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5 Pitfalls of Supplier Scorecarding

One of the most important contributors to an organization’s success is supplier relationships. It is little wonder, therefore, that many have attempted to apply a more data-oriented approach to summarizing the health of these relationships through a standardized scorecard.

Supplier scorecarding can provide a systematic approach to monitor and nurture these critical business relationships. When used correctly, it ensures that organizations and their suppliers are working in collaboration and towards mutually beneficial growth and innovation.

However, establishing the right framework is not as straightforward as it first appears, so what are the major pitfalls? We’ll take a look in this article. 

What is supplier scorecarding?

Supplier scorecarding is a method of supplier relationship management used by organizations to track, manage and assess supplier performance. This includes measuring suppliers’ performance against pre-defined metrics, setting targets and improving supplier performance.

The suppliers’ scorecard essentially serves as a report that summarizes to what extent the supplier meets the business needs and expectations of the organization. This allows organizations to identify where suppliers are underperforming, and whether corrective actions must be taken to improve performance collaboratively or if a new vendor needs to be sought to increase the organization’s profitability.

How does supplier scorecarding work?

Organizations should be focused on more than assessing performance; there is a need to understand the underlying dynamics, establish a transparent dialogue and pre-empt areas of potential disruption before they occur.

A scorecard is built by identifying key performance metrics that can be evaluated, weighted and then used to provide an overall assessment of supplier performance. Areas included in the evaluation tend to focus on quality, cost and on-time delivery aspects, although it should be noted that the indicators chosen and how they are weighted will depend on your own corporate strategy and where the supplier sits within that. For some suppliers, quality may be more important than cost, but for others the on-time delivery might be the most important metric.

The effectiveness of supplier scorecarding therefore relies not only on its implementation but also on its design and adaptability. In a dynamic organization where requirements, technologies and benchmarks are in constant flux, it is imperative to anticipate and foresee changes when building such a program.

What are the benefits of supplier scorecarding?

Supplier scorecarding provides a wide range of benefits for organizations with some of the most important outlined below.

Holistic understanding of the supply chain

A key benefit of supplier scorecarding is that it helps organizations to better understand their supply chain. Each supplier can be analyzed and assessed on a granular level, allowing organizations to understand vendors’ internal processes, compliance, quality control, commitment to sustainable procurement, and if they are delivering goods to the agreed deadlines.

It may also uncover areas where the supplier is facing challenges and enable the organization to offer assistance or take pre-emptive action to minimize impact on the supply chain. Having a more comprehensive view of the supply chain ensures that organizations can refine aspects for increased efficiency and profitability.

Increased supplier communication

Organizations that foster a transparent relationship with suppliers built on communication set the foundations for mutually beneficial success. Businesses that share their scorecards with suppliers and vendors can help incentivize the supplier to achieve the best score possible and work towards increasing their performance. Ensuring that any changes are fully discussed with the supplier or vendor will also ensure they have the required feedback to improve upon weaknesses or understand what processes are working and contributing to success.

Ensuring that this communication is part of the supplier relationship from the outset helps to define the organization’s expectations. When put in place, this ensures the supplier can be held accountable should they fail to meet agreed-upon expectations or targets. This level of transparency also encourages both parties to highlight challenges as they occur, so the two entities can work collaboratively towards solving them.

Cost reduction

When implemented correctly, one core advantage of supplier scorecarding is that it assists in reducing overall supply chain costs while ensuring that organizations have a better understanding of the suppliers they should prioritize.

It also provides the opportunity to identify those suppliers that are crucial to the supply chain and if their performance is impacting the profitability of the supply chain. If this is the case, new suppliers can be sought to ensure that targets are upheld, and the supply chain is profitable.

What are the challenges of supplier scorecarding?

The following provides a closer look at the challenges of supplier scorecarding and some pitfalls that can occur should organizations be insufficiently prepared.

This includes ensuring that the delicate balance of supplier relationships is not disrupted while providing insights and strategies for transforming these challenges into catalysts for stronger vendor collaborations that deliver mutually beneficial success for the organization and the supplier.

5 Pitfalls to avoid

Insufficient due diligence and data integrity

Effective supplier evaluation extends beyond basic assessments. Organizations must look into suppliers’ financial viability, market performance and commitment to compliance and standards, especially considering the focus on sustainable procurement.

This is where supplier management software is a key differentiator as it allows businesses to consolidate supplier data, automate checks and ensure that comprehensive vetting of the supplier is carried out. By making this data readily available, organizations can continuously monitor a supplier’s status and identify potential issues before they occur.

Clarity on the metrics

Accurate performance metrics are the foundations of any supplier relationship. Their precision and clarity dictate the interactions between the organization and the vendor. Metrics that are unclear or misleading can cause expectations to be misaligned, resulting in friction between parties and inefficiencies in the supply chain.

Using tracking tools, organizations can plan for ongoing adjustments to ensure that metrics are relevant and up to date. Ideally, benchmarks should be agreed upon at the start of the business relationship with the intention that both parties work together to achieve mutually beneficial targets.

Limited supplier visibility

Organizations need a comprehensive view of the supplier’s operations for a scorecard to be effective. However, many businesses lack this clarity due to infrequent interactions with the supplier, outdated monitoring tools, or a supplier’s unwillingness to engage with the organization or difficulties in providing the information. A lack of insight can lead to organizations not understanding suppliers’ capacity, affecting inventory levels, delivery times and quality control.

Organizations can overcome this by maintaining open and consistent communication with suppliers and complement this with supply chain management software that provides ongoing insights into supplier performance.

Lack of actionable feedback and direction

A supplier scorecard is not just about grading; it is a tool to incentivize growth. Suppliers rely on honesty and organizational feedback on how to improve performance. Suppliers and vendors too often have to rely on vague feedback that causes confusion and misalignment and leads to focus on areas that do not require attention.

For suppliers failing to meet the required standards, organizations can highlight and provide ongoing guidance on where improvement is required or look to start sourcing an alternative supplier to ensure minimal disruption and impact on profitability.

Static evaluation methods and irregular reviews

In dynamic markets, focusing on a static scorecard leads to obsolescence. As suppliers evolve and business landscapes shift, a scorecard that fails to adapt may focus on outdated or irrelevant metrics, diverting resources and attention away from essential areas of the business.

Organizations can overcome this by having a dedicated team to review scorecard metrics to ensure they align with business goals. Cross-functional representation within the team can provide a balanced perspective. Suppliers’ feedback on the evaluation process should also be considered; their ground-level insights can be invaluable in uncovering insights.

Focusing on the long-term

Successful supplier relationships are the foundation of a successful business. Organizations can achieve this by having a supplier scorecarding system based on meticulous evaluation, having accurate insights into supplier data and maintaining open communication with their suppliers.

This ensures businesses can overcome the challenges presented by supplier management by utilizing strategies that are based upon market data that will stand them in good stead for long-term success.

_{Article updated September 24}