Supplier non-conformance is a condition where material, parts, services, or required documentation from a supplier do not meet specified requirements. Those requirements may come from a purchase order, drawing, specification, quality clause, contract, inspection plan, or approved process requirement.
In manufacturing and regulated supply chains, supplier non-conformance is commonly recorded when an issue is found at receiving inspection, during production use, during source inspection, or through review of supplier-provided records. Examples include incorrect dimensions, missing certificates, unapproved substitutions, damaged packaging, incorrect labeling, or a process deviation that affects the supplied item.
A supplier non-conformance is not the same as an internal production non-conformance, although both may use similar NCR workflows. It also should not be confused with a supplier corrective action request, or SCAR, which is a common follow-up mechanism used to request investigation and corrective action from the supplier.
Operationally, supplier non-conformance records are often linked to lot or serial traceability, receiving inspection results, disposition decisions, containment actions, supplier performance data, and corrective action workflows. The record helps separate the observed failure from the later decision about use, rework, return, replacement, or escalation.