JOSCAR (the Joint Supply Chain Accreditation Register) is a collaborative tool used by the aerospace, defence and security industry to act as a single repository for pre-qualification and compliance information. Using JOSCAR can determine if a supplier is “fit for business”.
This compliance level is required by blue-chip companies such as BAE systems.
One of the key aims of JOSCAR is to ensure that the information that suppliers and third parties are asked to provide to their clients is proportionate to the types of goods of services being supplied. A dynamic two-stage process is used to ensure that the process is tailored, and therefore as efficient as possible.
Stage 1 collects basic information about a supplier or third party to produce a profile on their legal entity, financial status and the nature of goods and services being supplied. This information allows an inherent risk assessment to be performed to determine if Stage 2 is needed in order to collect more detailed information.
Stage 2 requires the completion of a more detailed questionnaire along with supporting evidence, such as policies and certificates. To make the process as efficient as possible, only questions relevant to the nature of goods and services indicated in Stage 1 are asked, and most of the questions have selectable answers rather than requiring lengthy written responses.