Rail Industry organisations involved in procuring products and services which relate to services conducted on the infrastructure are responsible under Railtway Group Standard GM/RT 2450 for maintaining “surveillance” of their suppliers.
As a result there is a great deal of common ground for audits and some repetition of audits on the same suppliers. Link-up Audit has been developed to lighten the burden on both supplier and buyer by covering the common ground and avoiding duplication of effort.
Over 100 organisations currently subscribe to the Link-up Audit scheme each with the responsibility for “surveillance”, normally carried out by audit.
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Link-up Audit is the Rail Industry’s second stage of the Link-up process and takes the supplier’s qualification information a stage further by providing a common auditing process to validate a suppliers information regarding their chosen product and service footprint.
Benefits |
- Link-up helps suppliers demonstrate their competence to potential customers
- Competent sources of supply identified and information shared
- Audits are undertaken by a neutral 3rd party and are designed to be objective and non-discriminatory ensuring equal treatment for all suppliers
- When qualified supplier status is achieved, the industry is advised via the Link-up Rail portal. The supplier may also display the qualified via audit “stamp of approval”
- Qualified status equates to successful completion of the first stage of Network Rail’s supplier assurance process
- Commercial benefit to qualified suppliers as the audit burden is reduced
- Reduces cost of surveillance across the supply chain
- Provides a much more "level playing field"
- Best uses of resources and expertise across the industry.
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