Practical Supplier & Vendor Auditing

Your supply chain is only as strong as its weakest link.  The most vulnerable points in complex global supply chains are the links with suppliers and vendors.  Identifying and strengthening those links is critical to protecting your credibility and reputation – particularly in the oil and gas business.

A properly conducted audit is the only way to ensure that your suppliers are complying with the standards you agreed when you chose them.  There’s a lot to consider: engineering processes, shipping, invoicing procedures and quality controls. 

Over 50% of companies may be failing to follow best practice in auditing their suppliers.  That means an increased risk of the unexpected happening – with potentially serious results.

This course provides you with the skills you need to audit and manage your suppliers and vendors effectively.  After attending, you will be well equipped to build a robust management platform from which to continuously improve your supplier partnerships.



We have designed this course for supply chain and procurement officers, audit managers and key account managers in supplier businesses. 

It will be of particular benefit to any manager who can influence processes and procedures in the supply chain, who needs to improve their skills in managing vendors and suppliers, or who wishes to improve their understanding of supply chain management. 

It will also be of interest to any manager about to be promoted to any of these roles, and to graduates on fast-track development routes.



By the end of the programme participants will be able to:

• Use auditing tools and techniques to uncover weak links in the supply chain
• Apply best practice supplier/vendor auditing strategies internationally
• Undertake objective supplier/vendor audits and reporting
• Develop effective supplier/vendor compliance and improvement initiatives
• Engage effectively with stakeholders, both internal and external
• Translate auditing activities into tangible organisational benefits

Topics covered on this course will include:

• The External Environment
• Systems and Supply Chain Risks
• The Nature of Risk in Supply Chains
• The Risk Management Cycle
• Risk Identification
• Segmentation Tools
• Procurement Targeting
• Stakeholder Management
• Audit Systems and Processes
• Supplier Management  - auditing
• Translating Audit Findings to Business Improvements
• Procurement Risk Register