Assessing suppliers helps us maintain high quality standards

Quality assurance is the foundation of trust

Mercell's assessment system forms part of the supplier management tool, which we have been using for more than a year. ‘We use Mercell for just about everything: requests for offers, contract management, and supplier management. At the start of a project, we purchase various products and services. This could be anything: steel, transformers, architectural work and civil engineering, for example. Suppliers submit their offers via Mercell. From the offers we receive, we select a party with which we will do business. It’s not only about the price, but also about quality. We want to know whether a supplier can fulfil what it promises.’

A fixed group of suppliers

‘To be competitive, we want to work only with professional suppliers who in collaboration with us will perform well for our customers and our stakeholders. For that reason, we decided to pick a fixed group of suppliers with a high quality level. In a pre-selection round, we ask the suppliers to fill out a questionnaire. Matters we examine include their certificates, turnover data, employee quality and reference projects. If we decide to do business with a supplier, we then conclude a master contract.’

"It's about knowing whether the suppliers can fulfil their promises"

‘These talks can be difficult; suppliers are sometimes reluctant to be honest because at the end of the day it’s about their client. But openness is actually what we want to encourage. Everybody learns from it. The talk brings us closer together. This kind of assessment obviously takes extra time. But we get a lot in return: the best suppliers, more efficient and safer working practices, stakeholders who are satisfied. The intention is to sit down and talk to each supplier at least twice a year. We discuss the progress being made and the various assessments.’