Supplier audit questionnaires are standard industry practice — most companies use a generic template across all suppliers. The problem: generic templates ask “do you have it” (certifications, capacity numbers, client lists) rather than “can you do it” (can this supplier achieve the specific process the client requires).
We built an 87-item custom questionnaire from scratch for this engagement, covering 5 evaluation dimensions: capacity and scale, technical capability, quality control (supported by systematic material tracking), export experience, and long-term partnership potential. But the key is not the quantity — it is the structure.
The questionnaire was designed as a three-tier progression: Tier 1 consists of gate items — fail any and the supplier is immediately eliminated. For example: does this supplier have production-scale experience with diaper-grade topsheet? This single item alone eliminated over half of all contacted suppliers. Tier 2 items assess engineering depth and customization capability. Tier 3 evaluates long-term fit with the client — minimum order quantities, development lead times, and IP management capability.
Dimension weights are not uniform — technical capability and quality control carry the highest weighting, because for this client, “can they achieve it” matters more than “how large are they.”
