Supplier Development and Assessments

The Supplier Development (SD) Program is Newport News Shipbuilding's approach to growing, developing, and maintaining our suppliers. Overall, the SD Program methodically assesses our suppliers and then implements tools to help improve them. This includes mentoring suppliers to help them understand NNS and Navy requirements so that they may become a capable reliable partner to meet all technical, quality, and delivery requirements.

Process Overview

NNS selects and engages suppliers for the SD Program based on performance history, strategic procurement outlook and supplier risks. Suppliers interested in SD can also contact NNS for inclusion in the program.

Assessments and Workshops

NNS subscribes to and administers industry best practices and tenants from the bodies of work in the Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence, Lean Manufacturing, American Production and Inventory Control Society (APICS), International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME) Criteria.   From this and other bodies of work, NNS developed several tool sets to administer the SD Program.  Click the following links for a summary sheet explaining the approach and intent:

• Business Performance Assessment (BPA)
• Value Chain Assessment & Workshop (VCA)
• Operational Lean Assessment (OLA)
• Supplier Technical Assessment nad Validation (STAV)

Who is Needed From Your Organization?

The SD Program is a partnership between NNS and your company. It will require a commitment on both organizations to be successful. Supplier representatives should include sales, contracts, engineering, quality, and manufacturing personnel.