Procurement Process

Purchasing: For your purchasing activities, you need to ensure your requirements are clear and properly communicated to the provider/supplier so that you receive the correct material/service. How do you select your suppliers?

• You should choose a “scope” for this requirement to decide which materials/services are controlled by your OH&S system – because it does not make sense to try to control all of them. Does your pencil supplier need to be controlled? A general rule of thumb of is: can their performance impact your ability to meet the requirements of your OH&S.
• Thus – develop an approved supplier list for critical materials/services, and a process for approving them.
• KEY ITEM: Make sure employees (receiving, purchasing, etc.) have the most recent (controlled) list.

Purchasing Information: How do you ensure you ordered the right material/service from your supplier? Your organization needs to verify the requirements before ordering.

• Does it require approvals? (UL listing, ILO, etc.)
• Do the supplier’s employees need credentials? (Professional Engineer, Registered Architect, etc.)
• ISO Registration – do they need to be ISO 9001/14001/13485/45001 certified?
• KEY ITEM: make sure your requests are accurate.

Verification of Purchased Product: How do you ensure their product/service met your requirements? Part of the purchase process is to verify that the goods/services that you procured.

• Typically, this is performed at incoming inspection, but you could put the verification process on the supplier and provide validation of this (such as a certificate of conformance or COC).
• Create a receiving process or work instruction.
• KEY ITEM: this applies to both products and services.

For more information, see Incoming inspection.

The procurement process includes the coordination of the procurement process with contractors to identify hazards and to assess and control OH&S risks that can impact OH&S performance. The procurement process also includes the control of outsourced functions and processes to ensure that arrangements are consistent with legal requirements and with achieving the intended outcomes of the OH&S.

For more information, see Contractors