| 1 | Application and design fit | Confirm the supplier can build the required harness configuration, including conductor sizes, cable types, connector interfaces, routing, branch points, shielding, and installation constraints. | Completed technical questionnaire; drawing and bill-of-materials review; documented list of assumptions, exclusions, and open questions. | Conduct a design-for-manufacturability review with engineering and compare the supplier’s proposed build against the controlled product documentation. | Proceed only when the supplier’s proposal matches the defined application and all design gaps have an owner and closure date. |
| 2 | Electrical ratings and safety | Check that wire, insulation, terminals, connectors, and protective components are suitable for the system’s specified voltage, current, temperature, and installation environment. | Component datasheets; required approvals or declarations; material identification; ratings and conditions of use. | Review ratings against the product specification and applicable regional requirements. Verify that component substitutions receive prior approval. | Accept only documented ratings that meet the project specification and applicable compliance requirements. |
| 3 | Quality management system | Assess the scope and status of the supplier’s quality system. ISO 9001 is a general quality-management standard; IATF 16949 may be relevant when automotive supply-chain requirements apply. | Current certificate, certification scope, issuing-body details, audit results, corrective-action records, and quality-contact information. | Confirm certificate scope and validity, then audit processes relevant to harness production rather than relying on certification alone. | Require a quality system appropriate to the end market and documented controls covering the proposed manufacturing site and product scope. |
| 4 | Workmanship and process control | Review controls for wire cutting and stripping, crimping, soldering where specified, connector assembly, sealing, labeling, and final inspection. | Process flow; work instructions; crimp-tool and applicator records; operator training records; inspection criteria; applicable workmanship standard and revision. | Audit representative production operations and inspect sample terminations. IPC/WHMA-A-620 may be specified as a workmanship acceptance standard when appropriate to the contract. | Require controlled work instructions, trained operators, calibrated or verified equipment, and acceptance criteria agreed before production. |
| 5 | Electrical and functional testing | Determine which checks are required for the finished assembly, such as continuity, correct circuit mapping, short-circuit checks, insulation resistance, or dielectric withstand testing. | Test plan; equipment calibration records; sample test reports; test limits and acceptance criteria; nonconformance and retest procedure. | Review the test setup and confirm that each required circuit or feature is covered. Define test voltages, limits, and methods from the product design and applicable requirements. | Approve only a test plan that covers the specified failure risks and records results with the required lot or serial traceability. |
| 6 | Environmental and mechanical suitability | Evaluate the intended exposure to heat, vibration, moisture, chemicals, abrasion, flexing, and ingress conditions. Requirements vary by installation and system design. | Material specifications; relevant component test reports; assembly validation plan; stated test conditions and results. | Agree on representative validation tests and acceptance limits before testing. Do not assume that a component rating alone validates the complete harness assembly. | Require evidence that the complete design is suitable for the defined operating and storage conditions. |
| 7 | Traceability and change control | Check whether the supplier can trace materials and production lots and control changes to materials, tooling, processes, software, and manufacturing location. | Traceability procedure; sample production record; approved-supplier controls; change-notification and approval procedure. | Trace a sample finished harness back to its production records and material lots. Review how the supplier documents and communicates proposed changes. | Require traceability and prior customer notification or approval for changes as defined in the purchasing agreement. |
| 8 | Prototype and production validation | Confirm that prototype samples are representative of the intended production design and that production readiness is demonstrated before release. | Approved samples; first-article inspection records; process validation results; control plan; production approval documents when required by the customer or industry. | Compare sample builds with released drawings and specifications. Close deviations and confirm production controls before authorizing serial orders. | Do not release production until required samples, documents, deviations, and validation activities are approved. |
| 9 | Capacity and delivery reliability | Assess available equipment, staffing, qualified backup processes, material lead times, and the ability to meet forecast and delivery requirements. | Capacity statement; production plan; lead-time assumptions; bottleneck analysis; on-time delivery history for comparable work. | Compare demonstrated capacity and material availability with the buyer’s forecast, order pattern, and recovery-time needs. | Require a feasible capacity plan and agreed escalation and recovery process for supply interruptions. |
| 10 | Commercial and lifecycle support | Review total cost, quotation assumptions, minimum order quantities, tooling ownership, warranty terms, end-of-life notification, and engineering support. | Itemized quotation; tooling and intellectual-property terms; warranty and returns process; lifecycle and obsolescence policy. | Compare quotations on equivalent specifications, validation scope, packaging, logistics, and change-control terms rather than unit price alone. | Select the supplier only after technical, quality, delivery, and commercial terms are documented and approved. |