| Electrical Performance | Output-voltage accuracy, load regulation, line regulation, quiescent current, and conversion efficiency | Verify all values against the target application, operating temperature, input-voltage range, and load profile. Do not compare headline values under different test conditions. | Full datasheet, application notes, electrical-characteristic tables, and test conditions for minimum, typical, and maximum values | Actual system performance may be lower than the typical value shown in marketing material. | Use guaranteed limits for design decisions and require application-specific validation before volume release. |
| Thermal Performance | Operating junction temperature, thermal resistance, package power dissipation, and derating behavior | Confirm operation within the specified junction-temperature range under the real PCB copper area, ambient temperature, switching frequency, and load conditions. | Thermal data, package drawings, evaluation-board results, and worst-case thermal test reports | Overheating can reduce reliability, trigger protection functions, or cause intermittent system shutdown. | Perform board-level thermal simulation and testing; include airflow, copper area, heatsinking, and ambient-temperature margins. |
| Functional Safety | Overvoltage protection, overcurrent protection, short-circuit protection, thermal shutdown, soft-start, and power-good behavior | Protection functions should be clearly specified, repeatable, and compatible with the system fault-response strategy. | Protection-threshold specifications, timing diagrams, fault-injection test results, and qualification records | Unexpected protection thresholds or restart behavior may damage downstream circuits or interrupt critical equipment. | Define fault scenarios in the technical specification and test start-up, shutdown, short-circuit, and recovery behavior. |
| Quality and Reliability | Failure-rate data, qualification status, change-control process, and reliability test coverage | Prefer suppliers that provide documented reliability methodology, product qualification results, and formal notification before material or process changes. | Qualification summary, reliability reports, process-change policy, quality certificates, and corrective-action records | Uncontrolled process changes may create electrical, mechanical, or long-term reliability variation. | Include change-notification requirements, approval procedures, audit rights, and traceability obligations in the supply agreement. |
| Package and PCB Compatibility | Package dimensions, pin assignment, exposed-pad requirements, moisture sensitivity, and reflow profile | Confirm mechanical fit, solder-joint reliability, stencil design, land pattern, and assembly-temperature limits before design freeze. | Package drawing, recommended land pattern, soldering profile, moisture-sensitivity information, and assembly guidelines | Package mismatch or poor thermal-pad soldering can cause assembly defects and field failures. | Complete a PCB design review and first-article assembly inspection using the intended production process. |
| Regulatory Compliance | Material declarations, restricted-substance compliance, export documentation, and product safety information | Documentation should cover the applicable destination markets and remain current for the exact ordering code and package. | Material declaration, restricted-substance statement, safety documentation, customs classification, and country-of-origin records | Incomplete compliance records may delay customs clearance or prevent use in regulated markets. | Make compliance documentation a purchase-release requirement and review it during every product or process change. |
| Supply Continuity | Manufacturing-site diversity, capacity allocation, standard lead time, and allocation history | Assess whether production capacity and lead-time commitments can support the forecast, including demand spikes and regional disruptions. | Capacity statement, production-site information, lead-time history, allocation policy, and business-continuity plan | Single-site dependence, capacity shortages, or unexpected allocation can stop production. | Qualify an approved second source or compatible alternative and maintain safety stock based on demand volatility. |
| Lifecycle Management | Product status, notice period for discontinuation, last-time-buy policy, and replacement compatibility | Lifecycle status should be confirmed before design-in; replacement products require electrical, thermal, package, and firmware validation where applicable. | Lifecycle statement, product-change notices, discontinuation policy, and replacement-product comparison | A product end-of-life event may force an expensive redesign or create obsolete inventory. | Use lifecycle reviews, approved alternates, redesign triggers, and last-time-buy controls in the procurement plan. |
| Authenticity and Traceability | Lot traceability, date-code control, packaging integrity, and authorized distribution documentation | Every shipment should be traceable to a production lot and supported by consistent labeling and inspection records. | Certificate of conformance, lot/date-code records, packaging photos, inspection reports, and chain-of-custody documents | Counterfeit, remarked, mishandled, or mixed-lot components may enter the supply chain. | Apply incoming inspection, sampling plans, packaging verification, and supplier traceability audits. |
| Commercial Competitiveness | Total landed cost, minimum order quantity, price validity, payment terms, freight, duty, and inventory carrying cost | Evaluate total landed cost rather than unit price alone; include logistics, customs, testing, inventory, and engineering-change costs. | Formal quotation, Incoterms, price-validity period, minimum-order policy, freight estimate, and duty assumptions | Low unit pricing may be offset by hidden logistics costs, large minimum orders, or frequent price changes. | Use total-cost modeling, volume tiers, price-adjustment rules, and dual-source negotiation. |
| Technical Support | Application-engineering response time, design-review capability, sample availability, and failure-analysis support | Technical support should be available across the target regions and provide documented responses within agreed service levels. | Support-service terms, escalation contacts, sample policy, design-review records, and failure-analysis procedure | Slow technical response can delay qualification and prolong production failures. | Define response-time targets, escalation routes, sample commitments, and root-cause-analysis deliverables. |
| Supplier Risk Score | Weighted score covering technical, quality, supply, compliance, commercial, and support factors | 80–100 Preferred approval range
60–79 Conditional approval
<60 Improvement or replacement required | Completed supplier questionnaire, audit results, technical evaluation, sample-test report, and risk-review minutes | A supplier may appear competitive in one area while creating unacceptable risk in another. | Use a weighted scorecard, set mandatory pass criteria, review risks quarterly, and document corrective actions. |
