What is a supplier qualification list?
In the aerospace industry, a prime contractor cannot source from just any supplier for critical parts or materials. To guarantee traceability and safety of airborne components, major manufacturers and certification bodies maintain supplier qualification lists — registers of companies that have demonstrated their ability to meet precise technical, quality, and regulatory requirements.
The principle is consistent: only suppliers referenced on these lists are authorised to deliver certain parts, materials, or processes for a given programme.
The main lists in the aerospace ecosystem
- AQPL (Airbus Qualified Parts List) — The qualified parts list maintained by Airbus, reserved for suppliers under Airbus contract. It identifies components approved for Airbus programmes. For suppliers under Airbus contract wishing to verify a component's status: official Airbus resource — access restricted to suppliers under Airbus contract →
- QPL (Qualified Products List) — A concept from US military standards (MIL-STD), adopted by other manufacturers and defence agencies. A product must have undergone formal qualification before appearing on the list.
- NADCAP — The accreditation programme run by the Performance Review Institute (PRI) for special processes (heat treatment, NDT, welding, coatings…). The list of accredited subcontractors is publicly searchable via eAuditNet.
- AVL / ASL (Approved Vendor List / Approved Supplier List) — Generic terms used internally by many companies, often aligned with AS9100 requirements.
Why these lists exist: traceability as a fundamental requirement
The AS9100 standard requires organisations to control their entire supply chain: supplier qualification, monitoring of outsourced processes, and full material traceability. A supplier must prove that every raw material and subcontractor used is qualified and traceable to the source.
These lists serve as external proof that the source is recognised as compliant with the prime's requirements. Without this referencing, the traceability chain is broken — invalidating any downstream quality package.
The direct link with FAI and EN9102 Forms
The First Article Inspection (FAI), defined by EN9102 / AS9102, is the process by which a supplier formally demonstrates that a newly manufactured part conforms to all requirements. The FAI package includes three forms:
- Form 1 — General part data (drawing number, revision, material…)
- Form 2 — Review of manufacturing processes and subcontractors (this is where supplier qualification directly applies)
- Form 3 — Record of all ballooned dimensional characteristics on the drawing
In Form 2, the supplier declares each special process used (surface treatment, NDT, welding…) and the selected subcontractor. If that subcontractor must be NADCAP-accredited or appear on a customer-qualified list, Form 2 is where this compliance is attested and documented.
A supplier unable to reference a qualified subcontractor in their Form 2 cannot validate their FAI — even if all Form 3 dimensions are compliant.
How BullePlan fits into this process
BullePlan primarily covers Form 3: the tool automatically balloons technical drawings, extracts dimensional characteristics via AI, and generates the EN9102 Form 3 table ready to sign. If your organisation already manages supplier qualification upstream (Form 1 and Form 2), BullePlan streamlines and accelerates the last — and most time-consuming — step of the FAI package.