Supply Chain Inspection
Trust your supply chain, end-to-end
Partnering for supply chain confidence
Consistently delivering a high-quality product or service requires absolute confidence in your suppliers’ adherence to best practices. Our global network of inspectors brings sector-specific knowledge and expertise, we work as your partner to deliver a range of services including vendor assessments, site inspections and project validation. Together, we’ll help you manage risks to key projects and the wider supply chain, ensuring your suppliers deliver safe, compliant products and services on time and to specification. This helps mitigate the potential for costly delays, critical failures and reputational threats.
Our supply chain and vendor inspection services
No two supply chains are the same, and as they become more complex and increasingly global in scope, it’s important to define the measures that will drive efficiencies and successful operations. We work closely with you to build an understanding of your business, delivering tailored solutions that provide you with the knowledge and assurance to make informed decisions.
Vendor and Site Inspection
Get real and timely insights about your suppliers to ensure they’re delivering on commitments.
Vendor Assessment
Ensure suppliers have the right capabilities to support future projects.
Project verification and Validation
Manage risks at all phases of your projects – from design review to on-site installation.
Pre-shipment Inspection
Confirm that the quantity and quality of goods conform with what has been ordered.
Why work with LRQA?
Global reach, local insight
LRQA offers specialist inspection and assurance services in over 80 countries. Whatever your sector, we can help you anticipate, mitigate and manage supply chain risk. Our team of over 1,000 inspection experts use extensive local sector knowledge to help thousands of clients safely and sustainably establish best practices.
Consistent approach
We work side-by-side with you, listening first to gain a comprehensive understanding of your business including its risks, challenges, and supply chain needs. Using our broad expertise, we’ll help you identify areas that need improvement before creating solutions that will support your business and optimize your supply chain.
Flexible delivery
In most cases, we can deliver our supply chain services on-site or remotely, using safe and secure technology. If you opt for our remote delivery methods, you’ll receive the same high-quality service with the added benefit of flexibility, fast delivery, and access to global expertise.
From small manufacturers to world-leading brands
We have a long history of delivering tailored inspection and supply chain assurance services to businesses of all sizes across multiple industries. Our inspectors, specialists and project managers are internationally certified with extensive sector-specific experience, so you can be confident that we will offer real, actionable insights that drive growth.
Frequently asked questions
What is a Vendor Site Inspection?
Vendor Site Inspections allow you to get real and timely insight about your suppliers so you can be sure they are delivering on their commitments to your business. Vendor Site Inspections can range from an evaluation of operational risk to performance or product verification, and they are particularly useful to carry out on longer-term suppliers, especially if they have had a change in processes or management.
Key benefits:
Reduce risk across your supply chain
Carrying out Vendor Site Inspections allows you to effectively manage and control risk across your supply chain, reducing not only any threat to your business but also unnecessary costs.
Ensure quality and efficiency
Vendor Site Inspections help you to continue operating efficiently and will reduce any impact on your wider supply chain. By having more insight, you will be assured that your supplier is delivering on cost, timeliness, and quality.
What is a Vendor Assessment?
Whether it is signing a contract with a new provider or planning a project with an existing supplier, getting that upfront assurance that you are working with the right company is vital. Vendor Audits, also known as supplier audits, allow you to gather important information about a supplier’s capabilities, machinery, and management systems, helping you decide whether they are a company that you want as part of your supply chain.
Key benefits:
Protect your brand reputation
Maintaining the quality of your supply chain and understanding how vendors operate assures you that your suppliers are reliable and safe. This builds stakeholder confidence and reinforces your brand reputation.
Save time and money without compromising on quality
Our vendor audits identify weaknesses and gaps of potential suppliers, enabling them to put steps in place to ensure effective processes and better quality. This can help you save time and money by reducing unnecessary costs while mitigating risk.
Have confidence in your suppliers
Understanding how your supply chain operates and the standards they work to will give you confidence that they are the type of business you want within your supply chain.
What is Project Validation and Verification?
Our Project Validation and Verification services are designed to give you confidence in your high-value projects. Our team of experts work closely with you to understand the scope of work, providing tailored solutions that provide independent assurance that materials, components, equipment and systems are designed and manufactured to the correct specification – this helps to ensure that the intended performance can be achieved. In some cases, verification and validation may require the application of existing standards and subsequent inspection by our team of qualified experts. In other scenarios, requirements are often bespoke depending on the unique requirements of the project.
From renewables and chemicals to oil and gas, and other specialist areas like cranes and lifting equipment, we've been the trusted partner for some of the world's premier brands in bringing their high-value projects to fruition.
Key benefits:
Protect your investment
Our services reduce the risk of project failure by ensuring that all elements—materials, components, equipment, and systems—are in place and meet your specifications before you invest heavily.
Stakeholder Assurance
Whether it's your internal team or external partners, our verification and validation services provide the assurance needed to maintain confidence throughout the course of the project.
What is a Pre-shipment Inspection?
Our Pre-shipment Inspection services are a critical checkpoint for businesses aiming to ensure the quality and compliance of their products before they're shipped. This could include an inspection of the production process, such as random witnessing related to material testing, mechanical testing, hydrotests and visual examinations. Additionally, finished products undergo a final inspection, packing verification and stamping to ensure they align with order specifications.
Whether it's pressure equipment, electrical components, or any other product, our global team of experts is equipped to inspect various types of equipment, irrespective of the type or manufacturing location.
Key benefits:
Cost Efficiency
By identifying and rectifying issues before shipment, our services minimize the risk of rejected shipments, leading to significant cost savings.
Facilitate Global Trade
For both suppliers and buyers, a pre-shipment inspection provides the confidence that products are compliant and ready for their target markets, streamlining the import and export processes.
