Incomplete Flowdown of Special Process Requirements on Purchase Orders
Published .
Related
- AS9100
- AS13100
Topics
- procurement
- flowdown
- purchase-order
- special-process
- nadcap
- contract-review
- supplier-management
A supplier received a purchase order for a part requiring a special process, such as heat treat or chemical processing, as defined on the engineering drawing. The drawing and its referenced specifications implied the need for an accredited source. However, the purchase order and its quality clauses did not explicitly state the requirement for Nadcap accreditation or use of a customer-approved processor.
The supplier, following the explicit text of the purchase order, used a technically compliant but non-accredited source for the special process. The customer subsequently rejected the parts and the corresponding First Article Inspection (FAI) package, citing a higher-level customer requirement for Nadcap-accredited sources that was not flowed down contractually.
Key Takeaways
- The lack of explicit flowdown resulted in a non-conformance, product rejection, and schedule delays.
- This required the supplier to either re-process the hardware at an accredited facility at additional cost or engage in a lengthy concession process with the customer.
- The supplier, following the explicit text of the purchase order, used a technically compliant but non-accredited source for the special process.
Best Practice
Organizations must ensure all requirements, particularly for special processes needing accreditation or specific source approval, are explicitly and unambiguously stated on the purchase order. Proactively clarifying ambiguous or missing flowdowns during contract review is critical to prevent non-conformances and ensure alignment with end-customer expectations.
Reflects the recommended position based on community discussion and expert review.
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