This page is part of the supplier corrective action closure guide. It works as a tree: each question narrows the path toward the person the introduction should reach.
The root: one sponsor, two questions
The supplier quality head runs the corrective action process and knows where it is thin: how many requests a year, in which tools, and how often a closure rested on measured deliveries. That last point matters because ISO 9001 auditing guidance has auditors verify that corrective actions were effective, so the sponsor already knows which closures can stand up to a check. That makes them the right first contact. The decision on licensing, though, is the CEO's.
Ask them two questions before anything else, and the rest of the tree follows from the answers:
- Which parts of the file did the company write, and which did suppliers write?
- Who in the company decides on new uses of its records?
The split: company records versus supplier content
Every corrective action file mixes material from two companies. The split decides who must approve and what needs review.
| Record | Created by | Owner to describe it | Approval path |
|---|---|---|---|
| Defect reports and inspection measurements | The company | Incoming inspection lead | CEO |
| Requests, status history and closure approvals | The company | Supplier quality head | CEO |
| Checks on later deliveries | The company | Incoming inspection lead | CEO |
| Supplier containment and cause analysis | The supplier | Supplier quality head can describe, not approve | Counsel reads supplier terms, then the CEO |
| Supplier process settings, drawings or methods in attachments | The supplier | Nobody at the company can approve alone | Counsel; often excluded or limited |
| Names of supplier and inspection staff | Both | Supplier quality head | Counsel or privacy lead |
ISO auditing guidance describes a report form with separate sections for cause analysis, correction, corrective action and verification. Where a company's forms follow that layout, ownership is often visible field by field: the request and the checks are the company's, while the cause and action sections may be the supplier's own words.
The legal gate: supplier agreements and personal data
Two kinds of review sit between the sponsor and the signer. A partner flags them; the partner does not settle them.
- Supplier agreements and portal terms. These may limit reuse of supplier responses, require confidentiality or restrict disclosure of process data. The purchasing or supply chain director knows which agreements apply; counsel reads them.
- Personal data. These files name inspectors, engineers and supplier contacts. Where EU law applies, the GDPR treats any information relating to an identifiable person, including a name, as personal data. That shapes preparation, usually by keeping roles and removing names; it does not by itself rule the records out.
Why data rights matter explains how SourceX's rights review handles records with mixed ownership.
Access is not authority: who cannot say yes
Each of these people can supply metadata for the brief. None can approve a licensing discussion.
| Role | What they can see or do | Why it is not authority |
|---|---|---|
| Supplier portal administrator | Every response and attachment, export settings | Admin rights are a job function, not a mandate |
| Quality systems advisor or consultant | QMS configuration, procedures, audit history | Works for the company under an engagement; cannot commit it |
| Supplier quality engineers | Individual cases and acceptance decisions | Can size and describe the history, not decide its use |
| The supplier's quality manager | Its own responses and process data | Works for a different company |
Ask none of them to export, screenshot or forward a file. Partners never ask for or handle raw client records.
The signer: the CEO
At the end of the tree sits the CEO, who can open a licensing discussion and sign for the company; in an owner-run manufacturer that is usually the owner. The COO or CFO may sponsor the case internally, and legal reviews supplier terms. Two situations add a level:
- An owner above the company. A private equity sponsor, parent company or board may need to approve new uses of records. Ask whether one exists.
- A sale in progress. A deal can freeze decisions about assets. How to sell a manufacturing business covers that setting.
If you are tempted to introduce the supplier instead, because its records are richer, read whether you can refer a supplier your company buys from first. A supplier can be an introduced company in its own right if it qualifies, but it cannot bring its customers' records along.
What stays unknown until SourceX's rights review
When the signer agrees to talk, four questions remain open and are answered only in SourceX's review with the company: which record classes and years the company may license, how supplier-provided content is treated, which cases a buyer would want, and whether an offer follows. A strong history makes the review faster; it does not settle it in advance.
The introduced company needs 50+ full-time employees at peak (contractors excluded), documented operating history, rights to license 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. Partners sign the Channel Partner Agreement before submitting introductions. The system map shows which owners hold which keys, the referral brief template puts the tree's answers on one page, and root cause analysis records covers the 8D and CAPA files kept alongside.
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.
Once the supplier quality head has agreed to bring in the CEO and separated the company's records from supplier content, register as a partner, check the company against who qualifies and read the program terms before making the introduction.