Supplier evaluation: criteria, weighting and a free calculator
Score suppliers against defined criteria instead of gut feel. Use the calculator below for free — including CSV export for Excel.
Calculate a supplier score
Weighted evaluation across seven standard criteria. Move the sliders and the total updates instantly. Export as CSV for Excel.
In short: Supplier evaluation is the regular, criteria-based assessment of your suppliers. ISO 9001 requires it in clause 8.4. It only becomes genuinely useful when criteria are weighted, kept constant over years, and tied to concrete actions.
The seven standard criteria
| Criterion | What is measured | Data source |
|---|---|---|
| Delivery reliability | On-time and in-full per order | Order history: planned vs. actual delivery |
| Quality | Complaint rate, specification deviations | QA records, incoming inspection |
| Price & terms | Price level vs. market, payment terms, stability | Quote comparison, price history |
| Communication | Availability, response time, proactive notice of delays | Procurement experience |
| Flexibility | Handling short-notice volume and schedule changes | Planning experience |
| Problem solving | Root-cause analysis and corrective action | Complaint records |
| Compliance & evidence | Certificates current, disclosures complete and on time | Supplier record |
Turning a score into a decision
| Score | Classification | Action |
|---|---|---|
| 85–100 | A supplier | Grow strategically, consolidate volume, consider a framework agreement |
| 70–84 | B supplier | Solid. Agree one or two measurable development goals |
| 50–69 | C supplier | Action plan with a deadline, review in six months |
| below 50 | Risk | Build a second source, actively reduce dependency |
Five common mistakes
- Once a year, only for the audit. Scores produced from memory in December are worthless.
- Equal weighting everywhere. A good price then compensates for terrible delivery reliability — usually the wrong trade.
- One person scoring alone. Quality belongs to QA, delivery to planning, terms to procurement.
- No feedback to the supplier. A supplier who never sees their score cannot improve. The feedback conversation is the actual lever.
- No history. Without a year-on-year comparison you see level but not trend — and trend is the more interesting signal.
For permanent documentation with history, ownership and review dates you need a system — that is the supplier evaluation built into NexSource.
Frequently asked questions
Which criteria belong in a supplier evaluation?
A mix of hard and soft criteria works best: delivery reliability, quality and price as the core, plus communication, flexibility, problem solving and evidence. What matters is less the exact selection than consistency — trends only become visible if you score the same way year after year.
How often should suppliers be evaluated?
A-suppliers at least annually, ideally twice a year. B and C suppliers annually or after an incident. Evaluating more often rarely produces new insight; less often makes the evaluation worthless.
Is supplier evaluation required by ISO 9001?
ISO 9001:2015 clause 8.4 requires you to determine and apply criteria for the evaluation, selection, monitoring of performance and re-evaluation of external providers, and to retain documented information on the results and any necessary actions. The method is up to you; the evidence is not.
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