Overview #
A single-sourced product depends on one vendor. If that vendor has a problem, you have nowhere else to go. This guide shows you how to find these products, decide which ones matter most, and add a qualified alternative vendor.
Before You Start #
- At least one supply list with products and vendors. If you don’t have one yet, start with Map Your Supply Chain.
- Free and Basic show a Network Analysis preview with your single-sourced products. Pro and Premium show the full analysis and Network Atlas.
Steps #
Step 1: Find your single-sourced products #
Open Network Analysis, select your lists and apply the filter. Review Single-Sourced Products and Bottleneck Vendors (vendors that supply several single-sourced products). The Home Dashboard also shows a single-sourced products count.
Learn more: Network Analysis
Step 2: Decide which ones matter most #
- Start with products that are critical to revenue or to keeping operations running.
- Look at bottleneck vendors first: one alternative can cover several products.
- On Pro and Premium, open Network Atlas and start with products rated High or Critical.
Learn more: Network Atlas
Step 3: Choose where to look #
If you are not sure which countries to source from, ask the Sourcing Helper. It recommends countries based on your profile and your priorities, such as price, speed, quality or compliance.
Learn more: Sourcing Helper
Step 4: Search for alternative vendors #
Create a Search Request with the product category and specifications, the target countries and any certifications you require. Open the request to see potential matches.
Learn more: Search Request
Step 5: Check the candidates #
Open each candidate’s company profile to check their certifications, audits, locations and product catalog. On Pro and Premium you can preview profiles from the results and bookmark the ones you like.
Step 6: Add the alternative to your list #
Add the new vendor to the product in your supply list. ScopeMatch validates the product and location against the vendor’s profile.
Learn more: Product Supply
Step 7: Check the result #
Run Network Analysis again. The product should no longer show as single-sourced, and its risk in Network Atlas should drop.
Tips #
- A second vendor in the same country still leaves you exposed to that country; check the country of origin too.
- Qualify alternatives before you need them, not during a disruption.
- On Premium, run a Disruption Simulation on your top bottleneck vendor to see what you would lose.
What’s Next #
- Find and Qualify a New Supplier: go deeper on checking candidates.
- Stress-Test Your Supply Chain: test what happens if a vendor or country drops out.
Need help? Contact us at helprequest@scopematch.com.