Should I use a weighted supplier score?
Yes, if you need to compare trade-offs between eligible suppliers. Multiply each agreed criterion score by its weight, add the results and divide by the total weight. Test whether different weights change the winner. Safety failures and outstanding mandatory approvals must stay outside the total. Evidence gathering in China can be supported by Cambridge China Bridge.
Separate eligibility from preference
Start with a separate gate register showing the requirement, evidence, owner and status: passed, failed or pending. Keep safety failures and mandatory buyer approvals here. A low price or strong delivery score should never compensate for a failed gate. A pending gate means the supplier is not yet eligible for approval.
For UK consumer products, you must not sell goods you know, or should have known, are unsafe. Keep this obligation outside the score. Use the existing supplier qualification guide for the qualification sequence and buyer sign-off; the weighted comparison belongs between suppliers that have cleared the relevant gates.
Define what each score means
Choose measures that help distinguish eligible suppliers, such as delivered cost, delivery reliability, non-critical quality performance and corrective-action support. Compare the same specification and evidence period. The product specification guide explains the common brief; the repeat-order scorecard is the companion for ongoing reviews.
Convert each measure into an agreed scoring scale where a higher score always means a better outcome. Define the evidence needed for each rating and the useful difference between ratings. Do not add currency amounts directly to delivery measures. Keep missing evidence marked as unknown, and avoid rewarding the same benefit through overlapping criteria.
Calculate the weighted average
For each supplier, multiply each criterion score by its agreed weight. Add those contributions, then divide by the sum of the weights. In words: weighted average equals the sum of score multiplied by weight, divided by total weight. Use the same positive weights and scoring definitions for every supplier.
Keep each contribution visible beside the total so the buyer can see what drives the ranking. Weights express the trade-offs you accept across the defined scoring ranges. Discuss how valuable moving from poor to good performance would be on each measure, rather than assigning weights solely because a criterion sounds important.
Check whether the winner depends on the weights
Agree plausible alternative weight sets before choosing a supplier. Keep the scores fixed, increase the emphasis on delivery, reduce the emphasis on cost and recalculate using the new total weight. Then test the opposite preference. Record whether the ranking changes and which criterion causes the change.
If a cost-focused supplier wins under the cost-led weights but a reliable supplier wins under the delivery-led weights, the choice depends on your priorities. Record the trade-off explicitly. Also test disputed scores separately. If a modest, credible change reverses the result, gather better evidence or ask the buyer to resolve the priority before approving.
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Keep the decision reviewable
Retain the raw evidence, scoring definitions, agreed weights, calculations, alternative results and gate register. Name the person approving the commercial choice and the owners releasing mandatory gates. A spreadsheet ranking should inform that decision, not become an automatic order or shipment approval.
Cambridge China Bridge can use its own staff in China to gather factory evidence for the buyer's comparison. Agree the evidence brief before visits or sample reviews. The buyer retains engineering, procurement and compliance sign-off, including any decision to prefer a lower-ranked eligible supplier for a documented reason.
Frequently asked questions
Can price outweigh a supplier safety failure?
Keep safety failures outside the weighted total. Hold approval until the issue is resolved and the relevant evidence and sign-off are complete.
How do I calculate a weighted supplier score?
Multiply each criterion score by its weight, add the contributions and divide by the sum of the weights. Apply the same definitions and weights to every supplier.
What weights should I give supplier criteria?
Agree weights around the value of moving from poor to good performance on each defined scale. Test other plausible priorities and record whether they change the ranking.
What if a supplier has missing evidence?
Mark it unknown. Missing gate evidence leaves approval pending. For other measures, obtain the evidence or test a justified range of scores before relying on the total.