What Clause 8.2.3 Actually Requires
3 asks you to review requirements before committing to supply: those the customer states, those not stated but necessary for intended use, your own and statutory requirements, and contract or order differences from what was previously quoted. You must resolve differences and keep documented information on the review results. Auditors do not care what form the record takes, a signed checklist in your ERP, a router sign-off, or a form in ProShop or JobBOSS, only that it exists for each order, is dated before release, and shows who reviewed what.
The common gap is a review that is a single initial on the PO with no evidence anyone read the quality clauses or checked the drawing revision against the quote.
The Checklist: Drawing, Material, Process, Quality, Schedule
Run the same questions on every order so the review is consistent and auditable.
- Drawing number, revision and date match the PO and the quote; any model or spec called out is in your document control
- Material spec and form (AMS, ASTM, MIL) can be sourced with required certs and mill test reports; specialty metals or Buy American limits identified
- Every special process (heat treat, anodize, passivation, NDT, plating) mapped to an approved, Nadcap-accredited source if the customer requires it
- FAI per AS9102 required or not, and whether it is a full or delta FAI
- Prime quality clauses and flow-downs read, with exceptions listed
- Delivery date checked against capacity and outside processing lead times
Where Reviews Break Down in Real Shops
Three patterns cause most escapes. First, the PO is revised after the quote: quantity, rev letter or a new note arrives by email and nobody reruns the review. Second, the review is done by the estimator at quote time and never repeated when the PO lands, even though terms often differ.
Third, the review lives in someone's head. A shop running spreadsheets next to QuickBooks cannot show an auditor which clauses were accepted on which order. The fix is a gate: no job is released to the floor until the review record exists, and a PO that differs from the quote on rev, quantity, price or terms triggers a re-review automatically.
Most ERPs from JobBOSS to Epicor Kinetic and SyteLine can hold a hold flag or status on the order for this.
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AS9100 Contract Review Checklist (Clause 8.2.3)
A 36-item review checklist to run before you accept an aerospace purchase order or quote, covering customer requirements, flowdowns, capacity, special processes and records.
Using AI to Pre-Screen the Package
The reading is the slow part, and it is where a private AI model helps. Given the PO, drawing and quote, the model can compare revision letters, list the quality clauses and flow-downs with page citations, flag clauses that are not in your accepted-clause library, and list special processes and the approved sources your supplier list shows for each. The reviewer then confirms or overrides each line, and the signed result is stored as the retained record.
The model does not decide, and nothing is written back to the ERP without approval. Because aerospace POs often carry ITAR technical data, run the model inside your own network on your own hardware rather than uploading drawings to a public AI tool.
When a Formal Tool Is Overkill
If you handle a few dozen orders a month from two or three repeat customers with stable terms, a good checklist template in your ERP and a rule that the quality manager initials every new rev is enough. AI screening pays off when volume is high, packages are long, or you take on RFQs from many primes with different clause sets. Also remember the review is yours to own: if a customer clause conflicts with your capability, the answer is to take exception or decline, not to sign and hope.
Document the exception on the quote so the PO does not silently override it.
Frequently asked questions
Is contract review required for every purchase order under AS9100?
Yes. AS9100D clause 8.2.3 requires review before commitment, and again when requirements change after acceptance. You can scale the depth for repeat orders with unchanged terms, but you still need a retained record showing the order matched what you reviewed. A blanket review of the customer's terms plus a per-order check of rev, quantity and date is a common and defensible approach.
Who should sign the contract review?
Whoever your quality manual assigns, usually the quality manager or contracts lead, with input from the estimator, production planning and purchasing for special processes and lead time. What auditors look for is clear authority and evidence that quality clauses were actually read, not a particular job title.
What happens if the PO differs from the quote?
The difference must be resolved before acceptance: renegotiate, take exception, or document why the shop can meet it. Changes in rev level, quantity, delivery, price or a new quality note should send the order back through review rather than straight to the floor.
Can AI do the contract review for us?
It can do the reading and comparison, listing clauses, revisions and special processes with citations, but a qualified person must make and sign the decision. Treat AI output as a draft that speeds the human review, and keep the signed record in your quality system.
Send Netray a sample PO and drawing package and see a clause-cited contract review draft produced on your own infrastructure, with your quality manager making the call.