Framework
The Cs of supplier evaluation
The question it answers
Before awarding a large order to a new supplier, a procurement manager asks: can they do the job, keep up capacity and stay financially sound?
- Origin
- Carter, 1995 (as described in Dokić, 2024)
- Diagram type
- Comparison table
- Level of analysis
- Firm
Diagram
The Cs of supplier evaluation
| Criterion | Test question |
|---|---|
| Competency | Can the supplier perform the contract? |
| Capacity | Can it meet present and future demand? |
| Commitment | Does it hold a quality policy and stand behind it? |
| Control | Can it manage its key business processes? |
| Cash | Is it financially stable? |
| Cost | What do its key financial indicators show? |
| Consistency | Does it provide consistent levels of quality and service? |
Pitfalls
Pitfall
- The seven Cs only list criteria. To rank suppliers you have to set the weights yourself, for example in a weighted scoring scheme (Dokić, 2024).
- The original model is purely economic and ignores environmental and social criteria. Carter and DPSS Consultants later added three more Cs: Clean, Communication and Culture (Dokić, 2024).
Sources
References
Listed A–Z by author surname, Harvard style. A source with a DOI links to https://doi.org/…; one without links to its page or says plainly that it has no DOI.
- Dokić, A. (2024) ‘Developing sustainable supplier evaluation framework – the 10 Cs of supplier evaluation’, ASECU, 20, pp. 125–136.doi:10.63356/978-99976-57-32-9_10Cited in 1 article