What makes an international supplier credible enough to become qualified?

From a Dutch/European procurement perspective, when assessing an unfamiliar international supplier, what evidence actually moves that supplier from “interesting” to “qualified”? Beyond price and certifications, which factors carry the most weight in practice: continuity of supply, TCO, financial resilience, compliance and ESG, logistics capability, data transparency, geopolitical/dependency risk, references, innovation potential, or the supplier’s ability to build a reliable long-term relationship? And what are the early signals or red flags that make you either continue the qualification process or stop it?

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Beantwoord de vraag van Chards Josward

(4 antwoorden)

Cobi Komduur

Manager Supply Chain

16 september 2026

Visit the supplier and assess whether a long-term partnership is beneficial for both parties. During this process, all relevant factors should be evaluated and weighted according to the category strategy defined within your organization.

Chards Josward Solis

Logistics Operations | Distribution

17 september 2026

Thank you, Cobi. I really like your point about weighting the criteria according to the organization’s category strategy. In your experience, before committing to an on-site supplier visit, what evidence is usually enough to justify that next step, particularly when the supplier is based outside Europe?

Cobi Komduur

Manager Supply Chain

18 september 2026

Start with a Supplier Assessment (SA) document that is supported and approved by your organization and aligned with your compliance requirements. Have the supplier complete the assessment in advance, request relevant references, and conduct your own online due diligence.

Next, review the results together with the relevant stakeholders and departments within your organization to determine whether the supplier meets the compliance, quality, financial, and operational requirements for the products or services being sourced. However, supplier qualification should not be based solely on written information.

Visiting potential suppliers is equally important to validate the information provided, assess their actual capabilities, evaluate culture and management commitment, and build relationships. In addition, visiting suppliers, particularly in regions outside Europe, helps organizations better understand local markets, supply chains, risks, and opportunities. These insights are often difficult to obtain through documentation alone and can be invaluable when making strategic sourcing decisions.

Chards Josward Solis

Logistics Operations | Distribution

19 september 2026

Thanks for the explanation, Cobi. I found your point about involving internal teams especially interesting. I’m curious: when assessing an international supplier from outside the EU, what do you usually look at first in practice? Financial risk, compliance, logistics capability, references, or past delivery performance? And what ultimately makes you feel confident enough to trust that supplier?

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