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.

View 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
Initiatives
FAQs
Resources

Program + Vision

Program + Vision

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.
  • 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

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

Supplier Code of Conduct (Chinese)

Conflict Minerals Policy


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

Environment, Health + Safety AMEX Handbook

Environment, Health + Safety Reynosa 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

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.

Download form

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.

SupplySync


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.

START Manual


Packaging Specification and Distribution Guideline

The Packaging Specification and Distribution Guideline provides instructions on the design and testing requirements of product packaging.

Packaging Guideline