Qualification + Selection
Qualification
Our goal is to develop and maintain a robust supply base of Qualified Suppliers aimed at providing lowest total costs and exceeding our customer expectations.
Our qualification process is designed to gradually share information about each other, so we can each make clear decisions whether or not to continue the process. Our objective is to qualify suppliers with the best capability match to our business needs.
Selection
Qualified Suppliers must successfully complete a process and fulfill agreed upon requirements. Our qualification process includes research, evaluation, agreement, as well as ongoing monitoring and measurement.
Our Qualification Leaders develop a candidate supplier list from various sources, including our database of potential material and service providers.
The database is populated by inputs from our global Supplier Questionnaire.
Management
A supplier is selected from our qualified suppliers. We award business based on the supplier’s ability to meet specific requirements of a Schedule Agreement that includes line items such as quality, reliability, total delivered cost to point of use, environmental impact, etc.
We manage our suppliers with our customers in mind. We monitor our suppliers’ performance to ensure the products and services they provide meet or exceed the agreed upon terms and conditions.
Global Agreement
Prior to providing you access to Steelcase Engineering Specifications you will be required to sign a confidential disclosure agreement.
Steelcase and the supplier agree to certain terms and conditions of our Global Master Agreements. We have several types of agreements based on what is being purchased. The Master Agreement describes the general terms and conditions governing any purchase of product, material, service, or equipment by Steelcase from a supplier.
Qualified suppliers have appropriately demonstrated documented and implemented primary business processes and any special processes (welding, coating or adhesives).
Supplier Diversity
Program + Vision
Program + Vision
Overview
Steelcase has promoted diversity, equity, and inclusion since 1991. As a part of this commitment, we have established an effective supplier diversity program that aims to improve the vitality of the communities where we operate.
We seek out and consider diverse suppliers when selecting our partners while working with outreach groups to promote their participation. To measure our progress, we track our diverse supplier spending activity and report it regularly to ensure program effectiveness. Furthermore, we report our results to the US government and over 60 large customers in an aggregated manner.
Our vision for supplier diversity is to create a robust program that supports the growth and retention of diverse businesses, meeting the needs of all stakeholders.
Requirements
The day-to-day leader of the diverse business must:
- Belong to an established US government disadvantaged minority classification, and
- Have at least 51% ownership rights and this ownership must be unconditional, and
- Be a U.S. citizen or established U.S. legal resident, and
- Run a business located in the USA that trades with Steelcase.
Initiatives
Initiatives
Our diversity initiatives include:
- Participating in trade shows, conferences, networking events, customer showcases and meetings of associations representing diverse businesses to share information about Steelcase and to identify potential suppliers
- Maintaining relationships with diverse business associations, as well as small business associations
Maintaining active membership in:
- National Minority Supplier Development Council
- Michigan Minority Supplier Development Council (MMSDC) – The MMSDC awarded us their Corporate One Award for 10 years of excellence through our involvement and support.
- Michigan Chamber of Commerce
- Michigan Manufacturers Association
- The Right Place
- Inforum
- Business Leaders for Michigan and
- The Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce
FAQs
FAQs
Common answers for answering 5 common customer inquiries about DEI & Sustainability
- Does your company qualify as a “Small Business” according to the U.S. Small Business Association standards?
No, Steelcase is a large publicly held company, however we do spend about 31% of our U.S. operating expenditures with 700 small business enterprises. In FY23 this was a total of $391 million.
- Does your company qualify as a Diverse Supplier? ( i.e. 51% (or more) of the company is owned and controlled by Minority, Women, Disabled, Veteran or LGBTQ+ individual(s) or operating in a HUB Zone)
No, we cannot say Steelcase is a diverse supplier since we are a large publicly held business as defined by the US government. We do have an effective long-standing supplier diversity program. In FY23 we spent $126 million with 152 suppliers. 10% of total purchases were with diverse business enterprises.We are proud to say that these two last answers are additive meaning that in FY23 Steelcase spent 41% of our US supplier purchases with diverse and small business enterprises.
- Does your company require its supply chain to meet minimum social criteria? Yes. If so, by what criteria?
Yes, our suppliers are required to comply with the Steelcase Supplier Code of Conduct. Found at this link.
https://www.steelcase.com/about/steelcase/suppliers/#resources
- Does your company require its manufacturers to meet minimum social criteria?
Yes, same answers as previous question. If so, by what criteria? Please access the customer’s Supplier Code of Conduct.
https://www.steelcase.com/about/steelcase/suppliers/#resources
- Would your company be willing to agree with the customer’s Supplier Code of Conduct?
No, Steelcase must respectfully decline as we have many customers that ask the same thing and their codes of conduct naturally have differences. We can say that the Steelcase Code of Business Conduct and the Steelcase Supplier Code of Conduct substantially comply with the requirements in the customer’s Supplier Code of Conduct. You can find all of Steelcase Compliance Policies in one link at, https://www.steelcase.com/corporate-compliance-policies/
Resources
Resources
DIVERSE SPEND CALCULATOR
In order to forecast how much diverse supplier spend relates to a certain level of customer trade use the file below:
Note: Steelcase and dealer sales team only need to know two things:
- The sales dollars (for the customer and for Steelcase), and
- Which of the listed diversity categories does their customer include (they may need to appropriately reduce the diversity categories to match what how the customer defines diversity).
Spreadsheet does the rest.
Resources
CODE OF CONDUCT
We work with our suppliers to mutually serve our customers and shareholders. Together, we strive to meet and exceed quality standards, improve efficiencies and effectiveness, and manage resources and costs. We have established guidelines, tools and programs to enhance this outcome. Chief among these is the Steelcase Supplier Code of Conduct.
Supplier Code of Conduct (Chinese)
ENVIRONMENT, HEALTH + SAFETY HANDBOOK
It is Steelcase’s position that responsibility for the performance of safe work and protecting our environment by employees of outside contractors includes compliance to OSHA, MIOSHA, MDEQ, EPA and other federal, state and local regulations remains with the outside contractor. This booklet outlines the Steelcase policies and procedures for environmental, health and safety practices.
Environment, Health + Safety Handbook
SUPPLIER QUESTIONNAIRE
This is our invitation to you to tell us about your company whether you are based in New York or New Delhi. Suppliers providing logistics services like Full Truckload, Less than Truckload, Brokerage, and Warehousing should complete the Logistics Supplier Questionnaire. All other suppliers should complete the Supplier Questionnaire.
Logistics Supplier Questionnaire
MASTER DATA MAINTENANCE FORM – CHINA suppliers only
This form is only for China-based suppliers and is used during the supplier add or change process. The supplier needs to sign and stamp their company chop on the attached form to verify the supplier confirmation comes from the authorized company leader. The supplier needs to complete both Chinese and English sections. The supplier attaches a pdf of the completed version with their supplier information sent to Steelcase.
SUPPLYSYNC
SupplySync is a private, Internet-based exchange that connects Steelcase with its supply network. The exchange provides a wide range of business services for both indirect and direct material suppliers.
If you are already a Steelcase supplier, your buyer or primary contact at Steelcase can share more about SupplySync with you. If you are interested in becoming a candidate supplier, please fill in our Candidate Supplier Questionnaire form.
START Manual
The START Manual is a description of the day-to-day business processes required to be a Direct or Finished Goods supplier to Steelcase.
Packaging Specification and Distribution Guideline
The Packaging Specification and Distribution Guideline provides instructions on the design and testing requirements of product packaging.