Why Use SourceAuthority?

Immediate Value
We provide immediate free access to world-class suppliers.

Sourcing Best Practices
Our sourcing process is time-tested, documented and effective.

Sourcing Technology
We give you free access to world-class technology which streamlines supplier discovery.

Flexible Capacity
Source one part or a whole spend category - we have the staff to handle it.

Domain Expertise
We know custom manufacturing - its all we do.

No Employee Costs
You never pay to hire and train sourcing employees.

Amazing ROI
This free service typically saves buyers 5-24% and improves quality, delivery and engineering support.

Services

Project Management
Comprehensive Sourcing Support

SourceAuthority provides you with the critical support necessary to identify and qualify the right supplier for your engineered component or assembly. We know that the right supplier can drive your bottom-line profits by controlling costs, improving quality, and by ensuring on-time delivery.

Finding the right supplier is not easy. It requires creating a pool of highly qualified candidates. It requires in-depth knowledge of each candidate's manufacturing technology, quality practices, delivery standards and costs. To narrow the field, you need access to sourcing technology which streamlines the process and employs a systematic approach that helps ensure that supplier selection is both efficient and effective.

If you need help finding the right supplier for your engineered component or assembly, we invite you to leverage our unique blend of sourcing information, technology and expertise to improve your supplier selection and bid management process.

How It Works

Project Definition
A SourceAuthority project manager works with you or with your team to assess, define and document the project. Typically this stage includes the gathering of critical information such as:

• The manufacturing discipline to be used in production.
• The latest revision of drawings or CAD files for the project.
• Other technical information such as special instructions, finish requirements, etc.
• Quantity or annual volumes to be sourced.
• The end date of the bidding event.
• The award date of your contract.
• The delivery date or other schedule requirements.
• A realistic target price for your custom manufactured part or assembly.
• The optimal supplier selection criteria. (Location, ISO certification, MWBE, etc.)
• Shipping instructions
• Terms and Conditions or other commercial considerations.

Using a strict process to produce uniform Request for Quotes not only ensures supplier input will match your criteria, it enables more efficient and objective bidding and bid analysis.

Supplier Assessment
Your SourceAuthority Project Manager will match your requirements against the extensive SourceAuthority supplier network and identify a pool of qualified prospects for the Request for Quote event. If you choose to include members of your current supply base; SourceAuthority will extend an invitation to those suppliers. These suppliers must agree to the SourceAuthority.com Terms of Use and submit to a Reference Check. This ensures that all suppliers bidding on projects are legitimate and have demonstrated their commitment to providing quality parts and service.

Engineering Assessment
If you choose, a member of the SourceAuthority Engineering Support Team conducts a thorough review of your drawings and/or CAD files to identify potential problems. We inform you of our findings, make suggestions and together take corrective action. Throughout the review process we align ourselves with your company's engineering procedures and leverage the latest collaborative technologies so that we can work with your team at every stage in the process.

Eliminating problems before the event ensures you receive a quality product and expedites the quoting process by eliminating redundant supplier questions.

Sourcing
Your SourceAuthority Project Manager will create and publish the Request for Quotation to the marketplace. Pre-qualified suppliers review the Request for Quote and begin to formulate their bids. During the bid process, suppliers are encouraged to ask critical questions which may affect your mutual success. For example, suppliers may submit questions seeking clarification of the terms, an item specification or delivery instructions. Your SourceAuthority Project Manager will facilitate this process.

Bid Evaluation
At the close of the bidding event, SourceAuthority facilitates bid tabulation and scoring based on the predetermined weighted criteria. This information is made available to you electronically and presented in a manner that is concise and consistent making it much easier for you to evaluate.

Full Supplier Qualification
After you have narrowed the list of candidates, our Supplier Qualification Services help you minimize risk and gain critical insight into potential new or existing suppliers. If you choose, our quality personnel can help you implement a Supplier Survey or Facility Audit to ensure that the supplier meets your requirements. SourceAuthority builds in-depth Supplier Profiles enabling you to evaluate suppliers in a manner that is efficient, consistent and cost-effective.

Contract Award
After you have identified the right supplier for your project, you contract directly with that supplier for production. All we ask is that you remember and honor the Terms of Use and provide us with feedback on the supplier's and SourceAuthority's performance.

Summary
SourceAuthority's Project Management Services provide you with the sourcing support you need to find, qualify and negotiate with the right supplier. We support each step of the sourcing process and provide measurable, repeatable results.