What a substitution approval record looks like
It is the record of a part that was not the specified one being accepted anyway, under conditions. The most informative cases are the near misses, where the substitute meets most requirements but not all.
Worked example: the shaft seal rated 30 degrees short
Illustrative. A 520-person industrial pump manufacturer learns that its usual supplier of a shaft seal is on allocation, with a 16-week lead time. A buyer opens a substitution request and collects alternatives.
| Quote | Unit price | Lead time | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Original supplier | $12.40 | 16 weeks | On allocation |
| Alternative supplier B | $14.20 | 3 weeks | Selected for evaluation |
| Alternative supplier C | $11.80 | 9 weeks | Too slow for the build plan |
Quality engineering compares supplier B's seal with the drawing:
| Requirement | Specification | Substitute | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing material | Stainless grade on drawing | Same grade | Meets |
| Dimensions | Drawing tolerances | Within tolerance on first article | Meets |
| Pressure rating | 25 bar | 25 bar | Meets |
| Shaft speed | Rated maximum on drawing | Equal rating | Meets |
| Material certificate | Required per lot | Supplied | Meets |
| Temperature range | Up to 150 °C | Up to 120 °C | Deviates |
The approval trail then runs in four steps. The quality engineer opens a deviation record. Design engineering confirms that pumps built in the next two lots are for customers whose duty stays under 100 °C. The procurement director approves a purchase order to supplier B limited to two lots, with incoming inspection on each. When the original supplier recovers, the deviation is closed and the record notes that both lots passed inspection.
Each of those steps happened in a different system, which is why the joins matter more than any single export.
The field map: which key joins which systems
Build the map across the source-to-pay suite and the QMS first, then add engineering files and receiving.
| Join | From | To | Key that must appear in both | What breaks without it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Requirement to request | Engineering files | Source-to-pay suite | Part number and drawing revision | Nobody can tell which specification the substitute was judged against |
| Request to quotes | Source-to-pay suite | Source-to-pay suite | Request or sourcing event number | Alternatives considered are lost; only the winner remains |
| Request to deviation | Source-to-pay suite | QMS | Part number plus deviation number | The commercial decision and the technical acceptance separate |
| Deviation to order | QMS | Source-to-pay suite or ERP | Deviation number and quantity limit on the purchase order | Orders beyond the approved limit cannot be detected |
| Order to inspection | ERP receiving | QMS | Purchase order and lot number | The checked result cannot be tied back to the deviation |
| Approvals to people | Source-to-pay suite and QMS | Both | Approver identity and timestamp | The who-and-when of the decision is missing |
On the last row, the source-to-pay suite often holds more than people expect. In SAP Ariba, for example, the Approvals reporting fact records user actions such as approving or denying documents, reassigning approvers and delegating approval authority.
SAPReconstruct the chronology
With the keys in place, the events can be put back in order:
- Part number to drawing revision. The engineering file says what was required at the time. A later revision can make an old deviation look wrong, so the revision in force matters.
- Part number to substitution request and quotes. The source-to-pay suite holds the request, the alternatives and the buyer's notes.
- Request to deviation record. The QMS holds the comparison against the specification, the engineering sign-off and the limits.
- Deviation to purchase order. The purchase order should cite the deviation number and the quantity limit.
- Purchase order to receiving inspection. The QMS records whether each lot passed, closing the loop.
Where the joins usually break
Common gaps: the deviation number typed into a free-text note instead of a field, approvals given by email outside both systems, and inspection results stored by lot number with no reference back to the deviation. Under ISO 9001, an organization is expected to make sure purchase requirements are correct before they go to the supplier, so a well-kept history usually shows the requirement as sent, not just as drawn. In automotive supply chains, the Production Part Approval Process (PPAP) sets the minimum a supplier must document and submit for a customer's approval to ship production parts, so substitutions there may also leave a PPAP submission in the file. For medical device makers, FDA's Quality Management System Regulation took effect on February 2, 2026 and incorporates ISO 13485:2016 by reference, which shapes how their quality records are kept. None of these rules says anything about licensing; they explain why the records exist.
Questions for the procurement director, all metadata: How many substitutions a year? Do purchase orders carry deviation numbers in a field? Were rejected substitutions kept? How many years do the source-to-pay suite and QMS hold? Do supplier terms limit reuse of quotes and certificates?
Does the company qualify?
The company needs 50+ full-time employees at peak (contractors excluded), a documented operating history, rights to license the records and an authorized contact. Companies in the U.S., Canada and the EU qualify, as do companies in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, India, Singapore, South Africa, Latin America, the UAE and Saudi Arabia when at least 90% of the data is in English.
What stays unknown until SourceX reviews it: buyer interest in substitution decisions, how supplier and customer confidentiality terms affect rights, how much preparation the records need, and whether there is an offer. Sign the Channel Partner Agreement before submitting; the first valid introduction within the 90-day window is credited when the company submits a verified application. The broader category is described in procurement approvals and exception workflows; the quality inspection records checklist, the industries hub and the manufacturing page list related records.
Go deeper on supplier substitution approvals
- Who can license substitution approval records: a short answer on which decision-maker to introduce.
- Preserving substitution history before supplier consolidation: an inventory checklist for when old supplier records are archived.
- Supplier substitution referral brief template: a fill-in template for the introduction.
Next step
Refer a company. Earn up to $100,000. Default reward: 25% of Actual Supplier Payout, capped at $100,000 cumulatively per referred company. Eligibility and payment conditions apply, and a signed Schedule A or addendum can differ. A lead, meeting or signature alone does not trigger payment.
If a manufacturing client can still follow substitutions from request to deviation to inspected lot through these keys, register as a partner, check the company against who qualifies, and read the program terms before you introduce the procurement director.