How to run a quarterly Chinese supplier review
Send the existing scorecard and buying plan ahead, resolve disputed facts, and agree priorities around the next order. Record each action with a named owner, deadline and acceptance evidence, then document whether ordering can proceed or must wait. Cambridge China Bridge can coordinate the review with its staff in China.
Prepare a decision agenda
Send the existing scorecard, supporting order records, open actions and forward buying plan before the meeting. Mark disputed entries and changes since the previous review. Use the supplier scorecard guide for the measurement framework; this meeting should turn those results into decisions.
Invite the buyer who can approve the next order and factory representatives who can commit production and quality resources. Name a chair and a recorder. Set the agenda around unresolved actions, performance exceptions, upcoming demand and the next-order decision. Ask the supplier to bring evidence and proposed remedies, and confirm the working language.
Resolve facts and choose priorities
Start with overdue actions, then discuss scorecard exceptions using the relevant order, batch, inspection or delivery record. Separate agreed facts from disputed explanations. If evidence is missing, record who will obtain it and when; leave the finding unresolved rather than changing the score simply to reach agreement.
Choose priorities by their effect on the coming orders: recurring defects, delivery uncertainty, capacity constraints or missing approval evidence. Ask what the factory will change and what support it needs from you. Record buyer causes too, such as late artwork approval. Keep urgent containment separate from work intended to prevent recurrence.
Test the buying plan against factory readiness
Walk through the products and required delivery dates in your existing plan. Ask the factory to identify material availability, production slots, tooling constraints and approvals needed from you. Record what is confirmed, what remains provisional and what depends on another action. Refer to forecast versus firm order when separating planning demand from purchase instructions.
Ask the supplier to explain how improvement work will fit alongside planned production. Agree what happens if a dependency slips: revised scheduling, additional checks, a narrower order scope or a hold. Assign an owner to confirm each unresolved assumption before you rely on it.
Write actions that can be accepted or rejected
Write the action register during the meeting and read each entry back. Give every action a named person on the responsible side, a specific deliverable, an agreed calendar deadline and a buyer-side verifier. Use an unambiguous date format and state the time zone where a time matters. Avoid entries such as ‘factory to improve quality’.
Define closure evidence before accepting the action. A revised instruction may show that a process was changed; subsequent production evidence helps establish whether it worked. Use the corrective-action closure guide for that assessment. Record dependencies and the person to contact if the deadline is missed.
| Field | What to record |
|---|---|
| Priority and affected order | The problem, its impact and the product or batch affected |
| Deliverable | The observable change or document to be supplied |
| Named owner | The responsible person and any buyer input needed |
| Deadline and dependency | The agreed calendar date and what must happen beforehand |
| Acceptance | The evidence required and the person who checks it |
| Status and escalation | Open, awaiting verification or closed, with the escalation contact |
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Record the next-order decision and follow through
Close by recording whether to proceed, proceed after stated conditions are verified, or hold the next order. Identify the products and planned order concerned, the decision maker, the reasons and any release conditions. For a hold, name who can reconsider it and what evidence they need. Check the order approval guide when assigning that authority.
Read back the priorities, actions and order decision before ending. Send matching English and Chinese minutes for explicit confirmation and record any disagreement. Keep forecasts, meeting decisions and purchase instructions clearly labelled. Track actions between reviews, escalate missed deadlines and attach closure evidence to the register. Revisit the order decision when its conditions change.
Frequently asked questions
Who should attend a Chinese supplier review?
Include your order decision maker and factory contacts who can commit production and quality resources. Bring a translator where needed, plus a named recorder.
What if the supplier disputes the scorecard?
Check the underlying order or batch records. Record the disputed point, the evidence needed, its owner and deadline. Keep it unresolved until the evidence supports a finding.
Should I place the next order during the review?
Record whether it can proceed, needs verified conditions or should be held. Use your normal purchase approval process to issue the order; label the forecast separately.
What if the supplier misses an agreed action?
Ask the named owner for evidence and a recovery proposal. Escalate to the recorded contact, keep the action open and reconsider any next-order decision that depended on completion.