Supplier management guides

The essential reading on managing suppliers

Hand-picked articles from our library, organised by the questions procurement and quality teams ask most. Each topic ends with a free template and the matching part of EvaluationsHub.

Start here: the basics

What supplier performance and relationship management are, how they differ, and how the whole supplier lifecycle fits together.

  1. What Is Supplier Performance Management? A Beginner’s Guide
  2. What Is Supplier Relationship Management (SRM)? Explained Simply
  3. The Difference Between SPM and SRM. Simple Definitions
  4. Supplier Performance Metrics 101. The Basics You Need to Know
  5. Full Supplier Lifecycle Management: From Sourcing to Final Offboarding
Procurement glossary →What is a supplier scorecard? →

Scorecards and KPIs

Choosing the right metrics, weighting them and keeping scorecards credible with suppliers and auditors.

  1. How to Build a Weighted Supplier Scorecard
  2. Balanced Scorecard for Suppliers: Putting the Balance Back
  3. Supplier Scorecard Best Practices: KPIs, Weighting, Cadence
  4. Supplier Scorecard Metrics: Quality, Delivery, Cost, Reliability
  5. How to build a supplier scorecard that actually satisfies IATF 16949
Template: weighted supplier scorecard →Supplier scorecards in EvaluationsHub →

Segmentation and evaluation cadence

Deciding which suppliers deserve the most attention, and how often each group should be evaluated.

  1. How to Use the Kraljic Matrix to Segment Your Supplier Performance Strategy
  2. Supplier Segmentation Models: Strategic and Risk-Based Tiers
  3. Risk-Based Supplier Segmentation: A Strategic Approach
  4. How Often Should You Re-Evaluate Suppliers? Build a Cadence Suppliers Can Earn
Template: SPM configuration planner →Supplier segmentation →

Quality and corrective action

Quality agreements, audits and CAPA processes that change supplier behaviour instead of creating paperwork.

  1. How to Design a Supplier CAPA Process That Actually Drives Change
  2. Supplier Quality Agreements: Write Clauses You Can Actually Measure
  3. ISO 9001:2026 Is Published: What It Means for Supplier Quality Teams
  4. Digital Supplier Audits: How to Run Remote Audits That Actually Verify Compliance
Template: 8D corrective action tracker →Supplier CAPA →

Supplier risk

Spotting, scoring and mitigating supplier risk before it turns into a disruption.

  1. Predictive Supplier Risk Analytics: How to Forecast Issues Before They Become Disruptions
  2. Mitigating Non-Financial Supplier Risks: A Guide
  3. Mitigating Supplier Contract Risks: A Comprehensive Guide
  4. Supplier Evaluation Checklist: Vendor Scoring and Risk
Template: supplier risk register →Supplier risk management →

ESG, CSRD and CSDDD

What sustainability regulation asks of your suppliers, and how to collect the data once and reuse it.

  1. Collect Once, Report Many Times: A Supplier Data Map for CSRD, CSDDD, EUDR and CBAM
  2. The Purchasing Manager’s Guide to CSDDD
  3. ESG, CSRD & CSDDD Requirements in Onboarding
  4. Integrating ESG in Supplier Evaluation for Sustainability
Template: ESG supplier questionnaire →ESG and CSRD compliance →

Onboarding and qualification

Getting new suppliers approved quickly without losing data quality or compliance.

  1. How to Automate Supplier Onboarding Without Losing Data Integrity
  2. Structured B2B Onboarding: Process, Risk, Workflow
  3. Multi‑Entity & Multi‑Language Supplier Onboarding
  4. Integrating Supplier Onboarding with SAP (ECC/S4HANA)
Template: supplier onboarding checklist →Supplier onboarding →

Relationships and business reviews

Running supplier reviews that lead to action, and involving the rest of the business in the evaluation.

  1. How to Run a Quarterly Business Review That Actually Drives Supplier Change
  2. The Core Principles of Supplier Relationship Management
  3. Cross-Department Collaboration for Supplier Evaluation
  4. Why S2P Suites Fall Short on Supplier Relationship Management
Template: supplier QBR pack →Supplier QBRs →

Sourcing, contracts and technology

RFPs, contracts and choosing procurement software, including what to ask about AI.

  1. The Ultimate RFP Checklist Excel for Purchasing Managers
  2. The Difference Between SRM and Contract Management
  3. How to Compare AI Features in SRM Software (2026 Guide)
  4. The EU AI Act for Procurement: The Complete 2026 Guide
  5. The 2026 Procurement Tech Stack: A Practical Guide for Mid-Market Teams
Template: RFx evaluation matrix →RFx sourcing →

Choosing software

Honest comparisons for teams deciding what to use next: your ERP, quality systems or spreadsheets.

  1. Supplier scorecard software for SAP: what you already have, what SAP Ariba adds, and where EvaluationsHub fits
  2. A supplier performance layer on top of your ERP: SAP, Coupa, Dynamics 365, Oracle
  3. Supplier performance management for Coupa customers
  4. Supplier performance management for Dynamics 365
  5. Supplier performance management for Oracle Fusion, EBS and NetSuite
  6. Automated supplier CAPA: email vs SAP QM vs a supplier collaboration layer
  7. Outgrowing the supplier scorecard spreadsheet
  8. How to compare AI features in SRM software
Book a demo →Integrations →

Want the whole library?

Browse every article on the blog, look up a term in the glossary, or read The Buyer’s Balance by Prof. Bert Paesbrugghe on how buyers and suppliers find a working balance.

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