Leverantörsbetyg

Leverantörsbetyg is a Swedish term that translates to “supplier rating” in English. It refers to the systematic assessment of a supplier’s performance by an organization, often including criteria such as price, quality, delivery reliability, service, and compliance with contractual terms. The primary purpose of leverantörsbetyg is to create a transparent and objective basis for procurement decisions, to encourage continuous improvement among suppliers, and to facilitate risk management within supply chains.

The concept originated in Swedish manufacturing industries during the 1990s, when companies sought to align purchasing practices with emerging quality standards such as ISO 9001. Since then, leverantörsbetyg has been adopted by a broad range of sectors—including public administration, healthcare, and construction—to support evidence‑based contracting. A typical leverantörsbetyg framework employs a scoring system on a scale, for example 0 to 10, and may incorporate both quantitative data (e.g., defect rates, on‑time delivery percentages) and qualitative feedback (e.g., stakeholder interviews). Scores are usually reviewed annually or per contract cycle, and lower-rated suppliers may face remedial action plans or, in extreme cases, termination of the business relationship.

Critics argue that leverantörsbetyg can overly emphasize numerical indicators at the expense of contextual factors such as social responsibility or innovation. Others point out that small suppliers may lack the administrative capacity to maintain the documentation required for high scores. Nevertheless, many Swedish firms maintain leverantörsbetyg as a core component of their procurement policy, arguing that it improves supplier accountability and overall supply‑chain resilience.