 10Work instructions at the workstation, at the current revision
- 11First-piece or setup approval before each run, with records
- 12Process settings monitored and recorded against limits
- 13Preventive maintenance planned and done on key equipment
Inspection, test and gauges
Checking our parts
- 14In-process and final inspection done to plan, with records
- 15Gauges identified, calibrated on schedule and traceable
- 16Gauge R&R studied for key characteristics
- 17Capability studied or monitored for special characteristics
Identification and traceability
Knowing what is what
- 18Material and parts identified at every stage, with their status (OK, hold, reject)
- 19A finished lot can be traced back to its raw material lots and process records
- 20Mix-ups prevented at changeovers and in storage
- 21Records kept for the retention time we require
Nonconforming product and corrective action
When something goes wrong
- 22Nonconforming product identified, segregated and recorded
- 23Disposition decided by someone authorized, and the customer told when required
- 24Root cause found and corrective action checked for effect
- 25Customer complaints and SCARs answered on time
Handling, storage and shipping
Getting parts to us undamaged
- 26Storage protects parts from damage, rust and contamination
- 27Stock rotated first in, first out, and shelf-life items controlled
- 28Packaging and labels meet our specification
- 29Final check before shipping: right part, quantity, labels and paperwork
People and training
Who does the work
- 30Training needs defined for each job, with records kept
- 31Operators trained on the current work instruction before working alone
- 32Inspectors qualified for the checks they do
A filled-in example
Illustrative, not a benchmarkAn example: a first audit of a machined parts supplier, using example rating bands of 85% and 70% (illustrative numbers).
- 30 of 32 questions scored, 2 not applicable: maximum 90.
- Total score 72: 72 ÷ 90 = 80%, in the 'approved with actions' band.
- One question scored 0: no gauge R&R on the key bore diameter.
- Lowest section: process control at 67%, with setup approval not recorded on the second shift.
The supplier was approved with two actions: a gauge study within 30 days and setup records on every shift. A follow-up visit was booked for when both were due.
Common mistakes
Auditing the office
Procedures in a binder say little. Spend most of the time where your parts are made.
Scoring without evidence
A 3 should mean you saw it working and saw the records. Write down what you saw.
Letting a good total hide a zero
A high overall score can hide a critical gap, such as no traceability. Decide before the audit which zeros stop approval.
No follow-up
Findings without dates and a check of the evidence are forgotten by the next audit.
Download the template
Free to use: print it, copy it and edit it for your team. Enter your name and work email once to download.
Run this template in LeanSuite
In LeanSuite you build any audit in Lean Creator with points per answer and a pass mark, complete it on a phone or tablet with photo evidence where required, and every non-conformance becomes a tracked action with an owner.
In the lean glossary
Free tools
FAQ
Supplier audit checklist: common questions
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