Supplier quality & SCARs
Control your externally provided products and services, the ISO 9001 Clause 8.4 requirement, with an approved-supplier list, quality scores, and supplier corrective actions (SCARs).
| Supplier | Category | Quality score | Status | SCARs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contract manufacturer | Production | 96% | Approved | 0 |
| Logistics partner | Fulfilment | 88% | Approved | 1 |
| Component supplier | Materials | 74% | On watch | 2 |
| Calibration lab | Services | 91% | Approved | 0 |
ISO 9001 Clause 8.4 asks you to control the external providers whose products and services affect your own quality, to evaluate, select, monitor, and re-evaluate them against defined criteria. Keel’s supplier quality module gives you that: an approved-supplier list where each supplier carries a category, a qualification status, and a 0–100 quality score, with a re-evaluation date Keel flags when it comes due. When a supplier misses the mark, raise a Supplier Corrective Action Request (SCAR) and drive it to closure, the supplier-facing sibling of your internal CAPA. It’s part of Keel Quality, the add-on that brings ISO 9001’s product-quality modules onto the same platform as your ISMS.
Supplier performance tracked in someone’s inbox
For most teams, “supplier management” means a spreadsheet of names and a memory of who caused the last problem. Clause 8.4 asks for defined criteria, monitored performance, and corrective action when a supplier slips, and an auditor asks to see the approved list and the evidence behind it.
What supplier quality & scars does
An approved-supplier list
Each supplier carries a category, a qualification status (pending / approved / conditional / disqualified), and an approved-list flag, the evaluated, selected, monitored list Clause 8.4 is built around.
Quality scores & re-evaluation
Score each supplier 0–100 and set a re-evaluation date; Keel flags suppliers due for re-evaluation so monitoring doesn’t lapse.
Supplier corrective actions (SCARs)
Raise a SCAR against a supplier and drive it through open → containment → corrective action → verify → closed, the same discipline as internal CAPA, aimed outward at the supplier.
Surfaced where it matters
Open SCARs and disqualified suppliers roll up onto the supplier list and the Quality dashboard, so supplier risk to your quality is visible, not buried.
Why it matters
- Prove ISO 9001 Clause 8.4 control of external providers with a real approved list
- Score and re-evaluate suppliers on a cadence instead of by memory
- Drive supplier corrective actions to closure like internal CAPA
- See supplier quality risk on the Quality dashboard at a glance
Get audit-ready, and prove it
Supplier quality & SCARs is one module of a full GRC platform: controls crosswalked across every framework, so you collect evidence once and comply everywhere. Start free, no credit card, no sales call.
Start freeFrequently asked questions
What does ISO 9001 Clause 8.4 require?
That you determine and apply criteria for evaluating, selecting, monitoring performance of, and re-evaluating external providers based on their ability to provide conforming products and services, and retain the resulting records. Keel’s module captures the approved list, the scores, the re-evaluation cadence, and the corrective actions.
What’s a SCAR?
A Supplier Corrective Action Request, a formal request that a supplier investigate and fix a nonconformance. Keel tracks each SCAR through containment, corrective action, and verification to closure, mirroring the internal CAPA loop.
How is this different from vendor risk?
Keel’s vendor-risk module assesses third-party security risk (for SOC 2 / ISO 27001). Supplier quality is the ISO 9001 product/service-quality view of your suppliers: qualification, scorecards, and SCARs. They’re complementary.
Is it included in my plan?
Supplier quality is part of Keel Quality, a paid add-on that layers on any plan. You can manage it from Billing.
Related features: Nonconformities & CAPA · Vendor risk management · Quality dashboard
Works with: ISO 9001