Question: Are critical suppliers and partners included in business continuity and recovery planning?
Why This Matters
Continuity depends on external partners as much as internal readiness. Engaging suppliers ensures end-to-end resilience.
Maturity
No supplier continuity considerations.
Vendors contacted only during incidents.
Critical vendors identified with contact details.
Supplier continuity requirements added to contracts.
Joint recovery testing and BCP alignment performed.
Continuous joint resilience monitoring and assurance.
How to Level Up
| From → To | Actions | |—|—| | 0 → 1 |List critical suppliers for key processes. | | 1 → 2 |Add them to continuity contact list. | | 2 → 3 |Include continuity obligations in contracts. | | 3 → 4 |Run joint recovery drills. | | 4 → 5 |Establish continuous resilience scorecard. |
Enablers
- People: Procurement, BCM Lead, Vendor Owner
- Process: Identify → Engage → Test
- Technology: TPRM tool, continuity tracker
Evidence
- Supplier list with contact info
- Contract continuity clauses
- Joint test results
KPIs
- Number of critical vendors included in continuity plans
- Frequency of supplier recovery tests
- SLA compliance rate during disruptions
Low-Cost / Open-Source Options (MSME)
| Purpose | Tool | Notes | |—|—|—| | Tracking | Airtable | Supplier BCP matrix | | Collaboration | Nextcloud | Document sharing | | Dashboards | Metabase | Test participation rate |
Common Pitfalls
- Supplier contact data outdated
- No testing of vendor response
- Contract clauses unenforced
Compliance Mapping
| Standard | Clauses / Notes | |—|—| | ISO 22301 | 8.4 / 8.5 | | ISO 27001 | A.5.19 | | NIST CSF 2.0 | ID.SC / RS.RP | | NIRMATA Mapping | BC-Q10 ensures continuity dependencies include suppliers. |