Supplier Evaluation and Purchasing [T-13-EN]

Supplier Evaluation and Purchasing [T-13-EN]

Unverified or lapsed supplier approvals represent one of the most consistently cited non-conformities in healthcare accreditation surveys across the WHO European Region, including facilities operating under Georgia’s National Accreditation standards and Joint Commission International (JCI) criteria. When procurement decisions are made without rigorous, documented supplier qualification, the consequences extend beyond regulatory penalty: substandard consumables, reagents, and medical devices have been directly implicated in healthcare-associated infections, diagnostic errors, and adverse drug events. ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 13485:2016 both treat supplier control as a critical process rather than an administrative formality, requiring organisations to define, execute, and record systematic evaluation at defined intervals. This course equips administration and procurement professionals with the precise competencies needed to close that gap before auditors find it.

The course is grounded in the requirements of the ASF quality management framework, specifically standard documents CC-02 (Supplier Evaluation) and CC-02-F01 (Approved Supplier Register), and is cross-referenced against ISO 9001:2015 Clause 8.4 and JCI Accreditation Standards for Hospitals. Content is delivered through structured didactic modules reinforced by annotated case studies drawn from accreditation audit findings in Georgian and South Caucasus healthcare facilities, enabling participants to apply procedural knowledge directly to the institutional environments they work in. Active learning components include guided document analysis and step-by-step completion of the CC-02-F01 register, ensuring skills are immediately transferable to the workplace.

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Distinguish between initial supplier qualification, periodic re-evaluation, and event-triggered review, and articulate the conditions that require each under ASF CC-02 and ISO 9001:2015 Clause 8.4.
• Implement a structured supplier evaluation process using the CC-02-F01 Approved Supplier Register, accurately recording evaluation criteria, scoring, approval status, and review dates.
• Evaluate supplier performance evidence — including delivery records, quality certificates, complaint histories, and inspection results — against pre-defined acceptance criteria to support objective approval or rejection decisions.
• Construct a corrective action plan for a supplier non-conformity, specifying root-cause analysis steps, required supplier responses, and the verification activities needed before re-approval.
• Apply risk-stratification principles to categorise suppliers by the criticality of the goods or services they provide, and adjust evaluation frequency and intensity proportionately.
• Demonstrate compliant documentation practices that satisfy auditor expectations under JCI, ISO 13485:2016, and Georgian national healthcare accreditation standards, including version control, authorisation trails, and record retention requirements.

Who Should Attend

This course is designed for procurement officers, supply chain managers, quality assurance coordinators, and hospital administrators responsible for vendor selection and purchasing compliance in acute-care hospitals, polyclinics, diagnostic laboratories, and long-term care facilities. It is equally relevant to quality management staff preparing for initial accreditation surveys or scheduled re-accreditation cycles, including those working within facilities currently transitioning to JCI or ISO certification in Georgia and the broader South Caucasus region. Mid-career professionals who manage supplier relationships without formal QMS training will derive particular benefit, as will senior procurement staff seeking to formalise and audit-proof existing internal processes.

Course Structure

This self-paced online course is delivered through the GMJ Academy platform and requires approximately four to five hours of study time, encompassing video-supported modules, annotated document templates, and a competency-based assessment requiring a minimum passing score of 80%. Successful completion awards a GMJ Academy Certificate of Achievement with continuing professional development (CPD) hours recognised under the Georgian Medical Continuing Education framework.