Vendor Qualification and Audit Training

Supplier or vendor qualification is a crucial component in compliance to 21 CFR 111. The FDA requires that manufacturers of dietary supplements must “qualify” each of their vendors but do not provide guidance on how a company is to perform this qualification. Supplier qualification principles also apply to subcontracted services affecting cGMP (manufacturing steps, packaging and labeling, testing and/or calibration services, storage and distribution, etc.) Any supplier qualification program must include two critical components:

1. Clearly defined specifications/requirements for all of these goods or services being purchased, and;
2. Objective evidence to show that your requirements are being consistently fulfilled.

This eight-hour vendor qualification audit training will help you improve quality in your facility. It is designed for those who already have a basic understanding of dietary supplement GMPs and the knowledge and skills necessary to qualify suppliers.

Since the evaluation of all types of suppliers often involves auditing, this course will incorporate a fresh look at the auditing process and the skills and techniques needed to get the most from these activities. The skills and techniques learned are independent of the type of auditing or the standard being audited and will be useful when conducting internal audits and performing audits of suppliers.

On conclusion of this course, you will have an understanding of the following:

• Regulations that apply to vendor qualification (21 CFR 111)
• Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA)
• Impact of FSMA on supplier qualification
• Risk assessment and risk management
• Supplier monitoring activities
• On-site audit strategies and requirements
• Managing the audit process effectively before, during and after
• The consequences of noncompliance

This course is valuable for QA/QC, regulatory and compliance, laboratory, and other key personnel who are in charge of or a part of implementing a new or modifying an existing vendor qualification program into their dietary supplement companies’ operations. The course would also be useful for purchasing and production managers, who may be involved in the vendor determination process and could benefit from understanding some of the elements in qualifying a supplier.

Course instructors will be selected from the following:

Shawn Ludlow. Shawn Ludlow is a well-established NSF GMP instructor. He has created several third-party certified quality programs compliant with 21 CFR 111, ISO 9001:2000 and FAMI–QS.

With an undergraduate degree in chemistry, master’s degree in public health and experience working as an analytical chemist for several years, Shawn found his education and work experience combination to be a natural fit for dietary supplement manufacturers looking to improve their quality programs.

Norman Howe - Norman Howe is an experienced quality consultant. Norman has taught a course in quality systems as adjunct faculty at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He serves as an expert witness in FDA-regulated product quality cases.

Previously, Norman was the plant manager of a pharmaceutical plant with BASF and was responsible for manufacturing, quality assurance, engineering, maintenance, contract manufacturing and a small product development group.

Nicole Leitz - Nicole Leitz has more than 20 years of experience in the 21 CFR regulated industries. She has written and presented numerous training sessions on quality system elements and best cGMP practices to corporate clients and at national conventions. Nicole is also an experienced remediation consultant. She has advised, and written documentation such as SOPs and WIs and has completed root cause investigations, CAPAs and complaints for corporate clients.

Nicole has a Master of Science degree in organic chemistry from Bucknell University and a Bachelor of Science in ACS chemistry from Hope College.

Jennifer Alfrey - Jennifer has a master’s degree in nutrition and over 25 years of experience in the dietary supplement and cosmetic industries. Her experience ranges from product innovation to global regulatory compliance with experience in formulating, developing, and registering nutrition and cosmetic products in over 150 different countries.

Jennifer has also successfully built cGMP compliant quality management systems from the ground up for dietary supplement manufacturing operations. She has launched quality systems that include compliant documentation of procedures, MMRs, specifications, complaints, laboratory testing, test method development and manufacturing processes.