What does the Supplier Agreement Management (SAM) Practice Area focus on?

The Supplier Agreement Management (SAM) Practice Area primarily focuses on evaluating supplier deliverables. This aspect is crucial because it ensures that the products or services provided by suppliers meet the specified requirements and quality standards. It involves assessing whether the outcomes provided align with the agreements made, thus helping organizations to maintain quality control and ensure that their suppliers are reliable and capable of meeting their needs.

Effective evaluation of supplier deliverables allows organizations to prevent issues that may arise from inadequate supplier performance and fosters a more productive and trustworthy partnership. In this practice area, the analysis of deliverables might include reviewing documentation, testing products, or assessing service outcomes in contrast to the established criteria within the supplier agreements.

While negotiating prices, conducting audits, and developing relationships with suppliers are all important aspects of supplier management, they fall under different practices and are not the primary focus of the SAM Practice Area. SAM is distinctively concerned with the performance outcomes that suppliers provide rather than the negotiation or relationship processes involved.