Ensure Readiness
Material availability at optimal inventory levels is secured, enabling execution of the production plan as scheduled.
PO confirmation and follow-up
- Purchase order acknowledgement: checklist and confirmed datesTurn supplier order acknowledgements into confirmed ship dates on every PO line, handle changed dates and prices, and know when to chase.
- Supplier not responding to a PO: escalation steps and emailGet a confirmed date back from a silent supplier with a day-one sequence, an example escalation ladder and a follow-up email you can copy.
- Purchase order tracking: four states and re-confirm cadenceTrack every open PO line through four states, from acknowledgement to receipt, so a slipping delivery surfaces while there is still time to react.
- Need date vs promise date: what to plan and score againstKeep need date, PO due date and promise date in separate fields, plan against the confirmed date, and score suppliers on their first promise.
- Early delivery: accept, refuse or reschedule outDecide whether to accept, hold invoice timing or refuse an early shipment, set a PO window, and know when a reschedule-out still saves cash.
- Past-due purchase orders: how to work the reportRank past-due purchase orders by the build each line blocks, clean the report first, and run a daily rhythm that catches a slipping date early.
- DPAS rated orders: checklist and acceptance deadlinesKnow what makes a DPAS rated order valid, accept or reject it within its 15- or 10-working-day deadline, flow the rating down, and get help when it stalls.
Material availability and clear-to-build
- Clear to build: kitting, shelf life and a CTB checklistKnow before the line starts whether a build is clear. Check on-hand status, shelf life against the build date, kitting timing, and what makes a CTB wrong.
- Supplier lead time: planned vs actual and quote checksCatch a stale ERP lead time before it releases orders late, and release long-lead items before the rest of the BOM.
- Receiving inspection: checklist, sampling and hold rulesCheck each shipment against the PO, size the sample to the part's risk, and hold unverified stock out of the ERP until it clears.
Supplier quality and approval
- PPAP: 18 elements, submission levels and checklistKnow which PPAP level to ask for, what the 18 elements are and which supplier changes reopen approval, plus how AS9145 PPAP works in aerospace.
- First article inspection: AS9102 checklist and FAI triggersKnow when AS9102 calls for a full or partial first article inspection, what Forms 1–3 record, and how to keep new-source FAIs off the critical path.
Cybersecurity and export control
- CMMC for suppliers: status checks and evidence requestClear suppliers for CUI before award. What CMMC Level 1 and 2 require now, what Phase 2's suspension changed, and what to ask each supplier for.
- NIST SP 800-171: Rev 2 vs Rev 3 and POA&M limitsWhat NIST SP 800-171 requires, why DoD still requires Revision 2 over Revision 3, and which requirements can never sit on a POA&M.
- SPRS: what it holds, who sees it and what to ask suppliersWhat SPRS holds, who can see it, and what to ask suppliers for before award: CMMC scores, affirmations, and DoD delivery and quality data.
Domestic sourcing
- Berry Amendment: textiles, hand tools and evidence checklistThe Berry Amendment has no cost test on covered textiles, a separate clause for hand tools, and a $200,000 threshold measured on DoD's contract.
- DFARS specialty metals: melt source, 2% rule and COTSSee what counts as DFARS specialty metal, the 2 percent exception's real limits, and the melt-source proof to collect before a part ships to DoD.
- Buy American Act explained: requirements and the 65% ruleWhat the Buy American Act requires, how to calculate the 65% domestic content test, why it rises to 75% in 2029, and the cost evidence to collect from suppliers.
- Trade Agreements Act (TAA): designated countries checklistSee which end products qualify under the Trade Agreements Act, why a GSA Schedule contract triggers it at any order size, and what to ask suppliers.
Prohibited sources and counterfeit avoidance
Certs and traceability
- Raw material traceability: process, evidence and exampleWhat it takes to produce and maintain a raw-material traceability record, with a completed example record and the decisions operations leaders need to make.
- Certificate of conformance: required fields and checklistKnow what a certificate of conformance must contain, when it can replace inspection, and how a distributor's certificate differs from the manufacturer's.
- Mill test report: EN 10204 types and receiving checklistRead a mill test report correctly, know what a 3.1 or 3.2 certificate promises, and catch a mismatched or incomplete MTR before it reaches a build.