Vendor Certification
Vendor Selection Process
In August 2005, PSC sent a Request for Information (RFI) to approximately sixty print suppliers, ranging from small-job shop printers to high-end commercial/museum-quality printers. Fifty suppliers answered our request. The information gathered in the RFI was used to categorize the vendors by capabilities, services, and equipment.
PSC members visited twenty-five of the fifty plants in three states—Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. In addition to onsite inspections, key personnel were also interviewed.
Vendors were rated on customer service, equipment, capabilities, and commitment to quality. Special consideration was given to New Haven printers and the Buy New Haven Initiative.
PSC analyzed Yale’s publication expenditure, highlighting the top twenty-five print suppliers by departmental print expenditure and number of transactions. This information was then cross-referenced with vendors who scored well in the vendor certification ratings.
Throughout the process, PSC periodically checked prices using both live and test estimates.
Vendor focus groups were established with key printers to get their input on the qualification process and the Service Level Agreement (SLA) for Certified Print Vendors.
In the final stages of the process, PSC conducted interviews with the top candidates in the high-end commercial/museum-quality print category. Six printers from this group were chosen to make up Yale’s first certified print vendors.
PSC Print Vendor Qualification Review and Selection Process Outline
