ISO 20000 Certification Supplier Management 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What does ISO/IEC 20000-1 require organizations to do when using external suppliers to deliver parts of a service?
- Document and manage supplier relationships (Correct answer)
- Always use in-house resources only
- Eliminate all third-party vendors
- Report all suppliers to the certification body
Correct answer: Document and manage supplier relationships
ISO/IEC 20000-1 requires organizations to document and manage supplier relationships to ensure services meet agreed requirements.
Question 2: In ISO 20000, what is the primary purpose of supplier management?
- To reduce the number of suppliers used
- To ensure supplier-delivered services meet agreed requirements (Correct answer)
- To negotiate the lowest possible costs
- To eliminate dependency on external vendors
Correct answer: To ensure supplier-delivered services meet agreed requirements
Supplier management in ISO 20000 ensures that supplier-delivered services meet agreed requirements and support the organization's service commitments.
Question 3: Which document formally defines the terms and conditions of a relationship between an organization and its external supplier in ISO 20000?
- Service Level Agreement (SLA)
- Underpinning Contract (UC) (Correct answer)
- Operational Level Agreement (OLA)
- Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
Correct answer: Underpinning Contract (UC)
An Underpinning Contract (UC) formally defines the obligations between an organization and an external supplier in ISO 20000.
Question 4: What must an organization maintain as part of ISO 20000 supplier management to track all active vendors?
- A supplier register or inventory (Correct answer)
- A customer satisfaction survey database
- A financial audit report archive
- A risk mitigation plan only
Correct answer: A supplier register or inventory
ISO 20000 requires organizations to maintain a supplier register that documents all active suppliers and the services they provide.
Question 5: Under ISO 20000, when a supplier sub-contracts services to another party, who is responsible for ensuring those sub-contracted services meet agreed requirements?
- The sub-contractor assumes full and sole responsibility
- The end customer takes over responsibility
- The prime contractor (direct supplier) remains responsible (Correct answer)
- The certification body assumes oversight
Correct answer: The prime contractor (direct supplier) remains responsible
The prime contractor remains responsible for ensuring sub-contracted services meet agreed requirements under ISO 20000.
Question 6: Which clause of ISO/IEC 20000-1:2018 primarily addresses operational processes including supplier management?
- Clause 4 — Context of the organization
- Clause 6 — Planning
- Clause 7 — Support
- Clause 8 — Operation of the SMS (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Clause 8 — Operation of the SMS
Clause 8 of ISO/IEC 20000-1:2018 covers operation of the service management system, including supplier management requirements.
What does ISO/IEC 20000-1 require organizations to do when using external suppliers to deliver parts of a service?