The template
Part A: raised by the buyer
SCAR number: · Date issued: · Issued by: · Supplier and contact: · Response due (containment / full response):
| Field | Entry |
|---|---|
| 1. Item or service | Part or material number, description, lot or batch, purchase order, delivery date, quantity received, quantity affected |
| 2. Requirement not met | Specification, drawing, purchase order term or standard clause, and what was found instead |
| 3. Evidence | Photos, measurements, inspection or test records, the incoming inspection or NCR reference |
| 4. Impact | Line stopped, rework, scrap, delivery delay, customer or safety exposure; cost to date if tracked |
| 5. Action already taken by the buyer | Quarantine, sort, return, rework, replacement ordered |
| 6. Severity and type | Minor, major or critical; first occurrence or repeat (with earlier SCAR numbers) |
| 7. Response required | Containment, root cause, corrective action, preventive action for similar products, verification plan |
Part B: answered by the supplier
| Field | Entry |
|---|---|
| 8. Containment | Stock checked at the supplier, in transit and at the buyer; how suspect product is identified; who and when |
| 9. Root cause | Method used (5 whys, fishbone), the cause of the defect and the cause it was not detected before shipping |
| 10. Corrective actions | One row per action: what changes in the process, owner, due date |
| 11. Preventive actions | Where else the same cause could act: other products, lines, sites |
| 12. Verification plan | The measure, the first shipment or period it applies to, who checks |
| 13. Approval | Supplier representative, role, date |
Part C: buyer review and closure
| Field | Entry |
|---|---|
| 14. Response accepted? | Yes or returned with reasons; reviewer and date |
| 15. Effectiveness check | Result on later deliveries or an audit, period covered, evidence |
| 16. Closure | Closed by, date; supplier scorecard updated; specification or inspection plan changed if needed |
What is the difference between a SCAR and a corrective action plan?
A SCAR is the request a buyer sends outside the company, so the supplier owns the root cause and the fix while the buyer owns the verification. A corrective action plan is the internal record, owned by one team, covering the same steps. The two work together: the buyer opens an internal corrective action plan for its own containment and impact, and sends the SCAR so the supplier's response is tracked against the same problem.
When should you raise a SCAR?
Raise one when the problem is more than a one-off slip you can sort and return: a repeat defect, a major or critical nonconformance, a failure that stopped a line or reached a customer, or an audit finding at a supplier. For a minor first-time issue, a note on the receiving record or a supplier call may be enough. Set the triggers in the supplier quality procedure so every site raises them the same way.
How do you write a SCAR that gets a useful answer?
- State the requirement and what was found, with measurements and photos. "Poor quality" invites a vague reply.
- Say what you need back and by when, split into containment and the full response.
- Name one contact at the buyer who reviews the response.
- Ask for the cause of the defect and the cause of the escape (why it was not caught before shipping).
- Do not accept "operator error" or "retrain staff" alone; ask what changes in the process so it cannot recur.
How do you review the supplier's response?
- Check containment first: is suspect product identified, and is nothing more reaching you?
- Test the root cause: does it explain this defect, and would removing it prevent a repeat?
- Check each action has an owner and a date, and addresses a stated cause.
- Agree the verification measure and period before accepting.
- Return it with specific reasons if any of these fail. Accepting a weak answer only delays the repeat.
Common mistakes
- Closing the SCAR when the supplier replies, before the fix is checked on real deliveries.
- No due dates, so the response arrives months later.
- A SCAR kept in email and a spreadsheet, with no link to the receiving record or the supplier's history.
- Raising a SCAR for everything, which trains suppliers to answer with the minimum.
- Never feeding the result back to the supplier scorecard or the inspection plan.
Step by step
- Describe the nonconformance. Record the item, the requirement not met, what was found, the quantity affected and the evidence.
- Contain on your side. Quarantine and sort or return affected stock, and note the impact on production and customers.
- Issue the SCAR with deadlines. Send it to the named supplier contact with a containment deadline and a full response deadline.
- Review the response. Check containment, root cause, corrective and preventive actions, and the verification plan, and return it with reasons if any are weak.
- Verify effectiveness. Check later deliveries or audit the supplier's process over the agreed period.
- Close and feed back. Close the request, update the supplier scorecard and change the specification or incoming inspection plan if needed.
A worked example
A food manufacturer received a pallet of pouch film with seal strength below specification, which was caught when a packing line began producing leaking pouches. The team quarantined the lot, switched to the previous batch and issued a SCAR the same day with seal test results and photos, asking for containment in two working days and a full response in 14. The supplier found the cause was a heating setting drifting on one extruder and no seal test on the final roll. Actions added a setting check each shift and a seal test per roll. The buyer verified the next six deliveries before closing.